Pedras Tinhosas

The Tinhosas are two bare rocks lying about twenty kilometres south of Príncipe, Tinhosa Grande and Tinhosa Pequena, and they carry one of the most important seabird colonies in the Gulf of Guinea: brown noddies, sooty terns and boobies nesting in numbers running into the hundreds of thousands on ground with no vegetation and no fresh water. They are a Ramsar site and landing is restricted.

What you actually see

• The seabird colonies - hundreds of thousands of birds on two bare rocks.
• The brown noddies - the species present in the greatest numbers.
• The bare ground - islets with no vegetation and no fresh water at all.
• The Ramsar status - the protection covering the rocks and their waters.

When to go

June to September is the calmer season for the crossing. Seabirds are present through much of the year. Swell frequently prevents approach.

Honest expectations

Landing is restricted to protect the colonies and permission is rarely given. The crossing is twenty kilometres of open water and is often cancelled. There is no shelter of any kind on the rocks.

Nearby

Príncipe is north, and São Tomé is far southwest.