When people asked me where I was going on my holidays this year and I responded with São Tomé and Príncipe, they looked at me blankly. No-one seemed to know where or what it was. And it was exactly for that reason Julian and I decided to visit. There’s something quite exciting about travelling to a place a little off the radar. After all, if people haven’t heard of it, then it’s unlikely there will be many tourists.
São Tomé and Príncipe are two tiny luscious islands marooned in the Atlantic, some 140 miles off the west coast of Africa in the Gulf of Guinea. The islands were uninhabited until the Portuguese “discovered” them in the 1470s. Quickly recognising the fertility of the soil they started shipping slaves from the mainland and building cocoa plantations (or roças). By the early 20th Century, the islands were the largest producer of cocoa in the world. Now, having gained independence in 1975, the islands are the second smallest African sovereign state and one of its most stable and democratic countries.
We arrived into São Tomé off an international flight from Lisbon, having done a quick stop in Accra. As soon as you land, you immediately get the laid back vibe, very reminiscent of being in the Caribbean.
We began in the capital of São Tomé, a decrepit but utterly charming and cheery place. Setting out with our guide, we visited the crumbling 16th Century fort of São Sebastião. Inside, the country’s entire history is told in five small rooms, including one that gruesomely details the hardships of life for slaves working on the plantations. Afterwards we headed out on to the roof top to see the fort’s red and white lighthouse and to take in the breezy ocean views.
Continuing our sightseeing we passed majestic governmental mansions, colonial churches and discovered life on the streets carries on how it has for many years.
But it was the bustling market where you get a real glimpse into island life. Here ladies in bright African-print fabrics jabbered loudly at each other as they arranged their fruit and vegetables, whilst the men sat around having fun over a game of draughts.
A cacophony of yellow taxis added to the noise.
A day later we were heading to Príncipe, the smaller of the two islands. It’s a jungled mountainous speck - declared a UNESCO biosphere in 2012 - that can only be reached by a very long boat ride or a thrice weekly 35 minute flight in a 30 seater plane from São Tomé.
The island is jaw droppingly beautiful, in a Jurassic Park kind of way, and its inhabitants (all 8,000 of them) some of the friendliest I have ever come across. Príncipe is also where British astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington first demonstrated Einstein’s theory of general relativity, during a 1919 solar eclipse.
Our home for the first few days was Roça Sundy, a splendid former planter’s house that has been lovingly brought back to life with all its colonial elegance: high ceilings, four poster beds, slow turning fans, wood panelled bar and huge terrace with rattan furniture.
But what’s wonderful about Roça Sundy is that whilst having beautiful rooms for us tourists to lay our weary heads, the plantation is also home to a community of 300 or so locals who live and work in the grounds. Many are former workers from when the roça was a cocoa plantation who now live with the younger generations of their families in old workers cottages (or senzalas) facing the central yard, flanked by a church and the big house. Walking around you can hear children reciting the alphabet in the kindergarten, whilst the elder ones wait to be measured and the adults go about various jobs.
Those that don’t live in the workers stone outhouses on the plantation live in multi-coloured wooden houses.
On a tour around the island with our local guide, we visited another old plantation house, Roça Paciência, which has been transformed into an organic farm. Wandering around we found out how the home-grown produce is starting to be used to make a range of tropical fruit jams, soaps and other beauty products, such as coconut and ylang ylang massage oil.
The island is surrounded by pristine beaches and none more beautiful than Praia Banana, which is where the cheesy Bacardi adverts of the 1990s were shot.
We visited a fishing village and watched the locals bring in the fishing nets, whilst the young girls were running an impromptu hairdressers.
Then stopping to take in yet another stunning view, we were found by some local children who wanted to play. But at no point did they ask for money or sweets, as you get in so many places these days, which was so refreshing. I found that despite the locals undoubtedly being poor, everyone had a smile on their face, there’s a real sense of community and virtually no crime.
The last part of our stay on Príncipe was at the wonderfully decadent Sundy Praia Lodge. Here 15 luxury tented villas sit hidden amongst the rainforest under towering trees filled with monkeys and endemic tropical birds. The tents were inspired by the fishermen’s huts that once lined that stretch of beach. But inside they resemble neither tent nor hut with polished wood floors, elegant muslin draped four poster beds, vast stone baths, fully stocked mini bars and sliding doors that open to reveal you own private deck.
Paths and wooden walkways meander amongst the dense foliage down to the beach; deserted except for guests of the lodge. But wander a little further and you’ll find a beach with only your footprints in the sand.
Roça Sundy and Sundy Praia are the brainchild of Mark Shuttleworth, a tech billionaire and the first African to travel to space. But having visited Príncipe and seen the potential of the island, as well as its desperate need for development, he set about working with the local government and investing millions in infrastructure to attract visitors, but in a way that doesn’t threaten the island’s unique selling point; its pristine environment and ecosystem.
Having returned from a holiday recently, one of my clients asked me where they needed to head to next, which was a place to visit before it gets spoilt by the masses. Well São Tomé and Príncipe are definitely on that list. Albeit I believe (and hope) that tourism will develop in a sustainable way and everything is in place for that to be the case. But I would still definitely urge my clients to visit now, whilst the tourist numbers remain low, to fully enjoy the slow, unrushed pace to life of these paradise islands.
If you would like more information on a trip to São Tomé and Príncipe, then please do get in touch.
{Pictures: Lesley-Ann and Julian}