The islands of Sao Tome and Principe

UK citizens require a visa to visit Sao Tome. We will arrange the visa for you, and payment of €20.00 per person will be required on arrival at immigration on Sao Tome. European, USA, and Canadian visitors do not require a visa unless they are staying for more than 15 days. For stays of more than 15 days, we will arrange the visa, and payment of €20.00 per person will be required on arrival on Sao Tome. Other nationalities should consult their local embassy or consular office. Please note that your passport needs to be valid for at least a minimum of 9 months after the expiry date of your visa.

If you have travelled (and stayed) via a country where yellow fever is endemic you will need to show your yellow fever certificate prior to arrival in Sao Tome and Principe. We recommend protection against malaria, hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid. These need to be planned well in advance of travel and you should consult your surgery for the latest update as they will also have a record of your current vaccinations. Please give you local surgery plenty of notice as you may need an extended appointment to discuss your travel plans and requirements. For initial research, you could check the NHS website www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk. Healthcare on both islands is basic, however, there are medical facilities which can deal with minor injuries and ailments. There is a Taiwanese medical mission in Sao Tome city, with English speaking doctors. It is important to remember that the availability of medicine in hospitals, doctors surgeries and pharmacies is very limited. If you have a regular prescription or need to take non-prescription medicines please make sure you have enough for the duration of your trip, and ideally a little longer in case your return home is delayed. We also advise that you take a small first aid kit with you. A suggestion of what to take can be found in the pre-departure information we send out when booking a trip to the island with us.

From January 2016 all hotels in Lisbon are required to charge a room tax of €1 person per night. At present this new tax cannot be pre-paid and all hotels are required to issue a guest invoice at either check-in or departure in order to collect the tax. Children under 12 years are exempt and the total is subject to a maximum of €7 per guest. As of now there is no hotel tax in Sao Tome and Principe.

The national currency on is the Dobra ($). You cannot buy or spend the Dobra anywhere but in these islands and it is more common to bring Euros cash with you, since the charges for exchanging travellers cheques are extremely high. It is worth remembering that credit cards are currently only accepted at the few larger international hotels and that there only a few ATMs in the island capitals.

São Tomé and Príncipe is GMT+1 hour all year round.

The traditional Santomean dishes consist mostly of excellent fresh fish and is served with rice, manioc, fried banana or jack fruit. Beans are a staple food and although bland can be spiced up with several hot sauces. Food in hotels are usually a fusion of traditional Santomean and contemporary kitchen, with added Brazilian flavours. Drinking tap water should be avoided, however bottled water is readily available from hotels, restaurants and shops. If you have concerns about the wastefulness of bottled water then consider taking a water filter cup or bottle for everyone.

The official language is Portuguese and is understood by nearly everyone on both islands, whilst one or more creole languages like Lungwa Santome, Lunga Ngola and Lung'lea is used in every day situations. On Principe Capeverdean Criolu can be heard. French as a foreign language is taught in schools and is more commonly understood than English.

São Tomé and Príncipe is a very safe holiday destination and the crime rate is very low. However, petty theft is becoming more common especially in built up areas so we advise only carrying enough money for the day and keeping the rest in a hotel safe. The black cobra is the most dangerous and poisonous animal on São Tomé and is the most common in forested areas in the south and east of the island and like most snakes they try to avoid contact with humans and are therefore rarely seen. There are many lovely beaches on the islands, but they don't have lifeguards. Swimming in the ocean around the islands is amazing, however, we always advise that you check with the hotel where you are staying with to make sure the conditions are safe as there can be strong undertows and current on some beaches. The first rule of thumb is to check first. The second one would be that if there are large rolling breakers, then it is advisable not to go in.