Príncipe Island is about 150 km from São Tomé and you get there on a 40-minute flight in a small plane. We explain the flight, baggage, how many days to stay and what to do.
Príncipe Island is the wildest part of São Tomé and Príncipe: a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, almost deserted beaches and forest down to the sea. It lies about 150 km north-east of São Tomé, and getting there takes some planning. Here is everything you need to know.
How to get from São Tomé to Príncipe?
By plane (the way we recommend)
The two islands are linked by a short STP Airways flight, in a small plane, between São Tomé airport and Príncipe airport. The flight (São Tomé TMS → Príncipe PCP) takes about 40 minutes.
Days and times: STP Airways flies every day except Tuesday.
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Get the day-by-day trip programme, with dates and prices
Luxury Principe Island Holiday: 9 Days at Bom Bom Island Resort and Omali9 days / 7 nightsfrom 2,800 €
| Day | São Tomé → Príncipe | Príncipe → São Tomé |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday | 09:00 → 09:40 (on some days also at 15:00) | 10:20 → 11:00 (on some days also in the afternoon, around 16:20 → 17:00) |
| Saturday | 08h00 → 08h40 | 09h10 → 09h50 |
| Tuesday | no flights | no flights |
Schedules change quite often: always check with STP Airways before booking. Flights are few and seats limited, so book well ahead, especially in high season.
By boat
There are about 150 km of open sea between the two islands. Boats do run, but we do not use them on our trips because they are very unreliable: schedules, sea conditions and crossing times vary a lot. For holidaymakers we always recommend the plane, which takes about 40 minutes.
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Baggage: the limit is 15 kg
The planes to Príncipe are small and baggage is limited to 15 kg. If you arrive in São Tomé with a 23 kg suitcase, there is a simple solution:
- Pack an empty travel bag inside your large suitcase.
- In São Tomé, move the clothes for your days on Príncipe into the bag.
- Leave the large suitcase in the hotel luggage room in São Tomé.
- When you return from Príncipe, the guide will be waiting for you with the suitcase.
Can you fly to Príncipe on the day you arrive in São Tomé?
We do not recommend it. There is no guaranteed connection between the international flight and the flight to Príncipe, and any delay ruins the plan. It is best to spend one night in São Tomé (at the Omali or the Pestana, near the airport) and fly to Príncipe the next day. On the way back, do the same: return from Príncipe at least one day before your international flight.
How many days to stay on Príncipe Island?
Three nights is the minimum to enjoy the island: one day for the beaches, one for the forest and plantations, and one for the sea. With four or five nights the trip is more relaxed. On our trips, Príncipe always comes after a few days on São Tomé.
Where to stay on Príncipe
- Bom Bom: the best-known resort, between the forest and two beaches. Ideal for a honeymoon.
- Sundy Praia: the most exclusive hotel in the country, with villas in the forest by the sea.
- Roça Belo Monte: a restored colonial plantation near Praia Banana.
- Roça Sundy: the historic plantation of the 1919 eclipse, under renovation and reopening.
Príncipe Collection hotels always include the airport transfer, and excursions on the island are organised by the hotel itself. See our guide to the best hotels and resorts in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Things to do on Príncipe Island
- Praia Banana: one of the most photographed beaches in Africa, with palm trees leaning over the water.
- Roça Sundy and the 1919 eclipse: this is where Arthur Eddington's expedition photographed the eclipse that confirmed Einstein's theory of relativity.
- Santo António: the island's tiny capital, with colonial houses and a leve-leve pace.
- Boat trip along the coast: bays, rock peaks and beaches reachable only by sea.
- Forest and trails: the Biosphere Reserve has birds and plants found nowhere else.
Trips including Príncipe
Frequently asked questions
By plane, on an STP Airways flight of about 40 minutes, every day except Tuesday. Baggage is limited to 15 kg.
Boats do run, but we do not use them on our trips because they are very unreliable. We always recommend the plane, which takes about 40 minutes.
At least three nights. With four or five, the trip is more relaxed.
We do not recommend it. Spend one night in São Tomé and fly to Príncipe the next day.
