The Island you probably never heard of — São Tomé

I discovered São Tomé & Príncipe while exploring on Google Earth — a tiny island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, right on the equator. I booked flights in March 2025 planning a New Year stay. We visited during the rainy season, which meant mixed weather, but the island's beauty more than made up for it.

At a glance

• When: New Year period (rainy season)
• Where: São Tomé island
• Duration: 12 days
• Language: Portuguese essential; very few people speak English
• Transportation: 4x4 vehicle strongly recommended for southern routes
• Trip style: Beaches, rainforest drives, historical exploration
• Highlight: VANHA/Porto Alegre plantation stay + Rolas botanical garden tour
• Reference: Bradt São Tomé & Príncipe guidebook

Car rental

We rented a Suzuki Jimny (~20,000 km) from Privilege Tours. 4H drive mode was sufficient for rough terrain. Make sure you have a spare tire and jack. Google Maps can be unreliable — Maps.me is useful for verification. Keep speeds low; the roads are full of potholes.

Where we stayed

We moved between four places across 12 days:

• Monte Mar (3 nights) — Northern entry point; tricky dirt-track turnoff
• Casa Praia (3 nights) — Beachfront treehouse Airbnb
• VANHA (4 nights) — Plantation stay; the highlight of the trip. Our local guide Bastian was incredible
• Omali São Tomé (2 nights) — Northern relaxation spot before departure

Things to see and do

Natural sites

• Lagoa Azul — Clear water, great for snorkelling
• Praia Piscina — Beautiful swimming spot, watch out for sea urchins
• Pico Cão Grande — The iconic volcanic peak; you can see it from the road
• Cascata de Praia Pesqueira — Waterfall with accessible local guides
• Hellmouth viewpoint — Dramatic coastal views

Cultural and historical

• Casa das Artes Criação Ambiente e Utopias — A creative hub in old plantation buildings. Their Thursday buffet dinners are not to be missed
• São Sebastião Museum — Good for historical context about the island
• Hospital de Água Izé + plantation ruins — An English-speaking local guide is available. You can taste fresh chocolate beans here

Rolas Island

We took a day trip to Ilhéu das Rolas — the boat was arranged through VANHA. The botanical garden tour is highly recommended. We also tried to visit Praia São Miguel by boat, but it was weather-dependent.

Where to eat

• Moxinhos — Mercearia & Cafetaria — Great for an easy lunch, plus good coffee and smoothies
• Pico Mocambo — Fish burgers; a bit pricey
• Diogo Vaz — Ice cream and local chocolate
• Casa das Artes — One of the best meals we had on the island. The Thursday buffet with live music was special
• Supermarket — Stock up on supplies before heading south. There's not much once you leave the north

Practical tips

Language: Very few people speak English, so we relied on Google Translate. But you don't get the same connection through a screen.

Tipping: If someone guides you somewhere, consider tipping what it felt worth. It supports locals directly and helps tourism grow in a good way.

Navigation: Download maps offline. Save Google Maps pins for locations before you go.