A stress-free destination with everything a ecological paradise can offer, blessed with a great location and peace loving people but not open to mass tourism!

Over the centuries some of IUCN most endangered species have chosen Sao Tome and Principe's island as their own sanctuary to enjoy the ’leve leve style’ (stress-free) life, safe from the modern world hustle and bustle.

So far 700 plant species (including 200 orquideas) and 135 bird species have been recorded in the islands, many of them totally new to science and found nowhere else in the world but here.

New species turn up regularly every year - the Príncipe shrew in 2015, the São Tomé mamba in 2017 - ask professor Bob Drewes from the California Academy of Sciences if you're doubtful.

A large part remains wild and amazingly jurassic, with our forests showing the highest concentration of endemic birds in the world, the number one reason we are called Africa's Galápagos by naturalists. Even oceanwide species associated to colder environments like humpback whale, dolphins and marine turtles have found refuge in this island.

If you were an old pirate looking for a easily remenbered place to ground your life treasure, where would you mark the X?

We are known as "the islands in the middle of the world" because of our proximity to the zero point on GPS, with the prime meridien just 6 degrees to the west and the equator crossing one island. According to the theory of continental drift, this may have been the location where South America and Africa were once joined.

This island is so special that even the great Professor Einstein needed the Principe island to prove his world famous Relativity Theory. What trouble would he have gotten into if the Principe islands didn't exist!

With our pristine nature, tropical beaches and peace loving people, Sao Tome and Principe is the latest destination to add to your travel wish list. A genuine tranquil archipelago with everything that you could possibly wish for: stunning natural landscapes, beautiful beaches, century long history related to slave trade and plantation, vibrant creole culture, and world class tourist accommodation's that offers everything that nature itself has not provided.

CNN chose Sao Tome and Principe as one of the ten “dream destinations” for 2014. “The ideal location to perfect the art of calm,” says CNN’s travel channel. The New York Times recently ranked Sao Tome among its Best Places to Visit in 2018. Financial Times Jornal also ranked Sao Tome and Principe in the top 3 out of 10 most exotic escapes in 2018.

We invite you to discover this fascinating island that offer dramatic landscapes with torrents and waterfalls on its slopes, white and black sand beaches, sheer cliffs over the sea, tropical forest filled with exotic birds and extensive cocoa plantations with their beautiful colonial houses. For the most traveller, this unspoiled atlantic island still the africa's best kept secret...

A great treasure is waiting to be discovered. Some visitors found self-balance, inner peace and some even found themselves.

In numbers | São Tomé
2 main islands and 7 islets
186 miles from mainland Africa
1975 year of independence
30,000 overseas visitors each year
14,2 per cent of the population work in tourism
29 species of endemic bird live on the islands
90 per cent of the country is covered in forest
42 per cent of the country is protected reserve

Travelling to São Tomé?

Here are some facts, figures and information you may find usefull.