1. Sao Tome
Sao Tome, the sole true city on these islands, is a chocolate box of lovely Romanesque cathedrals and elaborate colonial structures, palm-lined boulevards, and attractive plazas.
The Presidential Palace and Independence Square, which commemorate the year when this Atlantic island earned independence from the powers of Europe, are all located in the capital, which also serves as the region’s political, economic, and commercial center.
Before seeing the intriguing exhibits at the National Museum, explore the Central Market and pass terracotta-tiled homes, stunning Baroque facades, and the cannon-dotted bulwarks of Fort Sao Sebastian.
Following that, there are several locations to take a stroll along the beach of stunning Ana Chaves Bay as well as leisurely coffee shops spilling out onto the cobblestones.
2. Obo National Park
The Obo National Park is one that never fails to steal your breath away because it is so magnificent and otherworldly.
The immense wildness, which spans a wide region of more than 230 square kilometers on the southern side of Sao Tome, has both pristine Atlantic rainforests in the mountains and salt-washed mangroves on the beach.
They are highlands, too! The park climbs straight into the heavens, crowned by Pico Cao Grande’s massive, needle-like peak.
The mountains along the coast also resemble large, square-cut escarpments that rise loftily and proudly above the waters of the Atlantic Ocean below.
Treks and safaris here will show you the stunning tropical wilderness as well as grey parrots, mona monkeys, and tons of really uncommon birds!
3. Santo António
The majority of the inhabitants of the smaller of these two archipelago’s, tiny little Principe, which has a population of just over 1,000 people, calls a little settlement on the north side of the island home. It has a certain genuine beauty. It’s a quiet area with weathered colonial buildings and mud-spattered pueblo-style dwellings.
The town’s center is divided in half by the Palhota River’s twisting channels, which meander through palm- and marsh-lined swamp flats as they follow the coastline.
Local fisherman are bobbing in their boats by the riparian jetties while the beautiful volcanic highlands of the island’s interior beckon on the horizon.
4. Santana
The little hamlet of Santana, on the eastern tip of the island, pours down to the seashore like some lost settlement in the land of Robinson Crusoe. It is a favorite destination for beachgoers and luxury seekers looking for Sao Tome’s famous combination of sand, sea, and sun on the Atlantic.
It is well known for the highly regarded Club Santana Resort, which provides bungalows and charming cabanas within a short distance from the Santana Beach’s golden beaches.
Along with diving companies, boat trip choices, and more, there are also accommodations perched above the rocky cliffs beside the water.
5. Monte Café
The old colonial industries and coffee-growing haciendas of Monte Cafe are located deep within the volcanic mountain ranges that climb to the heavens in the center of Sao Tome island.
Even the road there is picturesque, as you might expect: vast panoramas of ancient rainforest, infinite valleys of foggy woodlands, and the sporadic rusted village of tin-shack dwellings.
Once there, you may explore a renowned coffee museum that details the production, trade, and history of the island’s main business while also taking in stunning views of the palm-dotted highlands of the nation.
6. Rolas Island
The speck on the map known as Rolas Island is renowned for its brilliant white sand beaches and paradisiacal façade. It is located only a short boat trip from the southern tip of the island and floats in the Atlantic like the teardrop of Sao Tome.
The dunes are always completely isolated and cascade down from the jungle-covered shore in a variety of coves with boulders and extensive expanses of ivory-hued sand.
There is also a renowned hotel resort nearby (ideal for a secluded and romantic tropical getaway away from the archipelago’s more popular sites), as well as a memorial to the equator’s paths, which pass through the center of Rolas.
7. Trindade
One of the few locations in Sao Tome that isn’t right on the edge of the ocean is Trindade.
Instead, this little settlement is perched on the rising ridges of the interior highlands, well above the city.
The vast expanses of cocoa and coffee plantations that make up the greater Me-Zochi District surround it and serve as its primary sources of revenue.
Visitors to the town are most struck by the ancient colonial frontispieces’ eerie and decaying qualities, which stand like the ghosts of a bygone era along the potholed roadways.
8. Boca de Inferno
The intriguingly titled Boca de Inferno, or Hell’s Mouth in English, is the pinnacle of the strange geological structures that protrude out to meet the Atlantic waves on Sao Tome’s eastern border. Visitors swarm to this location, which is only a short drive from the nation’s capital, to watch the salty whitecaps slam on the coast and the currents pull water into a cave beneath the surface until they erupt like a marine geyser.
The stunning black-rock cliffs and volcanic headlands that protrude and erupt from the coast all around enhance the already breathtaking scene.
9. Jale Beach
There may not be a better place than the stretch of golden sand that is Jale Beach for tourists who travel to Sao Tome to witness the unusual phenomena of turtles clambering across the beaches and laying their eggs.
This bay, which winds its way around the southern coast’s bends, is renowned as one of the best locations to see endangered sea turtles during the breeding season.
If you don’t mind falling asleep to the sound of the pounding Atlantic waves without power or modern conveniences, there are a few rustic beach huts built of bamboo and palm boughs there as well.
10. Porto Alegre
Compared to its Brazilian namesake, Porto Alegre is scarcely similar.
This one has little over 500 total residents as opposed to the million of the other.
This town is a ramshackle collection of earthen cottages, stilted longhouses, and weathered fishing boats instead of infinite barrios and large urban districts.
However, it has a lot of beauty and serves as a starting point for trips to see whales in Sao Tome (which runs the length of the east coast). Further investigations along the idyllic beaches of the south shore, including Jale and Praia Piscina, as well as the stunning stretches of Rolas Island, can be started from here.
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