Sao Tome Car Hire with Accommodation: 8-Day Self-Drive in a 4x4
Suzuki Jimny 4x4, 7 nights in a plantation, eco lodge and hotel, 24h local support
The trip
Sao Tome car hire with your accommodation already booked: eight days driving the island at your own pace, with a local agency close by. We are Jaca, based in São Tomé, and at the airport we hand you a Suzuki Jimny 4x4 with insurance, a SIM card with unlimited data and the RoadMap, a day-by-day road guide we wrote turn by turn.
Sao Tome car hire: what you get besides the car
Standard car rental gives you the keys and little else. Here your seven nights are booked in three very different places: Roça Santa Luzia, a former cocoa plantation (roça) in the green interior; Inhame Eco Lodge in the south, a few metres from the sea; and Hotel Omali in the city. Breakfast is daily, the dinners listed in the itinerary are included, and so are the boat crossing to Rolas Islet and table bookings at places that fill up, such as lunch at chef João Carlos Silva's plantation.
Driving in São Tomé: roads, distances and support
The island is small and traffic is light. The longest leg is about 80 km, from the city to the south, an easy day at a slow pace. In remote areas the tarmac turns to dirt, which is why the car is always a 4x4. Your valid driving licence is enough. If anything goes wrong on the road, call us: local support runs 24 hours and we sort it out from the island.
Flights not included: arrive from anywhere
International flights are not included, so you choose your airline and dates. We take over the moment you land. Fuel, travel insurance and the tourist tax of €2.10 per person per night, paid at the airport, are also extra. See how much a trip to São Tomé costs and the best time to go.
Who this self-drive trip suits
Travellers who want freedom without hours of planning: couples, friends or families who like to stop wherever they fancy, swim under a waterfall with no timetable and eat at the lodge at dusk. Prefer a guide and driver? We also run private tours. For the highlights, read what to see in São Tomé and Príncipe.
Itinerary
Day by day
Day 1
São Tomé airport: keys in hand and off to Roça Santa Luzia
We meet you at the airport with the Suzuki Jimny, a data SIM card and the RoadMap you already have by email. We walk you through the first short, easy drive to Roça Santa Luzia, a former cocoa plantation turned boutique hotel in the forest. Dinner included, with fresh fish and, if you like, your first Rosema beer.
Day 2
Coffee Route at the wheel: Trindade, Monte Café and Milagrosa waterfall
A gentle climb to 800 metres through the island's breadbasket of mango, breadfruit and coffee. Stops at Trindade and Roça Monte Café, lunch booked at the Almada Negreiros Museum in Roça Saudade, and late afternoon at the Milagrosa waterfall. The RoadMap marks every turn. Dinner and night at Roça Santa Luzia.
Day 3
The southern road: Boca do Inferno, Pico Cão Grande and Sete Ondas beach
The longest driving day, about 80 km along the Coconut Route: the Abade river mouth, Roça Água Izé, Boca do Inferno and Sete Ondas beach, up to the Pico Cão Grande viewpoint. From October to March, turtles come ashore on the southern beaches at dusk. Arrival at Inhame Eco Lodge, 20 metres from the sea. Dinner included.
Day 4
Boat to Rolas Islet and Praia Café
The car rests today. Cross by boat to Rolas Islet, stand in both hemispheres at the Equator monument and swim at Praia Café, a quiet cove. Optional lunch of grilled fish and octopus on the islet. Dinner at Inhame.
Day 5
Free day at Piscina Beach
No kilometres, no schedule. Piscina Beach, with natural pools among the rocks, is a few minutes away. From June to September, scan the horizon for whales; from November to March, look out for turtles. Dinner at the lodge.
Day 6
Back to the city: Cauê river, Ribeira Peixe and a chef's lunch
Back along the east coast, with stops at the Cauê river viewpoint and Ribeira Peixe waterfall by a fishing village. We book your lunch at chef João Carlos Silva's plantation: grilled tuna, roasted plantain, breadfruit and cocoa sweets. Night at Hotel Omali.
Day 7
The north: cocoa, baobabs and Lagoa Azul
Visit a cocoa cooperative (entry about €4), where women sort the beans by hand. Then the Baobab Route to Lagoa Azul for a swim, through Neves, home of Rosema beer, and Roça Agostinho Neto, setting of the novel "Equador". Dinner on your own in the city.
Day 8
São Tomé city and car return at the airport
A last look at the city: the São Sebastião Fort museum, Independence Square, the cathedral and local shops for crafts. Before your flight, you return the car at the airport. The trip was yours, at the "leve leve" pace.
What's included
- Car hire — Suzuki Jimny Sierra 2025 or similar (7 days), fully insured
- Unlimited-data SIM card
- Personalised RoadMap, sent by email before departure
- 7 nights' accommodation (Roça Santa Luzia, Ecolodge Inhame, Hotel Omali)
- Daily breakfast
- Meals as listed in the itinerary
- 24-hour local support and access to official guides by phone
- Premium restaurant booking service
- Boat crossing to Ilhéu das Rolas
What's not included
- International flights to São Tomé
- Meals not listed in the itinerary
- Vehicle fuel
- Entry visa (where applicable)
- Travel/cancellation insurance
- Personal expenses and tips
- Optional excursions not listed
- Tourist tax, €2.10 per person per night, paid at the airport on arrival
Frequently asked questions
All your questions answered
Yes. All 7 nights are booked and confirmed before you travel: Roça Santa Luzia, Inhame Eco Lodge and Hotel Omali, with breakfast every day. No juggling the car and hotels separately.
Yes, if you like choosing where to stop. Distances are short and traffic is light. Remote roads are dirt, so we always provide a 4x4, and the RoadMap flags where the surface changes.
From €950 per adult, including the car, insurance, 7 nights, breakfast, the dinners in the itinerary, the boat to Rolas Islet, a SIM card and the RoadMap. Flights and fuel are extra.
No. Your valid driving licence is enough.
Yes, the Suzuki Jimny comes with insurance included in the price. Travel and cancellation insurance is not included and we recommend taking it out.
Main roads are in good condition year-round; in the south and around inland plantations there are dirt stretches and tight bends. Drive by day, slowly, and watch for people and animals on the verge.
A SIM card with unlimited data, the day-by-day RoadMap, 24-hour local support, contact with official guides whenever you want them, and restaurant bookings, including lunch at chef João Carlos Silva's plantation.
June to September is the dry season, good for beaches and whale watching in the south. From November to March, turtles nest on the southern beaches. Main roads are passable all year.
Yes, a tourist tax of €2.10 per person per night, paid at the airport when you arrive. It is not included in the price.
Some local rental firms rent the car only. With Jaca, for a similar budget, you also get the nights, the RoadMap and 24-hour support from people who live on the island.
Call us. Local support runs 24 hours a day and, because we are based in São Tomé, we fix things on the ground. The data SIM lets you use maps and the RoadMap anywhere on the island.
A typical local meal costs under €15 per person: grilled octopus, peixe-azeite or croaker, massada with grouper, arroz à moda da terra (rice the local way) or tuna. Grouper (cherne), the island’s most prized fish, costs over €15 per person. These are the everyday dishes, as Sao Tome cooking is mostly fresh fish. Meat is available too, but most of it is imported: if it matters to you, let us know in advance and we will arrange it.
Drinks are not included on our tours, except on a few special trips such as Christmas or the New Year’s Eve dinner. They are cheap: the local Rosema beer costs about 25 dobras (around €1) in many places, and 75 dobras or more in hotels, just over €3.