Ceiba International tends to land in Sao Tomé at 6am local time. Upon your arrival, we immediately embark on the exploration of the centre of the Island.

The central part of the bigger Sao Tome Island tends to be the most popular route for travellers who want to explore the country a little deeper, when allotted just a limited amount of time. Further to the coastal city of Sao Tome, this excursion brings you across a few of the highlights the country has to offer. This includes the Bom Sucesso Botanical Garden, a well-maintained garden colonized by more than one hundred different species of wild orchids, some of which are even endemic to the country. Adjacent to the Obo National Park – the most famous wildlife park in the country – Bom Sucesso Garden lies on the skyline of Sao Nicolau Waterfalls, a spectacular fall that cascades over a 60m altitude in the middle of a rainforest, teeming with more than 140 bird species.

Still in the radius of the falls is the Roça Monte Café, a famous coffee plantation that was established during the Portuguese colonial era and is still functioning, although at less than its initial capacity. The plantation boasts a comprehensive museum that exhibits, lectures on and displays anything you need to know about coffee, including the process of making world class coffee, a universal label that the country earned when it used to be the world’s largest exporter, producing the world best coffee.

From the Roça, you drive back to Sao Tome after lunch while having visited the small city of Trinidad and the adjacent Massacre Place of Bate Pâ. In Sao Tome you will ride across the city’s vibrant places with stops at the National Museum, the Our Lady Of Grace Cathedral, and the handicraft market among others.

This day tour may last 8hrs or so. If you are adventurous and would like to discover further parts of the Island rather than just having leisure at the Pestena Resort, this is a good alternative. Sao Tome is world-renowned for its impressive number of Roças, the Portuguese name for the colonial cocoa and/or coffee plantations that once made this small country a powerhouse of this tropical cash crop in the Gulf of Guinea. Best exemplified of these Roças are Agostinho Netto and Monte Forte, both located in the northern part of the Island. On route to this day tour, you will have the chance to stop by a modest waterfall of Rio Do Ouro, visit the small town of Guadalupe, stop at the Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake), tour the city of Neves, and drive to Santa Catarina with a stop at Anambo, a landmark of the discovery of the Island as well as the Tunnel.

Morning transfer to the airport for the PCP flight. STP Airways links both islands on a daily basis (except on Thursdays), leaving TMS at 930 AM or so and arriving PCP thirty minutes after take-off. Upon arrival in Principe, an Outback representative meets you at the airport and drives you to the BomBom Island Resort for check-in and optional lunch. In the first hours of the afternoon, we go for a sightseeing tour of the old-fashioned town of San Antonio where you visit the fresh food market, the old cathedral and the surroundings. Spend the rest of the afternoon at leisure in the Bombom Islands Resort.

Enjoy a day at leisure in the hotel with optional activities including snorkelling, scuba diving, or quad biking. You may want to sign up for one of the following possible excursions:

Diving

The Islands offer adequate spots for various experience levels from beginners to professionals, and the adventure may start with simple snorkelling in order to leisurely enjoy the abundant marine life of the archipelago’s crystal-clear waters. Given the island’s privileged location (virtually on the Greenwich meridian and just off the Equator), it offers ideal conditions in terms of visibility and water temperature for underwater sports.

Snorkelling

The beaches around Bom Bom offer spectacular snorkelling opportunities. Our marine guides will ensure you are equipped and taken to the best places to experience the amazing marine life in a safe and enjoyable manner.

North & West: On this excursion you will be taken past the villages of Picao, past the airport to Sundi Plantation. The largest of the Principe Plantations, Sundi offers spectacular views and amazing colonial architecture, also the location where Einstein’s theory of relativity was proven.
From Sundi, we move on to Ponta Do Sul, one of the smaller plantations on to San Antonio.
Or alternatively from Ponta Do Sul to San Joaquim, past Porto Real with a few stops and on to San Antonio for a quick tour through the charming little town and back to Bom Bom Island Resort
Duration: ±3 hours (Via Porto Real 1 extra hour)

Central and South: From Bombom Island Resort, we drive to San Antonio, and on towards Terreiro Velho Plantation. This road takes you first across the Rio Pappagaio, past the beautiful beaches of Praia Evora…and finally the spectacular views at Mirrador before we reach the end of the road. (A variety of hikes can be taken from here). Duration: ±2 hours

Eastern part:

* Quad bikes: From Bombom Island Resort, we go straight down to Praia Grande, the largest and most spectacular beaches in Principe. Its unpredictable currents and isolation make this also the primary breeding beach for oceanic turtles. (Visiting Praia Grande requires a hike of 25 minutes)
From Praia Grande, we continue on to the beautiful Praia Boi (Bull Bay). An easy, scenic drive will bring you back to Belo Monte in time for afternoon tea. Duration: ±2.5 hours

In the neighbourhood: On this excursion, we take you to our coastal neighbours at Praia Burra, an artisanal fishing village. Learn more about the fishing methods they apply, the species they fish, and appreciate their simplistic lifestyle. (Optional hike to down the beach from Praia Das Burras to Praia Banana, with transport back to Bom Bom Isalnd Resort) Duration: ±1.5 hours

This morning after breakfast we transfer to the airport so as to catch the domestic flight to Sao Tomé. STP Airways tends to leave Principé at 10:20AM and attains Sao Tomé at 10:55 AM.  Your guide will be at the TMS International Airport to welcome and transfer you to your hotel or if you are up for it, immediately sign up for a day tour to the south of the Island in Sao Joao. Anecdotes say the name Sao Joao derives from an Angolan slave who settled in the area during the XVI century.

We leave the hotel in the morning and drive for an hour or so southwards to Sao Joao where we spend the day exploring the surroundings. On the way, we visit the town of Santana and the old plantations of Igua Ize, as well as the palm oil mill at Emolve. A singular stop at the Boca de Infernado enables us to watch one of the most spectacular blowholes of the country. Boca de Infernado is a natural cavern in the rugged coastline located about 30 min from Sao Tome. It is a small and narrow passage that funnel waves under a bridge of basaltic stones and comes out roaring and spraying. We later on continue on our way to Sao Joao where we visit the plantation and immediately make our way back to Sao Tome, in readiness for the connecting flight back home.