A beautiful African island that is well and truly off the beaten path offers a sense of paradise for those seeking tranquillity and peace.

       Few people have heard of S？o Tomé as it is one of the last unspoilt wildernesses on Earth.

       Yet to be discovered by mass tourism S？o Tomé, located on the Equator in the Gulf of Guinea, boasts glorious, long, untouched beaches.

       Made up of two islands S？o Tomé and Príncipe is around 150 miles off Gabon in West Africa.

       Those visiting this ‘lost world’ can take part in an array of exciting activities from snorkelling to scuba diving and the best part is you can enjoy it without rubbing elbows with crowds of tourists.

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       Here you can spend your days hiking through a forest, finding a beach and being the only soul there the islands only see only 13,000 tourists a year

       Beaches encircle S？o Tomé and Príncipe meaning fish lovers will be pleased to hear that the islands offer some of the best seafood there is.

       The smell of the sea fills the air in this stunning island which truely sits apart from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world.

       A 20 minute drive from S？o Tomé and Príncipe International Airport lies S？o Tomé city in the north east of the island right on the coast and surrounded by a wide bay.

       In the middle of the bay lies a couple of modern shipwrecks.

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       For thousands of years, the islands lay uninhabited until they were discovered by the Portuguese in the 15th century and soon became the world’s largest cacao producer.

       Although the Portuguese left in 1975 S？o Tomé city still bears resemberlance to its colonial rule as the capital often described as a “miniature Havana” has colourful colonial buildings and Portuguese-style churches.

       It is not as difficult as you may to think to arrive at this little piece of paradise. A variety of airlines operate flights to and from the country, including local airline STP Airways and Portuguese airline TAP Air Portugal, both of which operate flights from Lisbon.