This botanical garden has scores of different species, many with medicinal uses. The personal tours here are excellent, with much local lore and history emerging along the way, but English is limited.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Cão Grande
12.2 MILES
The Great Canine is the poster image of São Tomé, and an awesome sight. An enormous tooth of rock 663m high, it is a hardened column of magma, the remains…
Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory
8.65 MILES
Claudio Corallo is both an extraordinary person and a local institution. For over 40 years this native Italian has pursued an overriding passion for…
Praia dos Tamarindos
8.65 MILES
One of the island's best beaches, a beautiful white crescent facing an emerald sea, with excellent swimming. An easy drive from the capital, it's empty…
Praia Bateria
21.45 MILES
So perfect it stops you in your tracks, this cute little beach is a scallop of sand wedged between long walls of rock. Swimming here is like being in your…
Roça Agua Izė
9.36 MILES
One of the original 'Big Five' roças of São Tomé, this was the plantation that kicked off the cocoa industry in STP, and it still farms the bean, albeit…
Nearby São Tomé attractions
1. Cascata São Nicolau
0.94 MILES
A nice roadside waterfall (cascata), with a bridge across the pool below.
2. Roça Monte Café
2.04 MILES
Monte Café is the most pleasant roça to visit. A hillside village of plantation houses, it offers a small museum and formal tour of the coffee production…
3. Pico de São Tomé
5.31 MILES
This impressive peak soars 2024m above the sea like a great green tooth bleeding mist. You can see it best from the EN-1 as you drive from Neves to Santa…
4. Roça Agostinho Neto
5.9 MILES
Once the grandest plantation in STP, Agostinho Neto is now the grandest symbol of its decline. The impressive entrance, a wide boulevard leading to the…
5. Roça Bela Vista
7.22 MILES
While this roça (plantation) is modest in size, its buildings are in very good condition relative to those found elsewhere, and include the large manager…
6. Lagoa Azul
8.07 MILES
This attractive small cove with aquamarine water is perhaps too well known, as it is developing a trash problem. Walk up to the lighthouse for beautiful…
7. Museo do Mar e da Pesca Artesanal
8.26 MILES
This charming marine and fishing museum is located in a whitewashed fisherman's shack up on stilts by the water's edge. Created by local marine…
8. Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory
8.65 MILES
Claudio Corallo is both an extraordinary person and a local institution. For over 40 years this native Italian has pursued an overriding passion for…