{"id":3181,"date":"2018-10-15T18:11:25","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T18:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/?p=3181"},"modified":"2020-06-30T15:18:05","modified_gmt":"2020-06-30T15:18:05","slug":"reisebericht-sao-tome-und-principe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.svenlucaworld.com\/en\/travel-report-sao-tome-and-principe\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel report SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - An African island state in the Atlantic Ocean not far from the equator"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Visa and entry requirements Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe:<\/strong>
\nPassport required
\nGerman citizens with a valid passport do not need a visa to enter the country, stay for up to 15 days or transit.<\/p>\n

Information from the Foreign Office about your Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe trip:<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/www.auswaertiges-amt.de\/de\/aussenpolitik\/laender\/saotomeundprincipe-node\/saotomeundprincipesicherheit\/220434<\/a><\/p>\n

Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe is an island nation off the west coast of Africa with around 220,000 inhabitants. The two islands belonging to the state are located in the Gulf of Guinea around 200 kilometers off the coast of Cameroon.<\/p>\n

Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe is the second smallest country on the African continent and is located almost two kilometers from the equator. The official language is Portuguese and the national currency is the Dobra, with 1 euro equivalent to around 24 STN.<\/p>\n

The larger of the two islands is Sao Tome, measuring approximately 50 by 30 kilometers. Almost 95% of all the state's residents live on the very mountainous main island of Sao Tome, which is up to 2,000 meters high.<\/p>\n

The smaller of the two islands is Pr\u00edncipe, which is only 16 kilometers long and 6 kilometers wide.<\/p>\n

The largest cities in the island state include Sao Tome, Neves, Trindade, Santana and Guadalupe.<\/p>\n

The coast of Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe is home to a variety of marine life and bird species. You can find blue whales, humpback whales, killer whales, Bryde's whales, bottlenose dolphins, some species of dolphins and gray parrots, among others. Snakes, frogs and chameleons also occur in the countryside.<\/p>\n

The economy of Sao Tome and Pr\u00edncipe is relatively undeveloped. The state lives mainly from tourism and the export of cocoa, bananas and copra. Other agricultural products such as cinnamon, coconuts, pepper, beans and vanilla are grown primarily for personal use. Substantial oil reserves have been found beneath and around the island state, but these have not yet been exploited profitably.<\/p>\n

The capital of the same name and largest city of the island state is Sao Tome with around 80,000 inhabitants. The most important sights of the former Portuguese port city include the Cathedral of Sao Tome, the Presidential Palace, the Fort De Sao Sebastiao with the National Museum, Tamarind Beach, Marco de Equator - the viewpoint on the equator line, the Pico Cao Grande, the Cascata waterfall de Sao Nicolau, Praia Jale, the Obo National Park, the central market and the Pico Sao Tome.<\/p>\n

During my big Central Africa trip in August 2017, I visited the island of Sao Tome for three days. The Gabonese airline Afrijet flew directly to the island from Libreville, the capital of Gabon. However, surprisingly, the plane did not take off from the newly built airport in Libreville, but from a very small departure hall about a kilometer away. Of course, as is common practice in Africa, there was no information about this at the main airport. Just by a stupid coincidence, I met someone else at the big airport with the same goal and after a long walk we reached the other small terminal just in time.<\/p>\n

In contrast to most West African countries, Sao Tome is very touristy and has many small, beautiful hotels. However, Sao Tome, like almost every other African island, also has a huge garbage problem, which was particularly visible along the main streets and on various beach sections.<\/p>\n

There was a huge market activity in the center of the capital during the day and it was very exciting to watch for a while. Otherwise, I was able to stroll through the city quite comfortably and meet lots of nice people. An absolute must was a visit to the fort with the associated national museum to learn everything important about the country's history.<\/p>\n

Since Sao Tome's beaches are not exactly among the most beautiful in the travel world, a longer vacation could be a bit boring. However, the island offers an impressive landscape and is therefore ideal for various tours.<\/p>\n

I ended my two evenings on the comfortable terrace of my cozy hotel with excellent local cuisine.<\/p>\n

I then went on to Luanda in Angola with the Angolan airline TAAG.<\/p>\n\n