Paradise is defined by Webster’s dictionary as: a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight. Paradise therefore is São Tomé and Principe.

Nestled in the Gulf of Guinea and blessed by an equatorial climate, the islands of São Tomé and Principe offer year round warm waters, warm weather, lush green forests and colorful coral reefs.

It is one of West Central Africa’s best kept secret.

A former Portuguese and British colony, the small islands with a total population of under 200,000 is mostly visited by Portuguese paradise seekers. Many Portuguese fly from Lisbon to São Tomé with connecting flights through Accra. There are only 3 flights a week to São Tomé which means travelers typically have to plan in advance.

But once there vacationers are offered the ultimate in water sports, beach, delicious Afro – Caribbean cuisine, and relaxation.

However, the islands, which gained their independence in July of 1975 were not always a paradise. Their years before and after independence were marked with uncertainty, poverty, colonialism, and coups.

A brief history:

The São Tomé and Principe islands were discovered by the Portuguese in the 1700’s as uninhabited islands. Shortly after discovery the Portuguese decided to use São Tomé to produce coffee, sugar cane, and cocoa. They achieved their goals by bringing slaves from some of its surrounding colonized african nations such as Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, and Angola, and forcing them into slavery and later forced labor in its cocoa, coffee, and sugarcane plantations.

Even after the abolition of slavery throughout Europe slavery was still practiced in São Tomé  until the 1950’s when a series of rebellions lead to the end of the practice of slavery.  São Tomé and Principe formally declared independence from Portugal in July 12th 1975. The 1970’s to 1990’s were politically turbulent with dubious democratic elections and coups until a new constitution was drafted in the 1990’s.

Since the 1990’s São Tomé and Principe have had a series of democratically elected presidents awarding the small country economic and health benefits. For example, São Tomé and Principe has a life expectancy of over 65, well above the average of most subsaharan African countries.

What this means for visitors is a stress free, safe, and politically stable West African paradise to visit. 

Our Visit:

My husband and I arrived at São Tomé’s small airport after an hour and a half flight from Accra, Ghana (there are direct flights from Accra and Gabon, and one stop flights from Portugal, Ethiopia, Namibia, and South Africa). We were greeted by a representative of the Pestana São Tomé hotel and lead to a shuttle after passing by a few friendly panhandlers urging us to purchase goods in Portuguese.

“Eu não entendo nada.” – How I felt entering São Tomé’

We waited for over 30 minutes for all of Pestana São Tomé’s guests to arrive and be seated in the shuttle. Since there’s only one flight from Accra on Tuesdays and Thursday, the shuttle waits until all the guests are comfortably onboard.

The shuttle guide started giving a tour of the sites we passed on the way to the hotel in Portuguese. I stayed silent hoping my broken Spanish was enough to gain some insight into what the shuttle guide was saying. Christian, being Christian and German demanded an explanation in English. The guide was a bit surprised to see us there but she translated fromPortuguese to English for us and I was glad for Christian’s demand.

While most of the visitors to São Tomé  are from Portugal many guides, hotel staff, and restaurant staff also speak French, Spanish, and sometimes English.

Christian and I spent over a week exploring both São Tomé and it’s adjacent Island: Ilheu das Rolas – a small island with a village population of 150.  The island has one large all-inclusive luxury resort which is part of Portugal’s luxury brand PESTANA. The tourism and leisure group has over 91 hotels world-wide and I’d definitely stay with them again.

Buck back to São Tomé.

After our bumpy ride the receptionist checked us in and we received help on booking a city tour for the next day with an English and Portuguese speaking tour company run by two local guys.

Our guide, Joel Ramos, a São Tomé native with ancestry from Cape Verde took us the next day for a four hour tour of São Tomé’s city highlights which included markets, coffee shops, a national museum and a Portuguese fort, as well as a lunch. On (certain days) the tour includes a chocolate factory run by an Italian expat featuring the best in São Tomé chocolate.

Beautiful church in the city center.

We loved our tour with Joel so much we opted to take the northern tour with him the next day. That included a tour of an abandoned plantation and one currently in operation, as well as a waterfall, the site where the Portuguese landed in São Tomé, a beautiful drive along the coast, a viewing spot for the north of São Tomé and of course lunch in a local village. We also spent an hour playing in the waters of a hidden beach that only the locals know.

Secluded local beach in town.

Did I mention the food yet?

All of our lunches were at locally owned restaurants complete with the fresh and local ingredients including the catch of the day. If you are not a fish person you may starve here. Also, most of the food is naturally gluten free and it is oh so delicious. A typical mean includes fish, plantains, rice, and some veggies.

Typical meal in Sao Tome.

After our last tour with Joel, he took us to a supermarket to buy some local São Tomé chocolate with ginger and orange.

While our hotel arranged our tour with Joel you can book with him and the company in advance with the email information provided below.

To book with Joel, email him here: Email

After our three exciting days in São Tomé my husband and I lounged at our hotel’s infinity pool facing the gulf before being treated to entertainment with local dances for dinner.

Off to IIheu Das Roles

The next morning we woke up early to take the 9am bus and boat to Pestana’s  cousin resort on IIheu Das Roles. To get to IIheu Das Roles required a two hour bus ride through the island and then a 20 minute boat ride. While Sao Tome is extremely safe and small it is also improvised since it’s main ecosystems are agriculture, lumber, and tourism. You could see the contrasts between those who live in the city and those who lived in the countryside almost immediately.

A view from the van of outside the city center.

