São Tomé / Príncipe

Undiscovered Jewels in the Atlantic Ocean. Visit the equatorial islands of São Tomé & Príncipe, 200 kilometers off the west coast of Central Africa.

With a rich cultural heritage and good infrastructure, particularly on São Tomé, these islands form one of the smallest independent states in the world, located on an alignment of once-active volcanoes, with rugged landscaped, dense primary tropical forests, and beaches of black and white sand.

Amidst these lush surroundings, you will find many exotic plants and flowers – new orchid species are discovered here regularly – and birdwatchers can look out for 143 species of birds, of which 28 are endemic.

São Tomé

Discovered in 1470 by Portuguese navigators, this cone-shaped volcanic island that culminates in the 2,025-metre Pico de São Tomé offers dramatic landscapes of torrents and waterfalls, secluded beaches, sheer sea cliffs, tropical forest and extensive cacao plantations.

Príncipe

The tropical island of Príncipe lies north-east of São Tomé. It’s a place where dense rainforests teem with exotic birds, where whales sport playfully off unspoiled, deserted beaches, where crystal-clear waterfalls cascade into the azure blue ocean, and where the people are, above all, friendly and happy to meet you.

Príncipe’s extraordinary landscape, an irregular scattering of soaring volcanic peaks, is 70% covered by primary forest where up to 20% of trees, orchids and birds are said to be endemic. It has still been barely touched by the island’s 5,000 inhabitants or the outside world.