Daily itinerary

Day 1: Sunday – Flight to São Tomé

Upon arrival at Douala International Airport you'll be met by our representative who will take you to the VIP lounge to wait for your connecting private charter flight to São Tomé airport, where the lodge staff will be waiting to meet you.

Omali Luxury Hotel is only a 5 minute drive from the airport. Before dinner time, you will have some time to settle into your room, to take a swim in the pool or to enjoy a drink at the pool side bar.

Overnight Omali Luxury Hotel on a full board basis

Day 2 - 4 : Monday - Wednesday - Explore the Island of São Tomé

São Tomé offers many possibilities, such as a visit to see the strange volcanic crater deep in the forest of Ôbo National Park. Some other options are:

São Tomé City Tour
Visit the old city centre and get a feel of what São Tomé was like during the colonial era. At the lively Mercado Central, you will discover the islands products and the Calilu’s secret ingredients. With a visit to the National Museum, our guide will tell you about the life on the plantations and São Tomé’s tormented pre-independence history.

Visit to Bom Sucesso Botanical Garden
São Tomé’s native flora (700 species including a hundred orchids) and fauna (birds and marine turtles) are of particular interest, as many of its species are endemic. Indeed, it is possible to see more than 100 different orchids from the island at the Bom Sucesso Botanical Garden.

Day Trip by Car – East Coast São Tomé
Your first stop is the Roça Agua Izê, a working cocoa plantation, with its colonial buildings and warehouses. You will then continue along the coast, passing typical fishermen villages and admiring some of the best views of the island. Roça São João is your final destination, where you can relax and enjoy São Tomé’s culinary highlights for lunch.

Hiking along the Tunnels of the Rio Contador
This adventurous hike takes you to the limits of the National Park to discover São Tomé’s unique water adduction system, an impressive heritage of Portuguese colonial engineering. Kilometers of tunnels have been dug into the slopes and cliffs to canalize water from the Contador River. The walk along the old water canal will take you through the forest and abandoned cocoa plantations to the great Contador waterfall.

Bird-watching Expeditions
São Tomé is also an ornithologist’s paradise: 143 bird species have been identified here and rare endemic species like the São Tomé short tail, São Tomé giant sun bird, and São Tomé fiscal shrike may sometimes be spotted.

Sea Turtle Night Patrol
Marine turtles have been coming to São Tomé for millions of years. Between October and April, five species can be seen on the island: the green turtle, the leatherback, the olive riddley, the hawksbill and the caouanne. We invite you to accompany our eco-guides on their nightly patrols of the beach to supervise and protect the sea turtles as they crawl ashore to nest.

Overnight: Omali Lodge Luxury Hotel on a full board basis

Day 5 - 7 : Thursday, Friday, Saturday - Explore the Island of Príncipe

On Thursday , the private charter plane will fly you to Príncipe, where the Bom Bom staff will be waiting to meet you. Bom Bom Island Resort is only a short drive from the airport. While Bom Bom is a wonderful place to relax and recharge your spirit, there is also plenty there to explore and discover.

Hiking
Circumnavigate Bom Bom Island by foot, and discover its beautiful rock pools with their own ecosystems varying from one pool to the next. Or go on a leisurely hike through the forest to experience the sounds of the jungle and catch glimpses of a Mona monkey or the African grey parrot.

Kayaking
Let our guides introduce you to kayaking on the calm waters around Bom Bom Island, then kayak out to the ruins of the old church from the first Portuguese settlement on Príncipe 400 years ago.

Diving *
Discover the underwater world of Bom Bom! São Tomé and Príncipe, both ancient volcanic islands, are home to some of the world’s most spectacular rock formations, above and below the waterline. With drop-offs of over 35 metres, overhangs and cascading boulders, there is plenty of sea life here to keep you coming back for more!

*One introductory dive per person is included in the price; special diving packages are available, please enquire with your consultant.

Whale Watching *
From mid-July to mid-September, humpback whales visit the waters around Bom Bom as they migrate from their low-latitude summer feeding grounds to more tropical mating and calving areas.
Please note that sightings cannot be guaranteed and this excursion is not included in the cost of this programme.

Overnights: Bom Bom Island Resort on a full board basis

Day 8: Sunday - Afternoon flight to Douala, Cameroon

In the morning you can enjoy a final stroll on the beach with a day room provided until your departure. In the late afternoon you will be brought to the airport for your return flight to Douala, Cameroon, from where you will connect to your international flight.

Included:
Meet and greet Douala International Airport, access to VIP lounge
Transfer between airport and hotel on Sao Tome and Principe
Overnight on Principe and Sao Tome
All meals at Omali Lodge luxury Hotel and Bom Bom island
Room taxes
All excursions mentioned on itinerary except those with exceptions noted
Sodas and water during excursions
Flights during the itinerary, all flight taxes

Excluded:
International flights and taxes
All drinks (except during excursions)
Personal insurance and expenditures
Visa costs for Principe and Sao Tome
Excursions with a surplus: diving, fishing, whale watching (possible from mid-July to mid-September)
Airport departure tax on Sao Tome and Douala