Nevertheless, After a two hour bus ride and a bumpy 20 minute boat rode we arrived at our rustic cabin, complete with a deck and modern utilities, which would be our home for almost 5 days.

When we told Joel we’d go to IIheu das roles, he said “It’s just for relaxation.” And he was right.

The next 5 days were spent being pampered with swim up pool bars, beaches, nightly entertainment, and delicious buffets with largely gluten free offerings.

Everyone spent time lounging in the huge pool, which felt like 6 pools in one, wading in the rocky ocean, and swimming up to it’s pool bar. The all inclusive nature of the resort meant that your only added expense were your drinks, which, like a cruise, were calculated at the end and mostly inexpensive (compared to NYC).

Our days were spent like this:

1. Wake up
2. Eat
3. Swim
4. Nap
5. Eat
6. Swim
7. Sleep
8. Repeat

By the second day I was brimming for adventure. We spoke with one of the security guards about what there was to do on this small island and where to find the Equator and he introduced us to Dee Dee.

DeeDee was a local kid who was fresh out of high school and was one of the few people who spoke English pretty well. He had aspirations to study medicine and eventually move to Portugal for a few years before returning home. He had a side hustle of day lighting as a tour guide for tourist on the island.

We figured we could trust him to take us around and it made more sense to spend local rather than give the hotel money for a tour. So the next day we arranged to see the equator line, go to a beach, and eat at his brother’s house for an “authentic” experience.

The next day we met up with DeeDee and he walked us to the line. We walked through the lush forrest and I deeply regretted wearing sandals. Bugs ran all over me and mosquitos were relentless. It was the first and only time I got bite on the island. It did make sense. I was walking around without mosquito repellent through a tropical forest…. I mean..

But it was worth it! Seeing the equator in West Central Africa after seeing it in Ecuador felt like an accomplishment.

At the Equator line! Such a fantastic view. We have now been on the equator in two countries!

After that adventure DeeDee took us to a secluded beach and left us there telling us he’d be back in an hour. We waited about an hour and a half and watched the rip tide push against the rocky shore. Then we decided to find our own way back. As soon as we reached the hotel DeeDee came running.

“Hey! Sorry, I was held up! do you still want lunch?” He asked.

We were hungry so we took him up on the offer. I was a little apprehensive walking through a village as it suddenly started to pour heavy rain going to a random person’s house for food that would hopefully not make me sick. But still, when in Rome, right?

I was so relieved when we made it to his brother’s house. They had a little plastic table and with two seats set up for us and brought out a huge plate full of fresh grilled fish, a huge plate of rice and a huge plate of plantains. They have covered it with dollies to keep away the flies. I asked for a beer and Christian got a bottle of water. We tore into that meal like two hungry children and it was sublime!

After that meal and the tour we gave DeeDee a tip and paid for our meal. Then he led us back to the village and gave us a hug good bye.

Posing with DeeDee for a pic.

The rest of our days were filled with relaxing by the pool, drinking at the pool bar, watching the waves crash on the sand at our deck or by the pool and speaking (with some help of Google translate) with Ivanson and Erickson who often worked the bar. Their hospitality and service were unmatched.

Others also taught us some Portuguese, like how to say good night, nice to meet you, for me, and our room number is 303. They delighted and we delighted in our humble attempts.

Our stay in São Tomé and Ilheu das Rolas was purely paradise.

I imagine, once the word gets out beyond the Portuguese and the Ghanaians, São Tomé will become a world class destination. It’s only a matter of time.

So while the beaches are still mostly empty I’d recommend planning a trip to one of Central  Africa’s best kept secrets.

To Book a tour with RamosDAfrica email them here. Link . Let them know Jasmine sent you 🙂

Want to see more pics? Scroll down after reading our super Important Tips.

Important Tips To Know Before You Go:
1. The Dobra is the official currency. It’s tied to the Euro. It is illegal to import or export the money and most ATMs on the Island do not take foreign debit cards. Therefore bring as many Euros as you intend to spend. Hotels also can exchange euros for dobras. Some stores do take euros and will give you change in Dobras. They are honest with the exchange rate when they do so there’s no need to worry. Hotels may take credit cards… when their machine isn’t broken.

2. ‎São Tomé does have malaria so it’s important to bring malaria medicine and your yellow fever certificate. While on the Islands in October we did not encounter many mosquitoes at all. However, when we hiked to the equator line there were tons of mosquitoes. I’d recommend repellent for that trip.

3. ‎The roads around the Island are mostly good with just a few potholes here and there. If you do rent a car to drive around it would be helpful to know some Portuguese. Also keep in mind people use their horns here to say Hello, and to say “Watch out” or “Get out of the way.”

4. ‎Most everyone speaks Portuguese and a fair amount of people speak French. Less speak Spanish and less English. But you can absolutely get around with English. However, knowing some Spanish and/or Portuguese words can help.

5. ‎If you exchange cash to dobra’s you’ll get a better exchange rate than withdrawing money from inside a bank. We wasted a lot of time and energy doing that so please just bring the money you need.

The Fort built by the Portuguese when they occupied the Islands. There’s also a museum inside that’s worth visiting.

Some of the colorful Streets of the main city center

The Cocoa Farm we visited where we learned about the islands robust cocoa production.

The clear blue waters that were so fresh and clean.

A View of an old port from the city center.

Body Positive in clear Blue Waters and loving life with my husband.

Please leave this field empty

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

We’d love to keep you updated with our latest news and offers

What’s your name?

And your surname?

Email Address *

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.