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Meridiela.

Roça Diogo Vaz

A working cocoa estate on the northwest coast making chocolate on site.

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UNESCO World Heritage

WhereSão Tomé
Nearest cityNeves
Best seasonJune to September
Time to allowHalf a day
Getting thereOn the northwestern coast beyond Neves; road access, tours by arrangement
EntryTours charged

Diogo Vaz on the northwestern coast is one of the few roças still working as a plantation rather than decaying: cocoa is grown, fermented and dried on the estate and then made into chocolate there rather than shipped as beans, which is unusual for any producing country. Tours cover the plantation, the fermentation boxes and the factory. UNESCO inscribed the estate in 2026 as one of six roças forming a single property.

What you actually see

  • The working plantation - cocoa grown, fermented and dried on the estate.
  • The on-site factory - chocolate made where the beans are grown.
  • The fermentation boxes - the wooden boxes where the beans are turned.
  • The 2026 inscription - one of six roças in the UNESCO property.

When to go

June to September is the drier gravana season. Tours must be arranged in advance. The main harvest is spread across the year.

Honest expectations

Tours must be booked and are not run daily. The estate is a commercial operation and the visit ends in a shop. The road out along the northwest coast is rough in places.

Nearby

Neves is southeast, and Lagoa Azul is northeast.

What to pack for Roça Diogo Vaz

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Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.

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