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Video length: 5 min
Sao Tome and Principe: the wild beauty of the “chocolate islands”
Heading for one of the smallest countries in the world: Sao Tome and Principe, off the coast of Gabon, is an island lost in the middle of the Atlantic. In addition to its dream beaches and wild nature, one of the jewels of this little-known territory is cocoa production.
(France 2)
Heading for one of the smallest countries in the world: Sao Tome and Principe, off the coast of Gabon, is an island lost in the middle of the Atlantic. In addition to its dream beaches and wild nature, one of the jewels of this little-known territory is cocoa production.
When the clouds clear, it is first the nature that surprises: 600 species of endemic plants, and sections of primary forest, intact. Then, it is the beaches that amaze. The island of Sao Tome and Principe, volcanic and tropical, is one of the smallest countries in the world, in the middle of the Gulf of Guinea. Three Portuguese friends begin a three-hour hike, which will take them to the “heavenly beach”. “It is very isolated, and can only be accessed by trails.”explains the guide, Brice Primo Monteiro.
Along the way, Brice also reveals some secrets of the forest, such as medicinal plants or tree ferns. On the other side of the main island, a few visitors arrive at a cove. Underwater, the spectacle is total. The country is famous for its diving sites, between rays and moray eels. There are also several species of seahorses, some of which only live here.
Sao Tome and Principe also hides another treasure: cocoa, which has made the country’s reputation. Thanks to the climate and volcanic soil, the beans harvested are among the best in the world. They are dried, sorted, roasted, and each variety has its own distinct aromas. The vast majority is exported, but some remains on the island, to be transformed directly into chocolate.
