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©Justin Foulkes/Lonely Planet

Roça Agua Izė

São Tomé


One of the original 'Big Five' roças of São Tomé, this was the plantation that kicked off the cocoa industry in STP, and it still farms the bean, albeit at a much lower production level. If you've seen other roças a lap around the buildings will suffice. Otherwise this is a good introduction to the plantation chapter of São Tomé history, assuming you can find a guide on site that speaks your language – a hit-or-miss proposition.

A couple of thousand contract workers once lived here. Across the street lie the remains of the pier by which the crop was transported to São Tomė city. The roça appears roadside on the EN-2 just south of the Km16 marker.