Must see attractions in São Tomé

  • Top Choice

    Cão Grande

    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…

  • Top Choice

    Claudio Corallo Chocolate Factory

    Claudio Corallo is both an extraordinary person and a local institution. For over 40 years this native Italian has pursued an overriding passion for…

  • Top Choice

    Praia dos Tamarindos

    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…

  • Top Choice

    Praia Bateria

    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…

  • P

    Top Choice

    Praia Café

    In the running for island's best beach, Praia Cafė is a short walk from the pier, and should not be missed. A beautiful arc of sand, it also offers…

  • P

    Pico de São Tomé

    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…

  • C

    CACAU

    The Casa das Artes, Criação, Ambiente e Utopias (House of the Arts, Creativity, Environment and Utopias) is an ambitious attempt to create a true cultural…

  • M

    Museo do Mar e da Pesca Artesanal

    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…

  • I

    Ilhéu de Santana

    This interesting island, which faces Santana Resort, is unique in that a natural tunnel runs straight through the centre of it. Boat trips operated by the…

  • C

    Cão Pequeno

    The diminutive sibling of Cão Grande, this phonolite tower is best seen from Ilhėu das Rolas.

  • Roça Agua Izė

    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…

  • M

    Mercado Grande

    Alternately fascinating and repellent, the Mercado Grande is divided into two cavernous and adjacent halls, the Mercado Municipal and the newer, and…

  • R

    Roça Agostinho Neto

    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…

  • R

    Roça Bela Vista

    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…

  • R

    Roça Monte Café

    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…

  • S

    São Sebastião & Museu Nacional

    São Sebastião is a small fort that houses the national museum, a few rooms of artifacts simply presented. The eclectic, somewhat decaying collection, in…

  • N

    Nossa Senhora da Graça Cathedral

    While fairly humble as cathedrals go, the Nossa Senhora da Graça is one of Africa's oldest, and a testimony to persistence, as it has been destroyed and…

  • B

    Boca do Inferno

    The much-advertised 'Mouth of Hell' blowhole on the seaward side of the EN-2, just after the Km17 marker, has lost its spark. Those on Ilhėu das Rolas are…

  • M

    Marco do Equador

    While a bit worse for wear, this hillside map of the world, with the real world's equator running through it, does allow you to stand astride the primary…