São Tomé TripIndependent trip planning Plan your trip

What to do

Experiences

The experiences that make São Tomé & Príncipe worth the journey, with honest notes on seasons, fitness, what has to be arranged and what is outside anyone’s control.

Red and green cacao pods growing on a branch in a São Tomé plantation Photo: Ji-Elle, CC BY-SA 4.0

Guided days

The core of most trips.

The avenue leading up to Roça Agostinho Neto

Both islands

Private guides and driver-guides

The single booking that most shapes your trip.
Forested hills near São João dos Angolares

São Tomé

4x4 days and multi-day drives

Round the island, down to the south, into the roças.
Buildings and gardens at the former Monte Café coffee estate

Both islands

Roças, cacao and coffee

The estates that shaped the islands.

Places

Two landmarks everyone asks about.

A quiet sandy beach on Ilhéu das Rolas

Far south

Ilhéu das Rolas and the equator

A short boat ride from Porto Alegre.
Pico Cão Grande rising above the forest

Far south

Pico Cão Grande

Viewpoints, a tough forest walk, and technical climbing.

Nature

Timed to the seasons.

Begonias in the cloud forest near Lagoa Amélia

Both islands

Hiking

Cloud forest, crater lakes and coastal paths.
A Príncipe speirops on a branch

Both islands

Birding

Around 28 endemic species.
Palm-fringed Praia Jalé, a turtle nesting beach

Seasonal

Turtles and whales

Nesting beaches and humpback season.
A parrotfish over a reef off Bom Bom, Príncipe

Both islands

Diving and snorkelling

Volcanic reefs, with caveats about operators.

Plan with a person

Want this arranged for you?

Send your dates and what you want from the trip. We reply with practical options, the guides we would choose for you, what is confirmed and what is not, and a clear total price.

Tell us about your trip

No payment to ask. Nothing is booked until you confirm a written quote.

Plan your trip