Things to Do in São Tomé and Príncipe in July

July is prime nesting season for green turtles on Praia Jalé and hawksbills on Praia Grande. The beaches aren't flooded with tourists like August, so you get actual darkness and quiet. Just red flashlights and the sound of turtles digging nests. Guides know exactly which sections of beach get the most activity, and you'll typically see 3-5 turtles in a three-hour session.

July happens to be when the main cocoa harvest wraps up, so the drying racks at Claudio Corallo's plantation are stacked with purple-black pods. The smell of fermenting beans hits you before you see the operation, and tastings include chocolate made from beans dried that morning. This is the only month you can watch the entire process from pod to bar.

The channel between São Tomé and Príncipe is glass-calm in July, good for spotting humpback whales that migrate through now. The 45-minute crossing to Bom Bom Island becomes a wildlife cruise. Dolphins ride the bow wave and whale spouts are visible every few minutes. Once there, the water clarity is at its annual peak for snorkeling.

The 663 m (2,175 ft) needle of hardened magma is climbable in July. The trail from Roça São João isn't the muddy death-slide it becomes during rainy season. The approach through cocoa plantations means you'll smell fermenting beans while gaining elevation, and the summit view stretches 30 km (18.6 miles) to Príncipe on clear days.

July's dry weather makes exploring the abandoned Portuguese plantations pleasant. No leeches or ankle-deep mud at Roça Água Izé. The hospital ruins still smell faintly of antiseptic after 40 years, and the workers' quarters have original azulejo tiles depicting cocoa harvest scenes. Local guides' grandparents worked here, so stories aren't from a script.