IMAGES: CHRISTOFFER ÅHLÉN; HBD PRINCIPE
PRÍNCIPE
By the time we reach the waterfall, we’re tired
but triumphant. A group of children wade in the shallows of the pool at its base, splashing each other and squealing in innocent delight when a herd of wild pigs hurtles past. Jackson chats away to the youngsters in the local tongue, Príncipense, telling them of an encounter he once had with a lagaia here, a fox-like feline so elusive that locals call it the ghost of the forest. They’re entranced, drinking in his every word,
and I’m struck by children’s universal awe of the natural world. It’s an innate wonder, born into us, but all too often lost in adulthood and it’s something, I discover the following day, that people are working tirelessly to ensure never withers on this island nation. Emma meets me in Santo Antonio, pulling over
in her 4WD and gesturing for me to climb in. The capital thrums with life. Chickens run amok among kids on their way to school and the lilting voices of women outside open-fronted fabric shops carry on the air, humid and already thick with heat. We weave our way through the crowds, pausing
as Emma shouts out greetings to almost everyone we pass while giving me a guided tour. First up is the church, painted in bright periwinkle blue, followed by a restaurant run by local legend Dona Tonia that’s said to serve the best octopus rice on the island. Finally, there’s the island’s only club — a tiny, tumbledown building with ‘Discotheque’ scrawled across its sunshine-yellow exterior. But we’re not here to pray, eat or party. On the
outskirts of the capital, where the wilderness halts its advance, we meet a group of schoolgirls with binoculars around their necks, clutching bird books and looking awkwardly, endearingly eager. Busy setting things up is Martim Melo, a bespectacled,
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softly spoken scientist taking time out from his doctorate in Portugal to share his passion for birds. “HBD created this programme partnering with
local schools,” Emma whispers as we approach. “The fact it’s only girls has caused a bit of a stir, but while education is pushed for both sexes, girls are still seen as future mothers in Príncipe, not as career women. We want to empower them, perhaps to become scientists, but most of all to love the natural world and to safeguard our paradise island.” We turn our ears towards the trees and, with the
help of Martim, slowly unstitch the soundscape: there’s the metallic, tinny twang of the Príncipe sunbird, the raucous chatter of the golden weaver and the mellifluous cooing of the São Tomé green pigeon. The creatures could make a birdwatcher of the most avian-averse traveller, and I find myself as fascinated as the schoolgirls who make notes, ask questions and diligently direct their binoculars wherever Martim instructs them to. In fact, I’m so entranced by a Príncipe starling’s
shimmering, purple plumage that when one of the group’s youngest participants taps me shyly on the shoulder, it takes me a moment to pull my gaze away. Jani is wide-eyed and beautiful, with a smile that would melt hearts and a bright pink outfit that rivals the island’s most colourful birds. She shows me her notes on the starling, page after page written in immaculate handwriting and explains that she’s going to become an ornithologist. Her tone is confident, matter of fact and, as she
turns to point her binoculars towards a Malachite kingfisher, I notice the slogan on her T-shirt. It reads, ‘We are the future, believe in yourself always’, and in her, I glimpse that future — a vision of Príncipe as a protected Eden; a place where wildlife thrives and nature will always reign supreme.
Clockwise from left: Príncipe’s beautiful jungle-backed beaches have sand that’s as soft as butter; HBD runs programmes to teach schoolgirls about the natural world; local fishermen dive to catch octopus by hand; Santo Antonio is the world’s smallest capital city
WHERE TO STAY Far & Wild Travel offers a nine-night trip, with three nights each at Bom Bom and Sundy Praia on Príncipe, and three nights at Omali Lodge in São Tomé, from £4,596 per person. The price includes half-board accommodation and daily activities. International and internal flights are also included.
farandwild.travel
HOW TO GET THERE Reaching Príncipe takes time, but the journey is part of the adventure. Fly first to Lisbon, then continue to São Tomé with TAP Air Portugal. From São Tomé, the final leg to Príncipe is operated by STP Airways or Africa’s Connection STP, a short hop that swaps city noise for birdsong. Total flight time: 9h.
flytap.com
stpairways.st
WHEN TO GO Príncipe sits on the Equator, with warm temperatures year-round. The dry seasons — December to February and June to September — offer the clearest skies for hiking and exploring, while the shoulder months bring dramatic rainforest downpours and fewer visitors.
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