Sao Tome and Principe
Sao Tome and Príncipe is an island destination straight out of a fairytale (as long as that fairytale includes an incredible jungle and gorgeous beaches with delicious seafood). One of the least visited countries in the world, Sao Tome has a population of just 223,000 and is slowly gaining popularity among travelers.
Expect warm hospitality, rustic accommodations, and kilometers of trails for hiking and biking. We only had time to visit Sao Tome, but I can’t wait to return one day to explore Principe!
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How to get to Sao Tome
Although it may seem complicated, there are actually several flight paths to Sao Tome. You may have to transfer twice at most if you’re coming from a far-flung location or have a long layover but Sao Tome is worth it!
We traveled from Joburg, South Africa using Asky, a subsidiary of Ethiopian Airlines. We bought our tickets on Ethiopian’s website as we weren’t familiar with Asky. Our flight path included a 9-hour layover in Gabon (for which we got a multi-entry visa and also inspired a 5-day stay in the country on the way back to Joburg).
Popular flight paths to Sao Tome are from Portugal, Ghana, Angola, and Gabon.
The Ultimate Sao Tome Itinerary
We spent seven glorious days on Sao Tome (and have to return to visit Principe one day). Check out our itinerary, including suggestions for extending your stay.
I highly recommend you buy the Bradt guidebook to help you get by in Sao Tome. It was so helpful for us as there actually isn’t a lot of information on traveling there on the internet!
Money in Sao Tome
The local currency is dobras but dollars and euros will also work at most (touristy) restaurants and hotels. Cash is king and there are no ATMs that work with international cards in Sao Tome. You must arrive with all the cash you plan to spend. Ask your accommodations in advance if you can pay them via bank transfer. We found that most had bank accounts in Italy or Portugal, so it was easy to transfer to. We could pay for accommodation and some car transfers via bank transfer. Read more about money exchange, transfers, and how much to budget.
Airport
The Sao Tome airport is super small and crowds up quickly. If you don’t have luggage, then you can skip the lines and push your way forward to the exit. We met a lovely couple who helped us navigate this when we arrived.
Upon arrival in December 2022, we were required to show our covid vaccination certificates. We also brought our yellow fever vaccination, although you only need it in case you’re transiting or have traveled from a country with yellow fever.
Unlike many other airports, there were no facilities to ease our transition into the country such as sim card providers or international ATMs as I mentioned. There is a money exchange kiosk but it was closed at 6pm.
Sim cards
CMT is the cell provider in Sao Tome. There is no kiosk at the airport to get a sim card. Instead, you’ll have to go to town to the CMT center (which is open until 7pm). We arrived at 6pm and decided it wasn’t necessary to get a sim (a usual case for us when there is no kiosk at the airport).
All our accommodations had wifi and so we ended up not needing a sim at all. Instead, we downloaded Google Maps of the island and the Portuguese language pack on Google Translate. With our small excursions each day (by bike or with private transfer), we didn’t miss out.
Accommodation options in Sao Tome
Sao Tome has a good variety of cute and rustic cabin-style accommodations. Check booking.com for a first look. We found some other accommodations directly on Google Maps, rather than a website, in areas we wanted to stay in. Get in touch via WhatsApp with these sorts of accommodations.
Language
Portuguese is the official language of Sao Tome. There are 4 local dialects, each only understandable to the individual community. Although we have no Portuguese skills, we found it mostly easy to communicate with people in some mix of Spanish, French, and English. Having some Spanish skills would help the most in Sao Tome.
However, you can also download Google Translates Portuguese package and communicate via text (as we did on several occasions in restaurants). Literacy is high in Sao Tome; education is free up until grade 12 and most people attend. Students learn some French and English in school as well.
We were pleasantly surprised with how well the tour guides for roças (plantations) and botanical gardens conducted their tours in English. Some like Paulo at the Diogo Vaz spoke perfect English, whereas others really did their best to communicate and answer our questions.
Getting Around Sao Tome
Rent a car
Many people rent cars in Sao Tome. However, we didn’t feel it was necessary. A 4×4 is basically all you can rent on the island. The two popular rental agencies are get-a-car and Danilo Tour. We originally thought we wanted to rent a car and reached out to Danilo via email. He was very communicative, and payment is cash only. In the end, we didn’t want the stress of keeping a car with us.
Car rentals are available from €45 to €90 per day.
Private Transfer
We only had 3 days during our 7-day trip that required transportation. Each time we used the private transfer suggestion of our accommodation. On our first day trip (and drop-off at new accommodation), we used Mucumbli’s travel services. They provide an English-speaking guide/driver.
