Best places for a unique itinerary on São Tomé island

Paradise exists and it can be found right off the coast of West Africa. It’s called São Tomé & Príncipe, a tiny country made up of two islands in the Gulf of Guinea. From my visit, I summarised the most beautiful places for ar unique itinerary around São Tomé island. A visit is not complete without also going to Príncipe island, so don’t forget to also check part II of this post, covering the most beautiful places on Príncipe!

Being a former Portuguese colony and centre of Atlantic slave trade, its history is as fascinating as it is cruel. Both islands are largely covered with rain forest and gruelling volcanic rock formations. The ever-humid climate makes them the perfect place for coffee, cocoa and tropical fruits to thrive. São Tomé & Príncipe gained independence late, in 1975, around the same time as other Portuguese colonies in Africa such as Cape Verde.

Since independence, the country has been stable and peaceful, which is another benefit for prospective visitors. Nonetheless, the São Tomé & Príncipe barely gets 15000 tourists a year and few operators go there. The number is increasing though and facilities for tourists are kicking off. So if you want to explore this little corner of paradise before the world does, now is the time.

A unique itinerary around São Tomé Island

Roça São João dos Angolares

Most definitely the best place on São Tomé island for me was Roça São João dos Angolares. Portuguese colonial houses, called roças, are dotted all around the island. Some are beyond repair, others have been beautifully restored and turned into hotels or museums. Roça São João dos Angolares has been beautifully restored with eye for detail and original outlook. It has been turned into a boutique hotel where guests feel part of the family.

There are lots of options for walks starting from the roça (local guide Zeki did a great job taking us around). It’s equally nice though to simply relax in one of the heritage rooms. The best thing about Roça São João dos Angolares however is the food. They serve a fixed menu every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner and it’s absolutely heavenly. I cannot rave enough about the variety, the surprising ingredients and combinations and the beautiful presentation of the food.

Ilhéu das Rolas

Ilhéu das Rolas is also known locally as the Equator Island. Indeed, the equator passes right through this little islet off the south coast of São Tomé Island. There is something about standing on the equator. If you’re not into geography, Ilhéu das Rolas should still be part of your unique itinerary around São Tomé. Walking trails around the island are plenty and easy to follow. You will also find pretty beaches to chill and snorkel. A PADI diving outlet, Dive Tribe, organises scuba diving off the island. I did two dives with them (organised ahead of time). They also took us for a boat tour around the island on request of my friend (who doesn’t dive).

There is one hotel on the island (a pricey Pestana resort) which looked pretty run down when we visited. I considered spending a night there when planning the trip, but decided against it since the hotel has a pretty nasty reputation for its dealings with the communities on Ilhéu das Rolas. We stayed on the mainland and instead just used the Pestana’s pool to shake of the salt after diving.

Porto Alegre & the beaches of the South

Praia Piscina (“swimming pool beach”) is often named as the prettiest beach of São Tomé. It gets competition from nearby Praia Inhame, Praia Jalé and several others – the south of São Tomé island is packed with amazing strips of sand. I found them a lot more appealing than the northern beaches – these are more crowded and unfortunately there are regular reports of theft and muggings.

We stayed at Praia Inhame and spent a day exploring the beaches on foot, by following a deserted dirt road along the coast. Some of the beaches are nesting places for sea turtles. So if you are visiting in the right season, you can join a turtle patrol at night. We were lucky to see a green turtle nesting during our stay. Another accommodation option in the south is Praia Jalé.

Monte Café

Monte Café owes its name to the coffee trade that once flourished in São Tomé. Farmers would bring coffee beans from various plantations on the island to this central, mountainous location via a purpose-built railway (you can still see traces of it at some of the roças). Nowadays you can visit the museum displaying equipment and taking you through the production process. You can also taste and buy the produce from small-scale plantations that are reviving today. If you’re hungry or looking for a bed, Firma Efraim is the go-to place just opposite the museum. Top tip: if you want to have lunch or dinner after visiting the museum, put in your order first, then visit and come back. The staff prepare all the food fresh to order so we spent a long time waiting (but it was worth it).

