São Tomé and Príncipe

Sitting off the coast of West Africa in the Gulf of Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe is a small tropical island nation visited by just a handful of travellers each year.

On São Tomé, the larger of the two islands, find the diminutive capital. Founded by the Portuguese in the 15th century as one of Africa’s first colonial cities, it was a hub for the sugar and slave trade. Today it is a charmingly faded and colourful port town trading chocolate where you’ll be warmly welcomed.

Both islands were formed by volcanoes that dominate the landscape. Pico de São Tomé rises 2000m above the ocean, its lower slopes clad in coffee and cocoa plantations turning to misty rainforests, while on the smaller Príncipe rock towers such as the mighty Cão Grande stick straight out of the canopy. Both uninhabited until their discovery by the Portuguese, and never a part of the African continent, their forests are home to fascinating endemic life with rare orchids, bird species and amphibians found nowhere else. All encircled by a dramatic coastline of empty palm-lined beaches, tiny fishing villages and clear waters where you can spot dolphins and spot whales.

Of the few places to stay in ‘STP’, our favourites are a joint venture that's as avidly committed to sustainability and community development as it is to show off the best of the islands.