Roça Água-Izé — Attraction in Ribeira Afonso

Lively local community and interesting history. I truly enjoyed walking through this roça and witnessing the local life and history. But! This site needs better management asap! If you arrive with your own transportation you are first surrounded by local guys who are the guides. They try to first ask 20€ for guidance but negotiate it down to at least 10€. If you speak Portuguese, you probably can haggle even lower price. As it seems to be obligatory to have a guide, the pricing needs to be official and not negotiable. Also after the tour they'll ask you 2€ per person "for the community". Small money for tourists but still, this is something that should be clearly stated somewhere before you visit. Also the guides don't speak that good English, but our guide had good enough skills that we got the main points of history and enjoyed the visit over all. This site would be a 5-star tourist attraction if the entrance fee management issue would be solved. That could happen easily with some governmental help. The current experience will leave many tourists with negative experience and it doesn't...

Roca Agua Ize Hospital is a fascinating historic site that offers insights into Sao Tome & Principe's colonial past and plantation heritage. This former plantation complex, once owned by Barao de Agua Ize, was one of the largest roças in Sao Tome, with a thriving community of contract workers. The roça is currently a ruin, but some members of that community live in some parts of the building. So some parts can't be accessed. The Roça showcases a self-sufficient system with its own infrastructure, including hospital, school, and churches.

The complex features impressive architecture, with remnants of the pier used for transporting crops to Sao Tome city still visible across the street. The site is nestled in a picturesque area, making it a great spot for history buffs and nature lovers. Across the street is the ocean surrounded by a lush green forest.

It is best to find a guide who speaks your language to get the most out...

This was the first time on STP that I felt treated more like a bag of money, rather than a person. The local "guides" will attack you, before you even left the main road and parked your car. The Roça itself and its history is interesting, but first the guide refused to agree on a price, after I declared I would leave if he did not state a price, he said 10€. When I gave him even more than that after the tour, he still demanded more tip and tried the guilt strategy. The tour was not even an hour, his english was very basic, and for what I got, 300 Dobras was way too much already. I treat everybody with respect, and I wish to be treated the same way. I'm a solo female traveller, but you don't get to screw me over just because you think I will have it. This place sadly is a tourist rip off, so be prepared if you still...