Boca do Inferno

We visited Hell’s Mouth very briefly at the end of our trip on the way to the airport. The name was just to enticing to skip the place. It is the perfect attraction for a short stop, because all you can do is stand at the railings and watch the waves throw themselves onto the rocks, creating the impression of steaming water coming out of the ground. An impressive sight. One slight downside – it was one of the only places on São Tomé where touts and children were hassling us non-stop.

If you want to see an example of a once majestic yet completely dilapidated roça, stop at nearby Roça Agua Izé.

Mucumbli to Bindá Beach

The entry actually encompasses a lot of places. We stayed for a couple of nights in Mucumbli, a lovely seaside hotel close to Neves. The hotel deserves a mention as best place on São Tomé – it is beautifully built with attention for sustainability and the environment, delicious homemade food is prepared on site and the host, Catarina, is extremely helpful.

But there is more to explore. The drive from Mucumbli to Santa Catarina, where the road ends, is amazing. You’ll pass waterfalls and beaches and will see fishermen at sea. From the end of the road an easy walk takes you to Bindá Beach (3 hours round trip). This is not a place for swimming as the rocky beach is treacherous and the sea is extremely rough. This is the side of the island facing the open ocean and the difference in sea conditions compared to the north or the south is very obvious.  

Another accommodation option along the Neves to Santa Catarina road is Roça Monte Forte. I definitely recommend Mucumbli for the better service and facilities, however the simpler Roça Monte Forte is charming too and we spend one night there when Mucumbli was full. It has the bonus of being a historic plantation house on a beautiful location. There is no choice of food, but what you get is plenty and nicely prepared.  

Pico do Cão Grande

Pico do Cão Grande is one of the most interesting features of São Tomé Island. We didn’t have time to do the hike to its base, but just seeing the peak looming in the distance was pretty impressive.

If you do plan on doing the walk, plan ahead. Allegedly the route finding is easy, but the area around the monolete is infested with snakes so someone leading the way with boots and a machete is a good idea. There is also a practical consideration – the start of the walk nowadays sits on the premises of a palm oil corporation. Your hotel or guide will be able to phone ahead and register your visit so the guards let you in.

Interesting fact: Cão Grande is popular with rock climbers, but few have made it to the summit. Infamously, a Japanese climbing group had to be rescued after summiting, but not being able to make it down again.

Pico de São Tomé

With 2024 metres of elevation the Pico de São Tomé is the highest point of the island. We reached it after a treacherous, but satisfying full-day trekking requiring overnight camping just below the summit. Don’t try to get to the summit without a guide – getting lost is easy and the hike is difficult (at times it felt more like rock climbing on tree roots). Mucumbli did a great job organising the guides for us.

The Pico comes towards the bottom of my list because I cannot exactly define it as one of the best places on this unique itinerary around São Tomé & Príncipe… during the first day of the trekking and all through the night, we had non-stop pouring rain soaking our clothes and gear. Also visibility was minimal. The next day, after taking a quick peek at the summit, we had to retrace our steps as the onward trail had been washed away. That said, if you are a keen hiker, getting to the summit of the Pico de São Tomé should be part of your itinerary.

Bom Successo & the botanical garden

Last but not least in my list of São Tomé & Príncipe best places is Bom Successo. Our original plan was to spend the night at the Bom Successo guesthouse after the trek to Pico de São Tomé. With the trail being washed away, we ended up on the wrong side of the mountain and took a car to Bom Successo instead. I was expecting a village, but there is merely a handful of houses with the main attraction being the botanical garden. Taking a guided tour of the garden is a great way to learn about the fauna and flora of São Tomé and notably the endemic species.

Additionally, Bom Successo is the start of a nice walk to Lagoa Amelia, a dry crater lake covered with vegetation (3 hrs round trip). The route finding is easy enough that you don’t need a guide, as long as you don’t venture onto the lake (it’s soggy and you can easily get stuck).