Small-group tours, honeymoons and tailor-made trips to the last paradise in the Atlantic, with official São Tomé guides and a Vamos Fugir coordinator.
Two volcanic islands covered in Atlantic rainforest, a 6h30 direct flight from Lisbon with no time difference — and still one of the least visited countries in the world. Here life is lived without hurry: leve leve.
Updated · by Luciano Baetz
Trips in this destination
Car Hire 🚗8 days / 7 nights
Tour8 days / 7 nights
Tour8 days / 7 nights
With Príncipe Island11 days / 9 nights
Luxury9 days / 7 nights
Trekking8 days / 7 nights
15 days / 13 nights
One of a Kind9 days / 6 nights
Easter 20278 days / 7 nightsClimate and seasons
Equatorial and tropical all year round. The difference between the three seasons lies in the sky, the tide and what you can see around you.
When do you want to go?
Always sunny, with occasional showers: ideal weather for snorkelling, diving and seeing the island in full bloom. It is the sunlight that gives the beaches that turquoise colour. Turtle nesting and hatching season, and a prime time to see whales and dolphins.
The temperature scale is the same in all three panels: the Gravana, despite being the dry season, is the coolest. May falls between seasons, with no fixed pattern of rain or sun.
Before you go
São Tomé and Príncipe is a small country of two volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea, right on the equator: rainforest that runs down to the sea, old cocoa plantations (roças), almost deserted beaches and people who live at the «leve-leve» pace. It is around 6 to 7 hours' flight from Lisbon, Portuguese is spoken and it is one of the least visited destinations in Africa. In this guide we tell you what to see, when to go, how to get there and how much it costs, from the experience of a team that runs trips to the islands every month.
The archipelago lies off the coast of Gabon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It has two main islands — São Tomé, the larger one, home to the capital, and Príncipe Island to the north — and several islets, such as Ilhéu das Rolas, which the equator runs through. In total the islands cover just over 1,000 km², so it is easy to see a lot in a few days.
At the southern tip of São Tomé, a short boat crossing takes you to Ilhéu das Rolas, where the Equator Marker shows the line between the two hemispheres. Read our guide to Ilhéu das Rolas.
The roças are the old colonial plantations and tell the story of the country. Roça Agostinho Neto, Monte Café and Roça São João dos Angolares, where chef João Carlos Silva serves a signature lunch, are must-see stops. Learn more about São Tomé cocoa.
The volcanic needle of Pico Cão Grande rises sheer from the middle of the forest and is the country's best-known image. Around it, Obô Natural Park protects most of the islands' endemic birds and plants.
Lagoa Azul is great for snorkelling, Praia Piscina has a natural pool among the rocks and Praia Jalé, in the south, is one of the beaches where sea turtles come to nest. See how to get to Lagoa Azul.
São Nicolau Waterfall, in the hills, and Boca do Inferno, where the sea crashes hard between the coastal rocks, are less than an hour from the capital and combine well in a single day.
Every place in detail in our article what to see in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Príncipe Island is smaller, calmer and almost entirely covered in forest. It is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, such as Banana Beach. At Roça Sundy, in 1919, observations of a solar eclipse helped confirm Einstein's theory of relativity. You reach Príncipe on a short domestic flight of under an hour. Discover Príncipe Island.
Read our full Príncipe Island travel guide: how to get there, beaches and where to stay.
It is warm all year, with temperatures between 25 and 30 °C. The gravana, from June to September, is the dry and cooler season: the best time for hiking and whale watching. From December to February there is a shorter dry season, good for the beach and for Christmas. The rest of the year is wetter, but tropical showers are usually short and the landscapes turn greener. Month by month in our article on the best time to visit.
From Portugal there are TAP Air Portugal and STP Airways flights from Lisbon to São Tomé, taking around 6 to 7 hours; some flights stop in Accra. On our group trips the flight from Lisbon is included. Airlines, schedules and prices in our guide to flights to São Tomé.
It depends on how you travel. A fly & drive with TAP flights, a 4x4 and booked accommodation costs €2,150 per person (it may be cheaper depending on the date and airfare). Our 8-day group trips with flights from Lisbon start at €2,350 per person, including accommodation, guide, transfers and excursions. On arrival you only pay the tourist tax of €2.10 per person per night. See all prices in how much a trip costs.
There are restored roças where you sleep surrounded by history, eco-lodges by the sea and comfortable hotels in São Tomé city. On our trips we choose places with character and good service. Suggestions and prices in our guide on where to stay.
We run trips in groups of up to 12, with official São Tomé guides and a Vamos Fugir coordinator from the first day to the last:
Have a different date or idea? Ask us for a quote and we will design the trip with you.
Excursions
TrekkingMeio dia com almoço (cerca de 6 horas)
Full day (about 9 hours)
Dia inteiro (cerca de 8 horas)
TrekkingDia inteiro (cerca de 8 horas)