São Tomé and Príncipe travel tips

Is São Tomé and Príncipe safe?

1 guide, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.

4.0 average across 1 guide · Safe
São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé Safe

Calm and friendly; the UK advice describes crime as generally low, with burglaries and occasional armed robberies, and no areas it advises against. The practical risks are the roads, which are poor and unlit outside the capital and blocked by landslides after heavy rain, and the sea on the exposed southern and eastern beaches. Malaria is present, and the medical care is basic: serious cases are flown out.

Comfortable: São Tomé · Lagoa Azul · Roça Agostinho Neto · Roça São João dos Angolares

  • The roads after dark, which are unlit and have animals and pedestrians on them
  • Landslides on the roads to the south and the interior after heavy rain
  • Swimming on the exposed southern and eastern beaches, where the surf is strong
  • Burglary at rented houses, which is the crime the UK advice mentions; use the safe and lock up
  • Malaria, which is present all year

The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.

The guides in São Tomé and Príncipe

Breakfast of local fruit and bread at an eco-lodge on the south coast — São ToméSão ToméSão Tomé and PríncipeA volcanic island on the equator, rainforest to the shore, with old cocoa plantations falling back into the trees