An aerial shot of a beach with a palm tree forest etching in on its outskirts and clear water hitting the sandy coast.

One photographer's love letter to the twin equatorial islands of São Tomé & Príncipe

The Atlantic is rarely out of sight on São Tomé and Príncipe. The twin islands sit almost directly on the Equator, some 155 miles off the coast of West Africa, and life revolves around the sea. Dense rainforest reaches all the way down to a shoreline where fisherfolk haul in their catch, children learn to swim and turtles come to lay their eggs.

With the seas a refuge for marine life and endemic flora and fauna on land, the São Tomé and Príncipe have earned a new nickname: ‘Africa’s Galápagos’.
Christoffer Åhlén
Story and photographs byChristoffer Åhlén
Published April 18, 2026
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
A river coursing through a rainforest with a pointy peak in the distance, shrouded in mist.
On São Tomé, the main island, you’ll find the iconic Pico Cão Grande — a needle-shaped volcanic tower, rising through the rainforest. It’s often hidden by thick clouds in the morning, which clear by midday.
Christoffer Åhlén
A rugged coast with river enclaves as the water washes up on the rocks at sunset.
Rivers run down the slopes to the Atlantic, meeting beaches where the tide leaves small crabs tracing lines across the sand.
Christoffer Åhlén
A close-up of a tiny crab in a shell on a beach.
A local fisherman portrait, looking into the distance with a bare chest and a cross necklace dangling around his neck.
Local fisherfolk emerge from the sea wearing flippers and wetsuits, and with octopus and fish strung from their lines.
Christoffer Åhlén (Top) (Left) and Christoffer Åhlén (Bottom) (Right)
A local woman at a market, carrying a bucket with fish - fins pointing at the clear sky.
At lunchtime, that same morning’s haul will pass through the streets of São Tomé town, carried on the heads of local women to sell at market. By the end of the day, the catch has all been sold and the tide has come back in.
Christoffer Åhlén
A landscape shot of a coast reaching in and out of the clear sea as forested hills and palm trees define the island.
A 40-minute flight by small plane north of São Tomé lies the less-explored island of Príncipe.
Christoffer Åhlén
A limestone house with arched door features and anchors adorning the front wall as a motorbike is parked outside.
Its capital, Santo António, was founded by the Portuguese in the 16th century and many of the colourful buildings from that era remain, including ‘Capitania’, the coastguard’s office.
Christoffer Åhlén
A pig strutting across a beach with waves crashing in the background.
Away from the town, you’ll find pigs walking freely on the beaches of picturesque fishing villages, waterfalls tumbling through the rainforest and plenty of spots for swimming.
Christoffer Åhlén
A young girl wearing a long t-shirt, playing in the ocean with her friends.
Water activities used to be something only boys did, and household duties were reserved for girls, but that has changed in recent years.
Christoffer Åhlén
A landscape shot of a beach with a group of girls walking past in a line carrying surfboards.
In part, this is thanks to SOMA, an initiative that aims to combat gender inequality by teaching local girls to swim, surf and paddleboard.
Christoffer Åhlén
A group of young kids playing on the beach, doing cartwheels in the sand, with a rainforest in the background.
In part, this is thanks to SOMA, an initiative that aims to combat gender inequality by teaching local girls to swim, surf and paddleboard.
Christoffer Åhlén
A close-up of water crashing into the rocky coastline.
Between July and August, humpback whales appear offshore to mate and calve. With the seas a refuge for marine life and endemic flora and fauna on land, the islands have earned a new nickname: ‘Africa’s Galápagos’.
Christoffer Åhlén
Published in the May 2026 issue by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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