Things to Do in São Tomé & Príncipe (2026)

São Tomé & Príncipe · ST

Praia Colónia Açoriana

Praia Colónia Açoriana is a quiet east-coast beach on the island of São Tomé, lying at the mouth of the Ribeira Afonso river in the Cantagalo district. It takes its name from the old cocoa plantation, or roça, founded by Azorean settlers, and it pairs a laid-back fishing-village atmosphere with a genuine slice of the archipelago's plantation history. The setting is characteristically São Tomé: a broad stretch of dark volcanic sand where the river slides into the Atlantic, framed by green hills and the daily rhythm of small-boat fishing. It is a beach to wander, swim on calmer days and take in the heritage of a coast that once grew rich on cocoa.

Tourist attraction

São Tomé & Príncipe · ST

Hellmouth

Hellmouth — Boca do Inferno, the "Mouth of Hell" — is one of São Tomé's most striking roadside natural wonders: a blowhole carved into the dark volcanic rock of the coast where the Atlantic surges through a hidden channel and erupts skyward in a roaring tower of spray. Set on the coast road south of the capital, near the fishing village of Ribeira Afonso, it turns the relentless energy of the ocean into a free, ever-changing spectacle you can watch from a safe vantage point. The site is quick and easy to reach, making it a natural add-on to any first day on the island or to a longer southern coast tour. On a swell day the geyser, the thunder and the rainbows in the mist make it unforgettable; in calm seas it is more a rugged coastal viewpoint than a dramatic show — a fact worth knowing before you go.

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Beach

São Tomé & Príncipe · ST

Praia da Campainha

Praia da Campainha is a small, tranquil stretch of sand on the northwest coast of Príncipe, the quieter of São Tomé and Príncipe's two main islands. At just over 300 metres in length, it is one of many unhurried beaches fringing the island's gentle northern shoreline, far from the rhythms of mass tourism. The beach sits within the UNESCO Island of Príncipe Biosphere Reserve, an area of remarkable biodiversity where sea turtles nest, coral reefs shelter marine life, and cocoa plantations still line the coastal roads. Praia da Campainha embodies the understated charm of the entire island: a place where nature remains unmanaged and visitors are rare enough to feel like welcome guests.

Beach

São Tomé & Príncipe · ST

Praia das Sete Ondas

Praia das Sete Ondas — the "Beach of Seven Waves" — is a long, shallow stretch of gray sand on São Tomé's coast, just south of the Km20 marker on the EN-2 road out of the capital. Its name comes from the rows of waves that roll in one after another across the gently sloping shoreline, giving the beach a lively, restless character rather than a mirror-calm lagoon feel. Easy to reach and rarely packed, it is one of the most convenient beaches to combine with a day on the island's southern coast — good for families, first-time surfers and long barefoot walks, with a roadside bar and restaurant for a coconut drink and a local snack after a swim.

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Praia Colónia Açoriana

Hellmouth

Praia da Campainha

Praia das Sete Ondas

Finding your next place…

A little more
of São Tomé & Príncipe.

Praia Colónia Açoriana

Hellmouth

Praia da Campainha

Praia das Sete Ondas