Sao Tome and Principe

The islands of Sao Tome and Principe, situated in the equatorial Atlantic about 300 and 250 kilometers, respectively, off the northwest coast of Gabon, constitute Africa’s second smallest country. Less than two dozen tourists per week venture to these laid-back islands with palm-fringed beaches, crystal-clear water and barely explored jungles. The few lucky visitors to this Portuguese-Creole flavored tropical paradise can sip some of the world’s best coffee, eat fresh fruits and seafood, delight on gourmet chocolate, stay in the charmingly crumbling greathouses of the old colonial plantations in São Tomé Town, dive and snorkel in uncharted waters, trek the endlessly biodiverse jungles and explore sleepy fishermen’s villages at their own leisurely pace, away from anything that resembles hustle and bustle.