Sao Tome and Principe

Bradt's Sao Tome and Principe is the only standalone guide to Africa's second-smallest country, considered by some to be the centre of the world as it is the site of the closest point to the intersection of the Greenwich Meridian and the Equator. In this comprehensively updated third edition, Kathleen Becker, regular tour leader for a major tour operator on Sao Tome, and Sean Connolly, who first visited and fell in love with Sao Tome in 2015 and has been raving about ever since, provide priceless insider information to the best spots for sleeping, eating and drinking, hiking, watersports, turtle-watching and rainforest hikes. Since the previous edition of this guide, a wider choice of accommodation has become available - trendy guesthouses, a surf lodge, a homestay and new plantation tourism on Principe to name a few options - and the country has gained an even greater reputation as a gourmet hiking destination, from the 'best chocolate in the world' to the freshest fish straight from the beach alongside the equator mark. Meanwhile, Principe, Sao Tome's jewel sister island, is now a UNESCO Biosphere offering more watersports opportunities such as stand-up paddle boarding and surfing lessons. This guide is the perfect companion for independent travellers, wildlife enthusiasts, trekkers, foodies, anyone interested in colonial history and African developments, or in setting up in business there. This indispensable guide to the second-most important biodiversity hotspot in Africa offers sections on background and practical information, followed by four easy-to-follow chapters on Sao Tome and a dedicated chapter on Principe. It shows the way to plantations lost in time and an organic cocoa cooperative and includes local expression, advice on cultural and medical issues as well as on how to get by on a budget in a destination without backpacker infrastructure. All budgets are catered for, from luxurious chic boutique resorts to city apartments and budget guesthouses.