São Tomé looks gorgeous... So why isn't it covered much online?

[MrsBertMacklin]

I want a sun filled holiday with a easy/moderate walking element, I've found a trip to São Tomé.

Safe island, fresh fish is the main food, beautiful jungles and beaches.

But very little in the way of write ups on Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor etc. Guardian has a couple of articles from 5 years ago.

Has anyone been? It looks like the kind of place you would rave about, if photos are accurate?

Flight connections are challenging, but anything else?

I've always fancied a trip to Sao Tome (I speak Portuguese, just can't do accents on this device). It is difficult to get to, I guess.

You have to have vaccinations & take an anti malarial, apply for a visa and there are no direct flights. This would put off the majority of travellers.

Hmm, maybe Lucky, but that's the same for a lot of South America, yet it doesn't put travellers off. It's the lack of media coverage that's baffling me, Jewel of an island off the beaten track, the kind of place that I usually see articles stating as 'go now before tourism ruins it'.

I've just read the wikitravel article, and it says you really need to be able to speak Portuguese or French to get around as very few people speak English. So maybe that has something to do with it? Agree with you it's bizarre it doesn't get much coverage.

Maybe it will now and become just like everywhere else in the world

I doubt that will be off the back of a few posts in the Longhaul topic of Mumsnet. Apparently it gets hardly any English-speaking tourists.

Haha sorry I realise how that sounded. No of course not but it always seems that if one lees I is talking about it on the Internet, there'll be others talking about it too.

www.bradtguides.com/shop/africa/sao-tome-principe/sao-tome.html
The writer of this book does tours for Explore Worldwide.
Flights around £850 return 12/13 hours each way.
Local tour company
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