“I want to show you the long way to São Tomé...”So goes the old Cape-verdian song by Cesaria Evora, and it is still very true. It is not the easiest thing in the world to get to São Tomé and Príncipe, but a visit is worth the while because you will be among a handful tourists that visit these tiny set of twin islands in a year. It is pristine, unadulterated and in need of visitors. Sao Tome & Principe sells itself, to the small numbers of tourists who make it from Europe, on two outstanding natural assets - the sea and the forest

Not many people come to Sao Tome but, as they leave from an airport that still has decaying 1950s propeller planes parked at the end of the runway, few of those that have can be glad to depart. Africa, Portugal and natural splendour combine in an obscure country that deserves to find friends. Come indulge, sip some of the finest coffee to be found on earth and enjoy fresh chocolate from Claudio Corallo factory on the island.