The Enticing Waterfalls of Sao Tome

Any visitor to the charming islands of Sao Tome and Principe experiences a raw and real feeling of closeness to nature. Waterfalls are an integral part of the beautiful landscape of São Tomé and Principe. The island’s mountainous terrain and the copious rainfall, which lasts for about 6 months, feed many of the waterfalls in these islands.

The central highlands of Sao Tome are replete with many waterfalls, all of which are embedded in a dreamy environment of lush forests. The Cascata Sao Nicolau (St Nikolaus waterfall) waterfall is the most admired and visited and which is relatively accessible from the main road. At a height of around 60 meters, this lovely waterfall is set in the middle of a thick forest, closeted by thick vegetation. The waters are not so thundering, but its setting is enchanting, surrounded by lush greenery and unique tropical flowers.

The clear waters flow through the green forest, not just refreshing the surroundings, but ultimately ending up as rivulets, providing much needed running water to the communities in the area.

The gateway to this waterfall is through the famed Roca Monte Café, which is the oldest coffee plantation of São Tomé. This converted coffee museum situated in the old plantation site, stand testimony to the time (1850) when arabica coffee was grown in substantial quantities for export. The museum offers an interesting glimpse of the entire chain of coffee processing in the manner it was done during 1850s. A coffee trail through thick coffee plantations leads up to the Cascata Sao Nicolau. It is a common sight on the trail to see local boys and girls selling freshly plucked berries from the area in a banana leaf to visitors.

The Vale do Rio Waterfall (Valley of river) is located about 15 kms from Monte Café. This tall waterfall in the depth of the forest is accessed after a moderately challenging 15 km trek. It passes through some of the most fascinating tiny villages, narrow paths and dense cocoa plantations in the country. It is also punctuated with small farms of porcelain rose and honeycomb flowers.

Though the trek is long, it is easy to get overwhelmed by a sense of nostalgia about the coffee and cocoa plantations of the colonial period. The sounds of the many small water cascades and rivulets in the vicinity accompanies the visitor till the end of the trail.

The Bombain waterfalls is in the centre of some of the untouched primary forests of the world, located in close proximity to the others in the area. Not as tall as the San Nicolau Cascate, it is deeper and surrounded by the lush greenery of the rainforest in the tiny village of Bombain.

The Angolares waterfalls, on the rugged South western coast of Sao Tome, is one of the best waterfalls in the country. At 17 meters tall, it is easy on the eye. It is different from the others as it is located between two water tunnels on a friendly mountain trail.

While Sao Tome and Principe are known for their natural beauty and biodiversity, travelling deep inside the country offers some fascinating insights into the local culture of community life in these regions, which is wholly authentic. Small houses, fenced by tin sheets and thick shrubs, located inside the plantations, punctuate the entire region. Villagers fetching water from natural water resources, communal washing of clothes in the river stream by local women, chirpy kids, eager to strike a conversation with visitors and probably hiking gaily to their schools and vendors selling local fruits, complete the picture.

There are several waterfalls in other parts of Sao Tome. The Cascata de Praia Pesqueira in the South is located at a unique place where the river meets the sea. The blending of the clear waters flowing from this cascade on the isle near Ribeira Peixe, with the bluish torquoise Atlantic sea is a delightful sight.

A superstition surrounds the Guegue Waterfalls, which is one of the lost and virgin waterfalls of São Tomé Island. People somehow believe in a tradition of bathing in these cool waters in the first week of each new year, to wash away the bad memories of the old year.

The Oque Pipi waterfalls is set almost in the middle of the rainforest, and not far from Sao Tome's premier cocoa plantations that produces the most famous chocolates of Sao Tome.

Though not common, some waterfalls can be found entirely underground within cave systems. Access to such subterranean waterfalls is usually through rugged walkways. Not many tourists would like to undergo a gruelling trek to reach them.

The numerous wild water cascades of Sao Tome are a welcome getaway and escape from daily city life. But several of them are either hidden or inaccessible because of the wild terrain of Sao Tome. Unlike in other countries, a visit to any of these falls, involves quite a bit of trekking through dense vegetation and plantations, but in the end, the grind is rewarding.