Go, but pay attention.
Sao Tome and Principe dropped to a 79/100 Sketch Score today, so prioritize the US Level 2 advisory over the Canadian Level 1 rating. There are no active health notices to worry about.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Sao Tome and Principe
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Go, but pay attention.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Don't fall for it
Scams to know
City-based tourist scams
Scams targeting tourists occur in the main city. The provided text does not offer specific counter-moves for these incidents.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
No active CDC travel health notices right now.
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •Safety is not an issue in São Tomé and Príncipe, though the roadway traffic is hazardous as in other parts of Africa.
- •The only dangerous animal in the islands is the black cobra, which can be found in southern and eastern areas of São Tomé island.
Staying healthy
- •Malaria was once extremely common on the islands, but an eradication program initiated by the Taiwanese government in 2005 has effectively stamped out malaria in populated areas (deaths have dropped from over 1000/year to just a handful).
- •The rate of HIV/AIDS in STP among people aged 15-49 as of 2022 is approximately 0.4%, which is relatively low compared with nearby countries.
- •Tap Water is not fit for drinking. Boil it or stick to bottled.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 112 / fire: 112
Show the receipts (8 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12