Africa
Cocoa plantations, jungle peaks and deserted beaches on the equator.
São Tomé and Príncipe are two small volcanic islands in the Gulf of Guinea. São Tomé is dominated by rainforest and the needle-like Pico Cão Grande, with old roças, colonial cocoa plantations, scattered across the hills. Ilhéu das Rolas sits right on the equator. Smaller Príncipe is a UNESCO biosphere reserve, home to Banana Beach and Roça Sundy, where Eddington tested Einstein's relativity in 1919.
Life follows the local motto leve-leve, meaning take it easy. Expect grilled fish, breadfruit, excellent chocolate and very few other tourists. The drier gravana season from June to September is best for hiking and exploring; December and January are also fairly dry, and turtles nest on the beaches between roughly November and February.
June, July, August.