***This is a guest post by Aisha Ife, outside of her amazing photography work, she is an explorer, an avid reader, and an all-round cool human.

São Tomé and Príncipe is an island country off the coast of Central Africa. The country comprises of two main islands, “São Tomé” and “Príncipe”, and several smaller islands.

While planning my trip, I struggled to find detailed information about visiting São Tomé and Príncipe as a Nigerian. That’s why I created this guide—to make your journey easier and stress-free. Consider this your perfect poster: São Tomé and Príncipe: A Free Travel Guide

Before we get into the details, You might want to read the visa application guide before planning your trip, I shared it here!

General information about São Tomé and Principé

• Language: Portuguese. If you’re a non-Portuguese speaker, you can use Google Translate to communicate. Download an offline translation dictionary/app so you’re not stranded in cases without the internet. I used the Translate app on my iPhone.
• The official currency is Dobras but Euros are also widely spent. The conversion rate was about 24.5 Dobras to 1 Euro.
• The country consists of 2 main islands; “São Tomé” and “Principé”. Most of the information in this guide is for the island of São Tomé only.
• Most transactions on the island are in cash. At the time of my visit, Mastercard cards weren’t working but people attested to Visa cards working. There aren’t a lot of ATMs as well.
• The crime rate is relatively low and I felt very safe during my visit.
• São Tomé and Príncipe have 2 rainy seasons and 2 dry seasons:
  • Dry seasons run from June to September and December to February.
  • The rainy seasons run from October to November and February to May.
  • The lowest rains usually occur in July, August, and September.
  • São Tomé and Príncipe is mostly a year-round destination depending on the types of activities you enjoy.
• Most people recommend visiting in June, July, August, early September, December, and January.

Flights

Please note: This is written from the POV of a Nigerian living in Nigeria.

There’s a direct flight from Lagos but it costs considerably more than traveling from Accra, Ghana. I flew with Tap Air Portugal from Accra, Ghana.

You can check flight prices on their website or Expedia, I booked on Expedia.

Tip: Flights are cheaper on certain dates, cheap flights vary from $350 -$400 for a round trip.

Accommodation

During my stay, I stayed at 3 places; Hotel Kenito, Edenvalley Eco lodge, and Casa Ondas Divinas.

I booked both Hotel Kenito and Edenvalley Eco Lodge on Booking.com.

Casa Ondas Divinas can be booked on Airbnb but I booked my accommodation directly from the owner, Yves Peladeau, you can reach him via WhatsApp +2399888056.

General tips:

• Choose accommodation close to the airport and city centre for your arrival. Accommodation Options: Hotel Kenito, Pestana Hotel, Omali, Sweet Guest House.
• Santana is close to the south so you can stay at accommodations close to Santana for days you’ll be touring the south. Accommodation Options: Casa Ondas Divinas, Club Santana, N’Guembu Nature Resort, Priai Inhame Ecolodge.
• If you’ll be staying anywhere off-grid (e.g Edenvalley Ecolodge, N’guembu Resort) and you won’t be touring much, ensure you opt for a full board option at the accommodation as most restaurants are in the city and food will be hard to find.
• If you stay at Edenvalley, there’s a waterfall close by, you should definitely visit it!

Tours

Note: If you’re a native English speaker, it’s advisable to have an English-speaking tour guide so you can get the most out of the experience.

South tours

• Boca do inferno
• Roça Água-Izé
• Roça São João dos Angolares
• Praia Das Sete Ondas
• Cascata Mioba
• Pico Cão Grande
• Rolas Island: Fisherman beach, Escada beach, Bateria beach, Furnas, Mark of the equator, Interpretation centre
• Turtle watching
• Santana Islet Tour

North Tours

• Lagoa Azul: you can swim and scuba dive here as well.
• Santa Carina Tunnel
• Lunch at Neves
• Chocolate factory tours

Central São Tomé tour

(I didn’t get to do this on this visit)

• Coffee Plantation.
• Obo National Park – Botanical Garden.
• Cascata Sao Nicholau waterfall.

City-Centre Tour

• Praca de Independencia
• Presidential Palace, São Tomé
• Sao Sebastiao Museum
• Cathedral of São Tomé

Other fun activities

• Nightlife in the city
• Scuba diving at Dive Tribe, Hotel Pestana
• Street Party in Santana

General Tips

• The central city tour can be done with the North tour or any other day you’re in the city, it doesn’t need a separate day for it.
• If you’re traveling as a group, it’s best to hire a car and a tour guide that can drive, it’s considerably cheaper than booking a tour company.I hired a tour guide and car from Yves, the owner of Casa Ondas Divinas and you can reach him here: WhatsApp +2399888056. The car was €50/day and the guide was €35/day. Other suggestions for tour companies: Ban be Non Tours.
• There are many beaches along the way, so take your swimming gear along on your tours.

Feeding

There are a lot of seafood options in São Tomé and you’ll enjoy the food if you like seafood.

I’m a picky eater and I mostly ate at just one place throughout my stay, Onda Azul Restaurant. The food was amazing and the restaurant has a gorgeous beach view with stairs to access the beach. A lot of their dishes are seafood-based but they also have chicken and beef options.

Tip: If you’re West African, you’ll experience a bit of culture shock with the rice dishes in São Tomé as rice is treated as a side and it’s not eaten with pepper/tomato stews.

Budget:

This is a mini breakdown of what I spent on the trip. I did not track some costs so I’m unable to provide finer details.

Breakdown

São Tomé and Príncipe is a very beautiful country, I had the most amazing time and I can’t wait to visit again!