RouteSão Tomé

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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1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
5
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
6
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