São Tomé and Príncipe travel tips
São Tomé and Príncipe travel health
Required is not recommended: the first is what the border asks about, the second is what a clinic would suggest. Both, for São Tomé and Príncipe, then the number to dial and what care costs a visitor. Applies to every guide in São Tomé and Príncipe: São Tomé.
Required to enter
- Yellow fever certificate if arriving from a country where yellow fever is present — including a transit through one
Recommended
- Hepatitis A and typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Malaria prophylaxis — the risk is high on both islands
- Rabies for longer or rural stays
- Yellow fever for some itineraries — ask a travel clinic
Emergency number
222 22 22 for an ambulance, 113 for police, 112 for fire
Care for visitors
Evacuation likely
Very limited. Hospital Ayres de Menezes in São Tomé city is the main hospital, and many conditions mean evacuation to Portugal, South Africa, Ghana or Gabon. Príncipe has a small hospital and little else. Evacuation cover and a well-stocked personal kit are the plan.
Malaria is present all year. The country reported its first recorded dengue outbreak in 2022, so use repellent by day as well as a net at night. Pharmacies are small, so bring every medicine you need for the whole trip. Many beaches have strong currents and none have lifeguards.
The general rules — clinic timing, water, mosquitoes, insurance — are in travel health tips.
