Sao Tome & Principe

We visited: Rolas islet, São Tome city, Trindade, Batepá

Duration: 7 days

Budget: Accommodation + €300 (2 pax)

Sao Tome and Principe islands are located in the Gulf of Guinea exactly on the line of equator. Once a very important producer of cocoa and coffee, brought from Brasil by the Portuguese who colonised STP in the 15th century, got its independence in 1975 suffering an economic fall apart. Nowadays, this beautiful, virgin and heavenly island is the #9 top country to be visited in 2019 by Lonely Planet.

We arrived Sao Tome on the STP Airways flight (operated by EuroAtlantic) from Lisbon at 6 am, it was already 30 ºC, our adventure was about to start.

This time we didn't backpack, we did a family trip so we chose a comfortable resort to stay with our 21 months old baby girl. 
We had some doubts deciding to take a baby to a tropical country so we went to traveler's consultation, where we were told to do her malaria's prophylaxis and travelling provided with all kind of medicine (paracetamol, antihistamine, anti-diarrhea,...), first aid kit, mosquito's repellent, sunscreen, bottled water and everything went well! We had a wonderful time.



There are not many options in Sao Tome as the Pestana Resorts monopolizes and overestimates prices on the islands. Nevertheless, we choose Pestana to stay for 5 nights in Pestana Ecuador and 2 nights in Pestana Sao Tome.

Rolas Islet
Located 75 km from the capital of São Tomé e Príncipe and accessed only by boat, from Porto Alegre (Ponta Baleia) on the island of São Tomé is a natural paradise with white sandy beaches and very nice local people.

Pestana Ecuador is a 4 stars resort exclusive on the islet has a direct and private beach and a saltwater pool. Unfortunately the pool was closed for maintenance (and we were not told).

So we enjoyed the island more than the hotel, hiking and discovering the most beautiful beaches we have ever seen.

Equator lookout

Praia café, located 15 minutes west from the resort and 5 minutes away from the village. Is a very nice spot for snorkelling and where fishermen use to grill fish and serve lunch to tourists than visit the island on one day trip.

To reach Praia Bateria you need an extra 15 minutes from praia café. The most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Completely virgin and hard to find (we took a local guy to show us the way), worthed the walk.

Praia de Santo António, located on the west part of the island has an exquisite landscape, ideal for the best pictures

Suggestion: As the resort is very expensive with full board obligatory, if your trip propose is to explore STP, visit the Islet on a day trip:

• Go to Porto Baleia and catch the 10 am ferry (run by Pestana Ecuador) return at 4:30 pm (round trip €14). 
• Have lunch with locals and make some friends, grilled fish served with rice, fried banana and fruta-pão and local bear for 10 €/person.

The main island is divided in three zones - northern coast, souther coast and interior. Tour prices with guide and lunch goes between 40 to 75 €/person or you can rent a car (Tortuga Car Rental). 

We visited the interior part of the island with a local guy from the islet Jakson Adelino (WA +239 99 47 240).  From city center we took the EN-3, we crossed Trindade and Batepá and visit some highlights:

Carnival parade at Batepá village

Roça Monte Café

Roças were plantations houses engaged in the production of cocoa, coffee besides other fruits like coconut, banana, ...

Roça Monte Café (arabica coffee production) has a Coffee Museum (4€/person) you can visit, among with a school for worker's children. Unfortunately the seigniorial house was already destined but you can still see the old Hospital, an amazing building waiting for reconstruction.

Roça Saudade

The Roça where the Portuguese artist Almada Negreiros was born (his father was the Roça administrator). Nowadays has a Museum in honor of Almada and a very nice restaurante where you can relax and enjoy the view. Nearby you can visit a kindergarten, kids will appreciate if you take some candy with you.

 

Cascata São Nicolau

A very nice waterfall (40 m) you most definitely visit! Easy access and on the way to Botanical Garden.

Matilde with our guide Jakson

Botanical Garden (Bom Sucesso)

I was not very exciting about visiting the botanical garden, because all the island is an amazing botanical garden. But the visit (2€/person) was worthed to understand the biodiversity, which are the autochthonous plants and which were brought from Brazil by the Portuguese.

Orchidaceae nursery

Suggestion: if you are exploring and hiking, Botanical Garden offers you accommodation so you can leave early in the morning on a hike to Lagoa Amelia and from there you can continue and reach the western coast.

Sao Tome city has some highlights to visit:

Sao Nicolau Fort

Lied in the northeastern part of the city centre, at the end of Ana Chaves Bay, built by the Portuguese in 1566 in order to protect the city against pirate attacks is nowadays a museum that contains religious art and colonial-era artefacts exhibiting Roça's life during colonial times.

Ana Chaves Bay

Visit the very busy Mercado Grande a smelly market where locals trade fruit, fish and all kind of products.
Claudio Corallo chocolate factory is the most know place to visit but at Diogo Vaz Bar, one of the most beautiful houses in Avenida Marginal 12 de Julho, you can have chocolate degustation and shop some of the most exquisite chocolates in Sao Tome.

To buy chocolate, coffee and other local products at affordable prices go to SUPER CKDO.

We had lunch at B-24 restaurant (B stands for Barraca) located on Parque Popular (5€/person, beverage not included) where we had grilled barracuda with fried banana.

For dinner we tried two different restaurants, the most famous restaurant in Sao Tome, Papa Figo a local restaurant in Avenida Kwame Nkrumah (nearby Miramar Hotel) where we had grelhada mista (grilled fish) and local bear (€16 for 2) and on the last night we went to Xico's restaurant located at Praça da Amizade e Solidariedade Entre os Povos owned by a Portuguese were we eat very tasteful lobster (15€/person).

Suggestion: Principe island is a must do when in Sao Tome