São Tomé Island

region | 2023-02-05

This island is very green, with a few sandy beaches, delicious food and friendly people, even if many of them carry machetes. Everything went very smoothly and easily in this tiny country. Hiring a car from the local hotel was a great experience; we got the keys at the airport and they asked us to make a bank transfer at our convenience. That was it. The roads were of lesser quality, but we were able to see a lot more by driving slowly. The basic hotel was not as described, but any problems were quickly resolved after reminders. Border officials were friendly and efficient. In short, all services were basic but smooth and good; I would say that São Tomé and Príncipe is a good place to visit. Unfortunately on this trip we did not have enough time to visit the Príncipe, nor could we find any information on how to get to its summit. There are many smaller peaks on both islands that are unexplored and would be very interesting to visit one day.

Praia Micondó beach
Mouth of the river Malanza
At night, turtles lay their eggs in the sand and leave tracks
Turtle tracks on Praia Jalé beach in the south of the island
Turtle nests marked with coloured sticks (left)
Lagoon next to the beach (right)
Fishing is the main activity
Near Vila Malanza
Road to the south
Linen drying
Egret
Pico Cão Grande is one of the highlights of the island
Porto Alegre kids
Porto Alegre house
Porto Alegre streets
Football is a truly global game
House at the Praia Jalé beach
Typical elevated wooden houses
Most roads empty, little traffic
Villages in the south of island
Impressive technique for carrying fish on the head
Roads in the north of the island
A bit busier closer to the capital
Streets of the capital of São Tomé and Príncipe
Baía de Ana Chaves São Tomé city
Rob (right) and me (left)

We have had a great few days in this small country and we fly home, but first we have a long layover in Lisbon, Portugal, where we have plenty of time to visit a regional highpoint and a few more P300 peaks.