Pico de São Tomé: Hiking Through Endemic Cloud Forest
The 2,024-metre Pico de São Tomé rises through extraordinary cloud forest zones — each altitude band has its own endemic bird and plant species found nowhere else on Earth
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Lagoa Amelia Crater Lake
A 1,500-meter volcanic crater lake surrounded by ancient cloud forest — the mist-shrouded waters and endemic vegetation create an otherworldly atmosphere
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São Tomé Endemic Bird Zone
The cloud forest above 1,200 meters is home to São Tomé fiscal, São Tomé weaver and São Tomé white-eyed — birds found only on this single volcanic island
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Giant tree ferns and orchids
The undergrowth of the cloud forest is covered with giant ferns, mosses and hundreds of orchid species — the botanical diversity per square meter is among Africa's highest
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Summit Push and Views
The final climb to the Pico summit is demanding — the cloud usually clears briefly in the morning to reveal views across the Gulf of Guinea to Cameroon and Gabon
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Forest elephant tracks
Forest elephants visited São Tomé historically but are now extinct here — the cloud forest trails show where they once roamed; the conservation history of island extinctions
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Primates of São Tomé
The island's endemic primates – including the São Tomé mona monkey – are regularly seen in the lower forest zones on the ascent to Pico