Photo: Pico Cão Grande · Philippe Bourachot · CC BY-SA 3.0
First-Timer Guide 🇸🇹São Tomé and Príncipe: What to Know Before You Go
Destination Intel / São Tomé and Príncipe
Culture, Food and Etiquette
- Calulu: Fish or chicken stewed with many leaves and herbs, the national dish
- Cocoa and Coffee: The islands were once among the world's largest cocoa producers; plantation chocolate is still made
- Fresh Seafood: Grilled fish with breadfruit and plantain
- Tchiloli: A traditional street theatre with masks and music, based on a medieval European story
- Roças: Old colonial plantations, some now guesthouses, tell the islands' history of cocoa and forced labour
- Independence Day (Jul 12): Marks independence from Portugal in 1975
Portuguese is the official language, and Forro and other creoles are widely spoken; English is limited. The islands sit on the equator in the Gulf of Guinea.
Príncipe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, known for rainforest and empty beaches. The local motto is "leve-leve", meaning slowly, slowly.
- Slow down: "leve-leve" is a way of life
- Greet people before any request
- Ask before photographing people
Getting Around
- Secondary roads are poorly lit and may need four-wheel drive in the November to April rainy season.
- Avoid road travel outside cities at night.
Source: travel.state.gov
Common Questions
Do US citizens need a visa to visit São Tomé and Príncipe?+
US passport holders do not need a visa for visits of up to 15 days; proof of yellow fever vaccination is required, and longer stays need an e-visa, according to the US State Department.
Source: travel.state.gov
Is São Tomé and Príncipe safe for first-time travelers?+
The US State Department publishes a current travel advisory for São Tomé and Príncipe; check it for the latest level and any regional guidance before you go.
Source: travel.state.gov
Latest for São Tomé and Príncipe
Updates for São Tomé and Príncipe will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.