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São Tomé - Africa's little Secret

12 days island exploration in December 2018

By Beyond All Maps - Portraits of our Planet by Thorsten Mehret

October 13^th, 2019

Motivation

São Tomé hadn't been on may bucket list, so it was coincidence that brought me to this little gem. Together with a friend we had planned for a long time to visit Ghana, Togo and Benin, and as I had some extra holiday time left, I was looking for an interesting stop over opportunity. The bordering countries, like Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso, didn’t sound too promising, but after checking different flight connections to Ghana, I stumbled over TAP, which offers a regular flight from Lissabon to Sao Tomé with stop in Accra, as well as a return flight from Lomé. I had heard about the Island of São Tomé before, but had no clue what to expect. After some internet research (beautiful green island, friendly locals, few tourists, interesting history) I was really happy having it on my itinerary.

São Tomé and Príncipe was a Portuguese colony until 1973, when it got independent. São Tomé is bigger (48x32km) than its sister Príncipe (16x6km ) which is said to be even more remote and pristine. There are daily flight connections between them, but they are quite unreliable. As flights are quite expensive as well, I decided to concentrate on São Tomé, which has enough to offer for 10 days.

Portuguese is the official language, Spanish helps a little, but don't count on English. In some Hotels you might be lucky sometimes to find someone and they might be able to arrange for an English speaking guide, but on the street - forget it. Nevertheless people are nice and with a smile, hand gestures or google translator you will manage.

THE ITINERARY

It’s not possible to travel around the complete island by car, as the ring road is interrupted by the south western wild coastline. From one end to the other it’s about five hours of driving without stop but there are quite some interesting spots on the way and the often beautiful scenery makes you want stopping and exploring constantly as well.

There are also plenty of roads in the interior, some alright and some in very poor condition, leading to wonderful hidden gems like Rocca Bombain. São Tomé is the perfect Islands for exploring. I therefore highly recommend renting a 4WD like the popular Suzuki Jimny for around 45€ a day. Perfect for 1 or 2 people.

I decided to base myself in four corners of the island and to explore the area around from there. Sweet Guest House in São Tomé capital for exploring the northern part and the interior, Jale Ecolodge for the area and turtle beaches in the south, Angolares for the eastern part and a delicious 15 course meal from the famous local cook and Mucumbli as base to explore the west.

I can recommend all of the four and definitely would book them again. They offer a quite divers but good experience.

Sweet Guest House is a good hub to meet other people. Not fancy, but very clean and very helpful staff to organise car, guides, etc. Jale with just three basic but charming bungalows is perfect if you like it remote and quiet. Sao Joao is great for the food and the view and Mucumbli is a must in the west. Almost every tourist I met stayed for some days in Mucumbli. Very popular and for good reason.

I would do it the same way again.

The Capital

There are no highlights or must dos in the capital, but it has a strange rustic morbid colonial charm in some parts, reminding me a bit of Cuba. Together with the daily bustling market in the center worth exploring for a day.

The Northern Beaches

There are a couple of beaches in the north. Praia da Mikolo is a long stretch of sand and palm trees. Following the wheel tracks in the sand I suddenly got stuck. My first trials to get free where not very successful but fortunately some local fishermen got aware and with their help I managed. I offered them to buy some drinks. To my surprise they were not interested in beer, just some soft drinks. Of course without any hesitation the empty cans landed in the sea. There is still a long way to go to establish a more eco friendly mindset.

I also went to Praia das Conchas and the popular Lagoa Azul with the lighthouse. During weekdays the beaches were almost deserted, but Lagoa Azul becomes a local party zone at weekends as I could obverse myself visiting the place a second time. There was even police to make sure everything is running well.

Roças s are plantations from the Portuguese colonial times. In the 16th century São Tomé became a very important sugar exporter by extensive use of slaves. Later sugar was more and more replaced by coffee and cacao and slavery officially stopped by 1876. Contract working as it was called thereafter was in reality just a more modern version of slavery, as the workers had to pay for almost everything. The wages were not sufficient leading them again in a kind of strong dependency on the planter. A big riot of workers in 1957 was condensed violently and many thousand workers died.

With independency in 1975, the government of São Tomé took over the Roças, but without the experience of the Portuguese planters the output quickly declined. Today many Roças are abandoned, some of them completely taken back by nature. In some of them still live people, but mostly conditions are very poor. Few are restored and used mainly for touristic reasons.

Roça Agostinho Neto is one of the biggest and most visited. Once I arrived I was approached by two local young guys and was asked if they can show me around, which I gladly accepted. They gave me an interesting walk around. Definitely worth the tip. There is also a collection box to support the community. Fair enough.

The Interior

The interior is lush, green, steep and a refreshing escape from the hot and humid coast. Cocoa and coffee plants blend into an exotic jungle landscape. There are a few surfaced roads leading to typical stops like Monte Cafe, São Nicolau Waterfall or Jardim Botânico do Bom Sucesso, but by far the most fun was to explore the wild road to Roça Bombaim with the 4WD.

From the Jardim Botânico do Bom Sucesso, I asked for a guide to Lago Amelia. Despite its name it's more a spot of bogland sourrounded by dense and beautiful rainforest of the Obo National Park. And boy, raining it was.

