Why has no one heard of São Tomé and Príncipe?

A hidden island nation hosting natural beauty and culture.

You might have gazed upon a map and realized there are two tiny twin islands off the coast of central Africa. That São Tomé and Príncipe!

The twin island nation is located in the Gulf of Guinea near Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. São Tomé and Príncipe consists of only 240,000 people. It is the second-smallest and second-least populous country in Africa (behind Seychelles).

The islands were uninhabited until the Portuguese arrived and settled. São Tomé and Príncipe was rich in cash crops like coffee and cocoa, so slaves were brought. After many centuries of being a colony and economic struggle, São Tomé and Príncipe peacefully became independent from Portugal and became a country. To this day, the majority of the population speaks Portuguese

There are many things to do on the islands, such as seeing the Cão Grande Peak, visiting national parks, going to beaches, and you can even visit Ilhéu das Rolas (an island that is on the equator) to step foot in both hemispheres at the same time.

So why do few people visit São Tomé?

A main reason for this is that few people know about these islands. They get overshadowed by Mauritius and Seychelles. Even if you look at a map, it would be hard to recognize. Also, there are only a few flights to get to the islands because of their geographic isolation and tourism. From SFO, it takes around 3 stops to get to TMS (main airport). Finally, São Tomé and Príncipe is a developing country without the best tourism infrastructure, and many people are concerned about the health risks.

Are you going to think about São Tomé and Príncipe when planning your next trip?