Travel Guide Parc National Ôbo

The national protection of this park, which means "wild, impenetrable wood", began in 1992. Two areas make up the Ôbo Park: one on the island of São Tomé, with an area of about 235 km², and the other on the island of Príncipe, with an area of about 65 km² (almost half the island). The aim is to protect and rationally conserve the forest ecosystems. The first priority has been to identify and then delimit important areas to be protected. A draft decree-law identifying two sites, the Ôbo de São Tomé Natural Park and the Ôbo de Príncipe Natural Park, has been submitted for the protection of samples of the archipelago's important biotopes. In total, nearly 300 km² are thus concerned by the environmental protection program initiated by Ecofac. Originally covered by forests, the islands of the Gulf of Guinea are home to endemic flora and fauna of great scientific interest. In 1988, world-renowned scientists ranked the forests of São Tomé second in biological interest out of 75 forests in Africa. Several hundred thousand years of isolation and evolution have given life to a typical fauna and flora adapted to the conditions of the island. Out of 700 species of plants, a hundred are endemic, such as the giant begonia which can reach 3 m in height, the tree fern or numerous orchids which you can see in the botanical garden of Bom Sucesso. Monkeys and many species of birds can be seen on the paths. Nearly 180 species reside on the island, of which about thirty are endemic. Some of them are considered as the rarest birds in the world: the São Tomé's big beak, the shrike or the olive ibis. The protected areas aim to protect all the biotopes present on the archipelago, notably the forests, but also the mangroves and the unique savannah in the north of São Tomé. Numerous beaches, where several species of sea turtles congregate, are now protected. The policy of developing ecotourism makes it possible to highlight this natural heritage. Most of the hiking trails start from Bom Sucesso, which is easily and quickly accessible on foot from the posada Boa Vista, above Monte Café. You will pass through thick primary forest, some roças, waterfalls, Lagoa Amélia, the crater of an ancient volcano where a guide can take you to walk on a very thick spongy vegetation layer. On a clear day, the views of the island are particularly superb. For very good walkers, the climb to Pico, at 2,024m, will take less than a day. The Pico is lost in the mist, but you can discover an exceptional panorama of the northern part of the island.