Tailor Made Holidays in São Tomé & Príncipe: Introduction

Rising dramatically out of the Atlantic Ocean are the sugarloaf peaks of São Tomé and Príncipe. Covered in lush rainforest, rivers and waterfalls, and fringed by sandy beaches, these islands have a very relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.

The islands lie 300 kilometres from the Gabonese coast and consist of the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe and a dozen beautiful tiny islets (one of which, Las Rolas, straddles the equator). The island interior is covered in dense rainforest, packed with endemic flora and fauna. Old cocoa plantation roads wind through the forest past giant begonias, orchids and tree ferns, with monkeys crashing through the canopy and grey parrots fluttering overhead. There are crumbling planters houses, almost taken over by the forest and where you can stay when hiking and eat by flickering candlelight.

The coastline has a few faded colonial towns and lots of small fishing villages where racks of red snapper are laid out to dry. There are strings of sandy beaches backed by palm trees and offshore reefs with rare corals. Some beaches are reached on foot, some by boat and others only accessible to turtles who come ashore to lay their eggs in the warm sand.

Selected Highlights

Our specialists have travelled the length and breadth of the country to research the best places to stay and things to do. Here they list a few of their favourite “unmissables”. Click here for more highlights

Dive at Rolas Island

Ilheu das Rolas is a tiny islet dissected by the equator, a short boat ride from Porto Alegre. It can be visited for the day but it's worth staying for the...  [more]

Relax on the beaches of Principe

Although Principe is a smaller island it does boast superb beaches, including the famous Banana Beach which was famously featured in a Bacardi advert.  [more]

Release turtle hatchlings at Jale Ecolodge

Jale is a small and very rustic ecolodge on the southern tip of Sao Tome. The lodge has a project to encourage the survival chances of the turtles who nest...  [more]