The further south you go, the more expensive your transfer will get because the roads disintegrate. and the journey becomes very slow.
For a general guide to private transfer services:
- Airport to Mucumbli: €25
- Mucumbli to Bocca d’Inferno (with 3 stops along the way): €80
- Bocca do inferno to Gombela Eco Lodge (with stops along the way): €110
- Gombela Eco Lodge to Sao Tome City: €80
Taxis
Taxi buses between Santa Catarina and Porto Alegre. Visit the bus stop in the capital is the best place to go for local transit; it’s right by the local market. It’s much, much cheaper than private transport or renting your own car. Our driver/guide from Mucumbli said that it will likely cost just 50 dobras from the capital to Mucumbli.
It will be around 100 dobras from Porto Alegre to Sao Tome City and (double check with your lodge, but we were told that) the bus leaves at 10:30am.
Biking
We did two days of biking instead of renting a car along the northern coast. The road gets worse the further south you go but you can definitely bike between lodges with your backpack if you’re hardcore! (We tried this for a day when in Rwanda and it was clear I’m not cut out for this, but mountain bikers will find this a breeze!)
Heat and Mosquitos on Sao Tome
Sao tome is a tropical destination. You’ll likely sweat from every pore on your body some days with the intense humidity. There is nothing to do about it except to be emotionally prepared and bring light clothes.
Malaria has basically been eradicated (by the Taiwanese) on Sao Tome (or so we were told). However, it’s still recommended to take anti-malaria pills (though we didn’t take any).
The mosquitos in Sao Tome are so small and savvy. Although I only saw 2 mosquitos on our first day, I was bitten around 15 times on my lower legs. I barely saw them and I never heard a mosquito buzz the whole trip. Odd.
Brings lots of bug spray. You’ll need to apply it every couple of hours, especially if you get wet (either on purpose at the beach or after getting caught in the rain.
Because we had only hand luggage, I bought two different types of mosquito repellent. One was a stick and the other a cream. Both were from the South African company, Peaceful Sleep. In 5 days, we had used almost the entire bottle and stick (between 2 people), and we still got bit. I typically bring the brand OFF insect repellent wipes, but I ran out of them in South Africa after our Rwanda trip and I haven’t been able to source them in SA…
In any case, figure out what works for you and bring a lot of it. I didn’t find bug spray at the supermarket in Sao Tome City, so I expect they are sold at the pharmacy if you need it.
The only lodge in which I saw insect repellent for sale was Inhame Lodge in the south, and it cost €20. I was tempted to buy it because our creams were running low but I decided in the end to just hold off until we reached Gabon.
What to buy in Sao Tome
The main craft on the island are wooden masks and occasionally some boxes and beadwork. Although I was tempted to buy something for the heck of it, I personally wasn’t intrigued with the souvenir offerings. Instead, true to the origins of the island, chocolate and coffee are the main things to buy here.
Most souvenir shops will look exactly like this.
Lemongrass grows like literal grass here. Many people grow the plant in their gardens and brew the fresh leaves for tea each morning. Because it is so common, there isn’t a lot of commercial production of lemongrass items. The Vanha Farm on the southwestern part of the island is the largest plantation of lemongrass (since no one else bothers to grow as much as they do). Soap scents and dried lemongrass are sold here.
In fact, Vanha is actually the best place to buy more than chocolate in Sao Tome. They also grow vanilla (high quality for international buyers), soaps, cinnamon, and wild pepper. They are also known for their gin and liquor, under the name “Delicias das Ilhas”. We tried some chocolate liquor at Mucumbli Lodge and it was delish. Check out all their products here and scroll to the bottom of the page to see where you can buy their products around the country.
Although ylang-ylang (which is the main scent in my favorite perfume) is grown easily in Sao Tome, I wasn’t able to find any essential oils or perfumes made from it here. I would have stocked up if so!
Chocolate
The best thing to buy in Sao Tome is chocolate! You can stock up on chocolate from Diogo Vaz and Claudio Corallo. The Diogo Vaz plantation is located near the northern part of the island whereas you’ll have to hop on a flight to Principe to get to Claudio Corallo. Both chocolatiers have shops in the capital fairly close to each other.
I really enjoyed visiting the Diogo Vaz plantation and later visiting the incredible shop in town; their pastries must be unmatched on the island.
At Claudio Corallo, you can go on a tour of their chocolate factory if you make it to their shop before 12:30pm to make a reservation for their 4pm tour (Monday-Saturday).