São Tomé and Principe Tour

Itinerary

Friday 14 March – São Tomé

• Arrive at your convenience into São Tomé – the capital city of São Tomé and Principe which has regular flights between Angola, Portugal, and Ghana.
• 11:30 AM arrival with TAAG, if coming from our Grand Angola tour.
• Meet your fellow group members at the lobby of our hotel.
• Group dinner and get to know your fellow travelers.
• Overnight stay at hotel.

Saturday 15 March – São Tomé

• Highlight: Our first stop is the Coffee Museum. São Tomé is famous for its coffee plantations, which began in 1780.
• Begin our sightseeing of one of the oldest colonial capitals in Africa by exploring Independence Square – signifying independence gained in 1975.
• Explore the traditional, new and fish markets of São Tomé, a perfect way to learn more about this small nation.
• See the Presidential Palace from outside. This unique pink 19th century Portuguese Colonial style structure houses the current president.
• Stop by the São Tomé Cathedral. The first church of Our Lady of Grace was built at the end of the fifteenth century.
• Visit to the National Museum. Here you can find religious art and colonial-era artifacts.
• Highlight: We stop by the Diogo Vaz Shopping. Here you can taste incredibly unique chocolate such as chocolate with grapes macerated in cocoa alcohol, ginger, orange, pepper and coffee, as well as 100% dark chocolate.
• Overnight stay in São Tomé.

Sunday 16 March – São Tomé – Southern Part

• We begin our road trip to the most southern part of the island stopping at an abandoned hospital of Roca Agua Ize. This hospital used to be one of the best hospitals in western Africa and was built for the workers at the Roca Agua Ize plantation.
• Located nearby the plantation is the seaside cliff Boca de Inferno (Hell’s Mouth).
• We’ll make a short stop in São João dos Angolares. This is the largest town on the southern part of the island. 
• Explore Cascata De Praia Pesqueria, a magnificent waterfall.
• Highlight: The most famous landmark of São Tomé and Principe is the Pico de Cao Grande. This mountain is 663 meters tall and visible all over the island.
• We relax for a moment at Grande Beach and take in the Atlantic.
• Stop by an old rusty tank for a group photo on top of the tank.
• Drive to Porto Alegre.
• Highlight: We board a boat for a 20 minute journey to Rolas Island. This island is where the equator crosses through São Tomé and Principe. 
• Return drive to São Tomé.
• Overnight stay in São Tomé.

Monday 17 March – São Tomé – Northern Part

• Drive to Northern São Tomé stopping by the village of Roca Agostinho Neto – named after the first president of Angola: Agostinho Neto.
• Highlight: We visit the largest plantation in the country, which used to be the biggest cocoa producer. Nowadays the plantation is partly working and families relocated to live on the plantation. 
• Continue towards the Atlantic with a stop at the Blue Lagoon Beach. It sounds as exotic as it is!
• We continue our drive to Lagao Azul. This is the most northern point of the country and can only be reached via the Santa Catarina Tunnel (the only tunnel in Sao Tomé and Principe).
• Explore the fishing village of Santa Catarina.
• Return to the capital and stop by the Monte Café Plantation, one of the most famous coffee plantations on the island. 
• Return to São Tomé.
• Overnight stay in São Tomé.

Tuesday 18 March – São Tomé

• End of tour, depart at your own convenience.