Sao Tome & Principe birding tour
Description of Sao Tome & Principe birding tour
Explore some of Africa's most renowned birding locations in the company of expert local guides and other passionate birders on this wonderful Sao Tome and Principe bird watching tour.
As part of a small group (max. 10 travellers), you'll roam these refreshingly undeveloped islands in the Gulf of Guinea in search of their many prized endemic species.
Maroon pigeons, Sao Tome paradise-flycatchers, Principe sunbirds and kingfishers, and the elusive and highly sought-after scops-owl are all on the agenda. Many can be spotted in the gardens of your luxurious hotels, but for others your friendly and knowledgeable local guides will lead you deep into forests, sometimes camping overnight to make the most of your time.
Among the key locations on this birding tour of Sao Tome and Principe are the Bom Sucesso Botanic Gardens, and Obo National Park, in both of which you might easily spot five or six endemics in just a few hours. Another highlight is the Monte Carvo forest, justly regarded as one of the finest birding destinations in all of Africa.
At all times, your guides and tour leader put animal welfare first - no trapping or baiting is used at all, and care is taken to minimise disturbance.
Tourism in Sao Tome and Principe remains undeveloped still, so travelling responsibly means employing local people throughout, which can make a huge financial difference to the communities you pass through. It also means you benefit from superb local knowledge, especially when it comes to your birding guides. No-one knows these islands, forests and bird species better.
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Travel guides
Responsible Travel
Planet
We recognise that the islands of Sao Tome and Principe are internationally important hotspots for birdlife and endemism. It is therefore vital that we as ecotourists do our utmost to protect these valuable ecosystems. As such, we will never remain in an area, or travel to an area, if we believe that our presence is likely to damage the ecosystem or cause distress to local wildlife. We will never pursue a bird or a mammal that has chosen to move away from us. We do not use traps, and do not call birds in using recordings. We will only walk on established trails.We ask that clients respect the local environment by ensuring that all refuse brought into the islands is removed and disposed of appropriately. We also ask that clients limit their use of single-use plastics and take reasonable steps to reduce their use of water - fresh water is a valuable and scarce resource in this part of the world.
People
It is crucially important that ecotourism delivers genuine, tangible benefit to local people and local communities. When done responsibly, this ensures that local communities are able to attach value to the ecosystems and wildlife so many of us travel to see and enjoy, which does a huge amount to secure the long-term futures of these wilderness areas. With this in mind, we insist that our suppliers employ local people, and clients should expect that, throughout this tour, guides, drivers, cooks and housekeeping staff are from the islands.We ask that clients are patient and polite in all interactions with local people, and are cognisant of the fact that ecotourism is in its infancy in Sao Tome and Principe. As such, standards of service may fall below that which is expected by some clients - we ask that any and all issues in this regard be escalated to your tour leader. We always find that the people of Sao Tome and Principe are kind and unfailingly friendly - we ask that clients are the same in return.
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