The golden beaches
Quiet.
Antoniodabreu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antoniodabreu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Antoniodabreu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Charles J. Sharp — CC BY-SA 4.0
Príncipe is the smaller of the two main islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, in the Gulf of Guinea north-east of São Tomé. It covers about 142 square kilometres with its islets and has around eight thousand people. It is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, with thick rainforest and quiet beaches. The island is an old eroded volcano over three million years old, rising in the south to 947 metres at Pico do Príncipe. It was uninhabited when the Portuguese arrived on 17 January 1471, and it became an autonomous region in 1995. Birds found nowhere else live here, such as the Príncipe golden weaver. You see quiet golden beaches backed by thick green forest that runs down to the water, with old tree trunks on the sand. Inland rise sharp forested mountains, and rivers run into the sea between black rocks. Near the shore the water is clear and blue-green. Santo António, the island's small capital, is about 3 km away in a straight line. Visitors arrive by small plane from São Tomé. Services are few, so book lodging and trips in advance.
Quiet.
Down to the water.
A golden weaver.
Gulf of Guinea, north-east of São Tomé
By small plane from São Tomé.
Few, so book ahead.