I'm not used to being handled like a VIP, so I used to be shocked to see the purple carpet laid out on the tarmac as we touched down in Sao Tome.
For a break up second I questioned if it was for me, one of many few Brits ever to go to this former Portuguese colony proper on the Equator.
But it surely turned out that the nice and cozy welcome was supposed for the island's president and his entourage, who have been additionally aboard the flight.
Castaway: Tourism is nearly unknown however the islands of Sao Tome and neighbouring Principe, pictured, boast mountains shrouded in rainforest and secluded seashores galore
Nobody appears to have heard of Sao Tome and neighbouring Principe – the 2 islands resemble a few ink spots simply off the west coast of Africa.
Tourism is nearly unknown however the islands are lovely, with mountains shrouded in rainforest, and secluded seashores fringed with coconut groves.
One of the simplest ways of getting there's a direct flight from Lisbon. It's a 12-hour journey, however because the islands are due south of the UK, they share the identical time zone so jet-lag isn't an element.
Principe, which is the smaller of the 2, is about half the dimensions of the Isle of Wight. It's a 35-minute flight from Sao Tome and I felt like a castaway alone desert island as I stepped off the airplane.
There's one small lodge proper on the seaside – the luxurious Bom Bom Island Resort is ready between two lengthy ribbons of sand within the midst of the jungle. The 20 or so bamboo villas with verandas are hidden on the hillside or else surrounded by gardens near the shore.
A wood footbridge leads throughout the water to Bom Bom Island, a tiny spit of land with an open-sided bar and a restaurant constructed out over the ocean.
Step on: A wood footbridge from the luxurious Bom Bom Island Resort leads throughout the water to its personal island, pictured
Ruben, the exercise supervisor, would cross among the many tables to inform us about excursions, with Chaplin, an African gray parrot, perched on his shoulder.
Native fishermen stopped off with their catch at first mild so we have been served contemporary fish each day, together with home-grown greens and herbs from Roca Paciencia, an outdated plantation close by.
Colonial-era estates are scattered throughout the island, some relationship again 500 years. They resemble small villages, with employees' properties, faculties and hospitals constructed round a courtyard, however most are derelict, with timber rising by means of the rafters.
Colonial-era estates are scattered throughout the island, some relationship again 500 years
Nevertheless, one or two are being transformed into lodges with half a dozen rooms.
The few roads on Principe are largely grime tracks main by means of villages of wood shacks constructed on stilts, and a big chunk of the island is a Unesco biosphere reserve and utterly inaccessible, so the one method to discover is by boat.
One afternoon we sailed down the west coast to Baia das Agulhas. There was nothing to see besides mile upon mile of impenetrable jungle, however abruptly, excessive above us, the clouds dispersed to disclose monolithic peaks of black rock and sugarloaf mountains rising from the forest ground.
Service with a smile: A waiter serving crisp chilly beer on the sunny Bom Bom Island Resort
I went paddle-boarding alongside the shore in gin-clear water. The silence was damaged solely by the occasional sound of birds shrieking or hooting within the treetops.
Birdwatchers want solely take just a few paces past the resort entrance to be surrounded by golden weavers, cobalt blue kingfishers and tiny sunbirds weaving their fragile nests with what appeared like silver thread.
A two-hour hike by means of the rainforest takes you to the ruins of the previous capital Ribeira Ize within the subsequent bay.
'Slowly, slowly,' suggested my information David, as I scrambled over fallen tree trunks and discovered sprawling roots.
He break up open cocoa pods for me to style the milky pulp and handed me leaves from trailing vines that purportedly cured infections. A 400-year-old church is just about all that continues to be of this historical metropolis.
Birdwatcher's paradise: The kingfisher, simply one in every of Principe's many unique inhabitants
On my final night I sat quietly with Ruben on the seaside at Praia Grande within the inky darkness. Only a few toes away, a inexperienced turtle was flicking sand over my face as she dug a deep gap to put her eggs.
It appeared to take hours, however as soon as she had completed we knelt beside her whereas rangers tagged and measured her by torchlight.
'She is a brand new mom,' they informed me. 'She is going to lay one other 400 eggs over the approaching weeks however just one hatchling will survive to maturity.'
Ultimately she began her sluggish trek again to the ocean, stopping to relaxation each jiffy, and leaving a path within the sand earlier than disappearing into the surf. She is going to now return to the identical spot yearly.
Possibly I'll come again some day too – even when subsequent time I don't get the purple carpet.
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