TRANSPORTS
The only flight from Lisbon leaves with TAP (the Portuguese airline). There are regular flights between Sao Tome and Libreville in Gabon, Douala (Cameroon) and Malabo (Equatorial Guinea).

São Tomé can also be reached by boat from Libreville and Douala. Departure tax can be paid only in cash and in U.S. dollars.

There is no regular ferry service from Libreville, but operators are changing constantly, we suggest you to shop around before you plan this type of travel.

The price is not much different from that of the plane.


 
Air São Tomé and Principe has three weekly flights between the islands and there are also ferries, but infrequent ones.


ROAD NETWORK
Many roads are paved but the holes to slow down.

On the island of São Tomé there are many taxis and colectivos that link most of the countries.

In the beginning there are only 12 km of roads and the only means of public transport is a red minibus.


AIRPORT
Sao Tome ' Airport
The international airport of Sao Tome island today has allowed to become a major tourist center.


PORTO
The main port of SAO TOME
It is located within the city, about 2 km from downtown and has a single platform. The port has a depth ranging from 10 to 4 m.

The actual rate of discharge is about 20 containers per day, with no more than 20 tons each.

There are eight barges from 40-250 tons capacity each.

Currently, the fixed crane can lift a maximum of 20 tonnes.

Inside the port area there are four large storage rooms with ample storage ranging from 20 to 50,000 bags of 50 kg. These deposits are handled by the port authorities.


CURRENCY
Dobra (STD).


TIMEZONE
1 hour

ELECTRICITY

220 volts. You can use some electrical sockets Italian without details, but power cuts are frequent and severe fluctuations of voltage can damage them, so we recommend using a power converter.


WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Metric System.


HEALTH RISKS
It is necessary the vaccination against yellow fever (we will ask the booklet of vaccination).

And it’s even better to be vaccinated against tetanus, polio, typhoid fever and hepatitis A and B.

Sao Tome is an area of highly endemic malaria so chemoprophylaxis is recommended and then to take along a mosquito repellent.

Tap water is not drinkable. It’s necessary to drink water in bottles and carefully peel fruits and vegetables.


TOURISM
The ambiance is certainly impressive, the country boasts beautiful beaches, but for those seeking the sun is recommended for the dry season (June to October), during the remainder of that fact, although the temperatures do not fall below 25 ° the rainfall is plentiful.

Worth visiting the city of Sao Tome's capital, full of buildings and monuments that symbolize the past Portuguese colonization.

Porte Alegre feature is also built on an old cocoa plantation.


CLIMATE
Of type equatorial and tropical, the climate is warm and humid with a rainy season from October to May.

In the North of the country the climate is drier, while the south the climate is mostly rainy.

Average temperatures hovering around 27 ° all year.


LANGUAGE
Despite the small size the country has four national languages: Portuguese (official language) spoken by 95% of the population and three derived from Portuguese creole languages (forro, angular and principense).

French is taught in schools.


RELIGION
The majority of the population professes the Catholic religion. There are however less evangelistic.


VISAS
To enter the country  it is necessary a passport with a visa and a return ticket.

The visa can be obtained at the Consulate upon presentation of a certificate of travel. It is usually issued within 31 days.

You can obtain a visa upon arrival at the airport (the cost is about $ 50 U.S.).

The validity of this visa is three months from the date of issue.

It is possible to request an extension to the Immigration Department in the city of Sao Tome.