Hiking through Principe’s Prehistoric landscape

Sua Sua snake

Having a bike for a couple days was good as it allowed me to see more of the island in a short amount of time but I still had a couple days left and I decided to dedicate them to hiking amongst Principe’s prehistoric like landscapes. The Phonolithic rock towers dominate the central highlands of Principe and unlike Sao Tome are far more easily visible. The vista of these towers soaring from the dense rainforest along with the presence of pristine beaches gave a feeling of hiking in an imaginary land. If I allow myself to visualize and conjure the moment by closing my eyes, I can see the look of absolute amazement on some of the early Portuguese explorers who must have seen this land (then uninhabited) for the first time.

View from Pico Papagaio (i think its Maria Correia in the distance)

The first day of the hike was to climb the emblematic peak of Pico de Papagaio. I could see this peak from the window of my pension in Santo Antonio and it felt as though the peak was calling to be scaled. Surely I was not going to leave Principe without climbing it. Principe has several of these peaks, some are so vertical that they need professional climbing gear and some are off limits to travelers as they have not yet been studied and documented by scientists. I can understand the fear that the scientific community has about letting travelers explore some of these peaks; the perception being that they could destabilize the endemic population and some of the species could be destroyed before they are even discovered. Unfortunately it meant that some of the peaks in the southern region of the island were inaccessible but I was not too disheartened as I can’t possibly hike every single of them. Pico de Papagaio and the western coastline had to suffice.

One of the several rivers we had to cross

Praia Caixão

Hiking Pico de Papagaio was not as difficult as it earlier seemed since we got up there in about an hour and half. The guide I had was not ideal as he barely explained things along the way. Perhaps it was the language barrier that prevented him for doing so but still I would normally prefer a guide who explains the flora, fauna and the history to make the hike more engaging. A close encounter with a green non-venomous cobra sua sua (Fast snake) that is endemic to Principe thoroughly made up for it though.

@ Praia Caixão

Kids at Lapa

The afternoon was spent chilling around Santo Antonio and soaking in the atmosphere one last time as the next day I would head to Ponta do Sol where I would spend my last night on Principe. Later in the evening, I met a couple South Africans who were working on the grand eco-tourism project that is the vision of a self made billionaire also from South Africa and it was great to talk about their difficulties of living in this remote region. Surely Liberia is also a little off the map but

Maria Correia with Pico Mesa in the background

Principe is certainly something different.
The person who is leading the eco-tourism project on Principe, with his own funds it must be said, is the same person who now owns Bom Bom resort and Roça Sundy plus a few other properties. His intentions like all eco-tourism enterprises are perhaps noble in the fact that they want to develop tourism and at the same time limit the negative aspects of tourisms on nature and the local people.

I have my own reservations with most eco-tourism projects as they are geared more towards the wealthy…if you have money, you can experience these places…if not tough luck! The idea of preserving the local traditions also holds little weight in my mind as somebody else is making the decision on behalf of the people. It should be the decision of the population whether to adapt and assimilate with the outside world or to keep their traditions (harmful as they maybe to preservation of their culture). My worries could be completely flawed, but it comes from experience of a few eco-tourism projects in Gabon which are beyond the means of the common man.

View of the phonolithic towers from São Joaquim



My only picture of  STP's several endemic birds...possibly the
same one depicted on the 50,000 dobra note?



A fruit called as Mangago...the sweetest thing i
have ever eaten. according to Jano...a natural candy

Coming back to my theme after digressing a bit, the next day after arriving at Ponta do Sol, Jean Claude introduced me to Jano who would be my guide for the full day hike on the western side of the island all the way to the abandoned plantation of Maria Correia.

The hike did not involve climbing any significant peaks but rather was a meandering walk through intermittent patches of beaches, coastal vegetation and shallow rivers. Along the way we passed by rocky Praia Caixão and Lapa where lay a really small independent but cheerful community of fishermen. The plantation of Maria Correia was in terrible condition and the vegetation had completely taken over but with the Pico Mesa in the background, it made for a very picturesque setting.

Dining table at Jean Claude roça's overlooking the west coast

Jano joked that I should buy this property and I definitely think it’s not a bad idea. The plantation is close to the beach so sea food would not be a problem. There was a decent sized stream close by so fresh water would be taken care off and the volcanic soil would be prefect for cultivation. Moreover Pico Mesa would provide an awesome backdrop. Someday maybe…if I live long enough to retire ….:)

Map of Principe (Orange is my hiking path and blue is the biking)

On the way back we took the route through São Joaquim and its own abandoned roça which is now used by the locals to make palm oil. Looking at the twin towers through one of its dilapidated windows, I got the impression that the Portuguese who set up these roças certainly had an eye for visually stunning scenery because every single one of them, especially the casa de patron had truly amazing views.

A long day of walking and I was glad to be back at Ponta do Sol. For dinner Jean Claude and I had some superb flying fish and a local cacao liqueur shot to celebrate the wonderful island that is Principe.

Jean Claude dropped me off to the airport the next morning and I leant that the plane was delayed by a few hours. From talking to the locals, it seemed that it was fairly common for delays as well as flight cancellation. I was not desperate to get off Principe since my international flight to Lagos was two days later but having been there for five days and looked at everything as if it would be the last time I would see it, going back seemed rather unromantic.

Luckily, a few hours of uncertainty and the plane finally arrived to carry me back to Sao Tome.