Sao Tome Fly and Drive: 8 Days with 4x4 Car Hire and Hotels

You land in São Tomé and collect your rental car — a Suzuki Jimny —, your SIM card and your RoadMap. The first drive is short and easy, already set to the pace you'll come to love here: "leve leve", the unhurried São Tomé philosophy of life. Overnight at Roça Santa Luzia, a former colonial plantation turned boutique hotel deep in the rainforest, surrounded by an idyllic garden. Dinner included — expect fresh grilled fish on your first night, and, if you fancy trying the local beer, your first chance to taste an ice-cold Rosema.

The Coffee Route climbs to 800 metres, through the island's true breadbasket: plantations growing mango, breadfruit, plantain and pineapple in abundance. Visit Trindade town and Roça Monte Café, with lunch at the Almada Negreiros Museum, birthplace of the artist and poet. On the way back, stop at Cascata Milagrosa (Miraculous Waterfall), one of the most photographed corners of the whole route, set among idyllic tropical-forest scenery. Dinner and overnight at Roça Santa Luzia.

Drive south along the Coconut Route, stopping at the world's largest open-air laundry (Abade river mouth), the dramatic Boca do Inferno rock formation, and the Pico Cão Grande viewpoint. This stretch also hides beaches like Praia Sete Ondas — one of the south's best-kept secrets. Travel between October and March and you may see sea turtles nesting on these southern beaches at dusk. Arrival at Ecolodge Inhame, the only accommodation in the south with genuine comfort. Dinner included.

Cross by boat to Ilhéu das Rolas, at the same unhurried "leve leve" rhythm, to one of the circuit's true highlights. Here stands the Equator Marker, built at the request of Admiral Gago Coutinho, where you can stand in both hemispheres at the same time. The islet also hides Praia Café, a small, quiet cove perfect for a swim before lunch. If you'd like lunch on the islet itself, the local menu leans on grilled fish and octopus — often peixe andala or fresh grouper — paired, naturally, with a cold Rosema. Return to Ecolodge Inhame for dinner.

Today's roadbook is deliberately blank. Near the hotel you'll find the famous Praia Piscina, one of São Tomé's most photographed beaches — calm, rock-sheltered water, perfect for an unhurried swim. Travel between June and September and it's worth scanning the horizon: whale season along the southern coast. Take the day at your own pace — the real luxury of a destination still spared mass tourism. Travel between November and March instead, and every day brings the chance of sea turtles nesting on the beach.

Head back towards the capital, stopping at the Cauê river viewpoint and the Ribeira Peixe waterfall, beside a fishing beach. At lunchtime, chef João Carlos Silva's roça — familiar from the TV show "Na Roça com os Tachos" — welcomes you for a feast of São Tomé flavours: grilled tuna, roasted plantain, breadfruit, and the cocoa-based desserts the island is famous for. Continue on to the capital. Overnight at Hotel Omali.

São Tomé was once known worldwide as the Chocolate Island. Visit a cocoa cooperative to see the whole process behind the bar — fermentation, drying and the hand-sorting done by the cooperative's women (entry ~€4). Continue along the Baobab Route — giant baobab trees known locally as Micondó — to the iconic Lagoa Azul, with free time for a swim amid idyllic scenery. This is also Neves district, home of Rosema beer — well worth a taste. Stop at Roça Agostinho Neto, the setting of the novel "Equador" by Miguel Sousa Tavares. Return to the hotel, dinner on your own.

Your last day on the road: visit the Museum of São Sebastião, Independence Square and the Cathedral, with time to browse local crafts and soak up city life. Before your flight home, drop your rental car off at the airport — the trip was yours from start to finish, at the "leve leve" pace only São Tomé and Príncipe can give you.