São Tomé and Príncipe welcome around 13,000 travellers each year making it Africa’s least visited country and a must for anyone who enjoys exploring remote places untainted by tourism.
In no particular order, here are my top 5 reasons why nature lovers must visit São Tomé and Príncipe, sooner rather than later :
BIRDS : São Tomé and Príncipe have more endemic species per square km than the Galapagos, and the highest density of endemic birds (that can’t be found anywhere else) worldwide. Our bird watching guides will quietly point out exotics like weavers, colourful starlings and kingfishers, grey parrots, green pigeons and much more during our bird watching trips.
SEA LIFE : The Gulf of Guinea is one of the world’s hotpots of marine biodiversity and in terms of species present, is similar to the Caribbean. You’ll discover colourful shoals of fish as you snorkel close to your hotel, or why not go diving to see species like snappers, octopus, moray eels, sea horses and giant sea slugs with our qualified instructors.
TURTLES : São Tomé and Príncipe have the most diverse range of sea turtles in central Africa with 4 species: green, olive ridley, hawksbill and leatherback coming to nest on the beaches. Loggerhead turtles also spend time in the waters around the islands but don’t nest there. You’ll have the magical experience of seeing them nesting during our turtle watching trips between October and March.
WHALES : Humpback whales migrate past the islands between August and October and you can search for them on our whale and dolphin watching trips. Look out for flying fish and turtles too!
PLANTS : Rainforest covers about 90% of the islands and they are home to around 900 species of plants; 130 of which are endemic. We have rainforest walks ranging from an hour to a few days trekking through the forest camping overnight, or staying in an old plantation house – like Roça Bombaim.
How do I get there?
Holidays are very personal to each of us and planning a trip to somewhere less travelled requires good advice and careful planning. For over 20 years the team at Archipelago Choice has travelled extensively to all the special destinations we offer and have unrivalled knowledge based on our own personal travel experiences.