The Cascata de São Nicolau are a nice detour on the way to the Jardim Botânico do Bom Sucesso. On the way back I stopped at the Casa Almada Negreiros, one of the best restaurants on the Island. It’s not only the reasonable priced food but also the great view that makes this a must do stop in the interior. Highly recommended.

The second day exploring the interior I decided to make use of my 4WD by driving the rough road to Roça Bombaim. There were no road signs and even my GPS was misleading me several times, so I was glad when a truck with plantation workers showed up, so I could ask for directions. Anyhow, here the journey is the reward. The area is stunningly beautiful and remote and I stopped countless times just to explore a waterfall or to soak up the atmosphere in the middle of nowhere. Even the heavy downpours from time to time were more adding to the whole experience than they were a nuisance.

Once I finally arrived, I was surprised to still see people living in this remote spot, especially as the houses were mostly in a miserable state. The main house was in a slightly better condition. There even was a caretaker who showed me around and told me that sometimes people, mainly hikers on a multi day hike, stay overnight in the few guest rooms. Although quite basic, this is not a bad idea, the surrounding area is just so beautiful. The view from the balcony is breathtaking.

The West

A short detour from the main road, Boca do Inferno is known for its turbulent waters, when mighty waves are crushing against the volcanic rocks. It's best seen at high tight. In my case at low tight is was rather unspectacular but still a nice sight to visit.

Roça Água-Izé is another typical stop in the west. The old main building is on a hill above the village and in depressing disrepair. People still live here. It did not take long until I found myself surrounded by kids, following me on every step. I tried to have some fun with them, but once I started to take out balloons, the peace was over, more kids were running towards me, fighting for every balloon. It was impossible to fairly distribute them. Big failure, I realised. Fortunately the only time I experienced something like this on the island.

Down towards the south I passed a couple of nice beaches worth a stop, like Praia Micondo.

Roça São João dos Angolares is without doubt a must do stop on the Island. It's a great opportunity to stay in a restored Roça, with a beautiful view over a bay. Even better, it`s run by a famous television chef and lunch or dinner are a real treat for the price. For lunch, expect a menu of around 12 small courses. It has an open kitchen and many ingredients just grow on the property.

Further down to to south the roads deteriorate significantly. Here, the iconic landmark of São Tomé comes into view. Pico Cão Grande is a needle-shaped 370m high volcanic plug peak and looks quite spectacular in the landscape. Unfortunately a huge part of the area was converted into a palm oil plantation, which was discussed quite controversially on the island.

The South

Arriving at Jalé Beach, it feels like the end of the world and not only the end of the island. There are only three Bungalows of the Jalé Ecolodge and a beautiful wild beach. However due to strong currents, unfortunately not for swimming.

There is no cellphone connection, no internet, not even electric power as there were problems with the generator. Fortunately enough, candles were provided to lid the rustic but clean and charming bungalows. The water was only a stone throw away, and falling asleep and waking up with the sound of the crushing waves adds to the relaxing atmosphere. I loved it.

The best thing about the beach are the turtles. There is a hatchery, and rangers keep an eye on everything. For 10 Dollars they will wake you up at night when a turtle is coming up for laying eggs. This way I was lucky enough to watch an endangered Hawkbill and a giant Leatherback at night. Only red light is allowed to avoid distraction. Every nest is marked with a stick, and boy, there were many sticks on that beach.

It’s just a short hop by boat from Porto Alegre to the Ilheu das Rolas. There is an expensive Resort on the island, a nice beach and a small village. The rest is rough but beautiful volcanic coastline. The highlight is the equator which runs through the middle of the island.

Praia Piscina: one of my favourite spots in the south. It’s just a short detour on the way to Jalé Beach. While the left hand side looks rough and wild with huge waves clashing against the volcanic rocks, the right hand side offers a beautiful beach and natural pool. An amazing contrast.

The Nguembu Loge offers a fantastic lookout point and is a great place for a drink or something to eat. It’s on the way to Jalé Beach, shortly after Porto Alegre.

The West - Around MuCumbli

It’s around four to five hours from the south around the Island to the western part. The biggest city in the area is Neves, where the local Brewery is located as well as the Petisqueira Santola, known for the delicious crabs they serve. From the outside it looks a bit filthy but inside it’s perfectly OK and the friendly waitress helped to professionally dismantle the delicious crab, thus avoiding embarrassing moments.

Almost every tourist I met on the island stayed or planned to stay at the Mucumbli Lodge. And once I arrived I could understand why. Charming Bungalows offer great views, many birds, nicely prepared food and friendly and helpful staff. A perfect base to explore the area.

Mucumbli also offers different guided tours. The most popular goes to a very scenic waterfall called Cascata Angolar, following a water channel through several tunnels. A very lush and beautiful area which I explored together with my guide Jimmy, who showed me also around his hometown Ponta Figo.

If you manage to bring a group of 4 to 6 people together to share the price for the otherwise expensive boat, a day trip along the stunningly beautiful and remote west coast is highly recommended. There is no road, so a boat is the only way. Part of that tour is also a walk in the jungle and a visit to the abandoned village of São Miguel.

Final verdict

São Tomé is a real gem. Not so well known to the outside world, it offers a great mix of friendly locals, a spectacular nature and an interesting, still visible albeit sad colonial heritage. I especially liked the possibility to explore the island independently by car.