Why visit
Príncipe’s beaches are the image that draws people across the world: arcs of golden sand between headlands of black volcanic rock, with rainforest spilling down to the tide line and nobody else in sight. There are no beach bars, sunbeds or vendors. On most days the only other visitors are fishermen and the odd heron.
The most famous is Praia Banana, a banana-shaped crescent below the old plantation of Belo Monte, often said to have featured in a rum advertisement in the 1990s. Near it are the wilder Praia Macaco and Praia Boi. On the north-west coast lies the long, forest-backed beach at Sundy, and at the island’s northern tip the twin beaches of Bom Bom.
Two of those beaches are home to the island’s best-known lodges, both part of the HBD Príncipe group, which has tied its tourism to conservation and local employment: the bungalows of Bom Bom and the tented villas of Sundy Praia.
How long to stay
Three nights is the minimum to justify the flight; four or five lets you mix beach days with a boat trip and a roça visit without watching the clock.
Where to base yourself
For a beach on your doorstep, choose a lodge. For lower costs, stay in Santo António and reach the beaches by car or motorbike taxi — Praia Banana is about half an hour away.
Príncipe Beaches highlights
- The view of Praia Banana from the Belo Monte lookout
- A whole beach to yourself, more often than not
- Snorkelling over rocks off Praia Banana and Bom Bom
- Walking the forest path between Praia Macaco and Praia Boi
- Turtle nesting at Praia Grande (in season)
- Sunset from the north-west coast
