I’m a morning person, so when the gray parrots started chirping and the mona monkeys started rustling in the banana trees at daybreak, I was ready with my binoculars. Soon enough, more birds joined in the chorus: the daily “alarm clock” at Sundy Praia, a resort in the remote island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe.

Nearly 30 endemic bird species inhabit the jungles of what some call the Galápagos of Africa, which lies about 150 miles off the shores of Gabon and reachable via an 8.5-hour flight from Lisbon. Marine megafauna and five species of sea turtles also frequent the coast.

Yet few people make the trip to see them. São Tomé and Príncipe is one of the least visited countries in the world, with around 35,000 arrivals a year. (The Galápagos Islands get around 10 times that.) Those who do go are met with more than just incredible wildlife and uncrowded beaches. Now they can witness the early days of what may be one of the most ambitious ecotourism projects anywhere: a plan to reinvent the economy of this still-developing nation while safeguarding its ecosystem.

The story of São Tomé and Príncipe began in the 1470s, when the Portuguese came upon these uninhabited islands. By the 16th century, they had planted sugarcane and brought enslaved people from mainland Africa to work the plantations. Cacao farming followed, and by the early 1900s, the islands were collectively the world’s largest producer of chocolate. But by the time the nation gained independence in 1975, the economy was moribund; in 2010, unemployment hovered near 80 percent.

That same year, the national government floated a plan to clear 2,500 acres of northern Príncipe for the production of palm oil. Recognizing the threat such a plan would pose to both the environment and the island’s culture, the regional government of Príncipe opposed the project—and opted instead to join forces with South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth. The globe-trotting software executive had been looking for an under-the-radar vacation spot, and with its position roughly midway between Cape Town and London, Príncipe fit the bill. But rather than build a traditional resort, Shuttleworth proposed to unlock long-term economic growth through sustainable tourism and agroforestry.

Today, the company he founded, HBD Príncipe, has become the largest employer on the island. It operates a portfolio of four resorts, the Príncipe Collection, and, in a nod to the nation’s history, a cacao farm called Paciência Organic that produces both chocolates and beauty products. (The initials HBD stand for “here be dragons,” as one might imagine on an old map.) Of the collection, Sundy Praia is the most luxurious, with 15 tented villas set where the cacophonous jungle meets the tawny coast. There’s also the oceanfront Bom Bom, the company’s first hotel, which reopened last September after a five-year renovation. Adjacent to the cacao farm—and set within restored plantation houses—Roça Sundy immerses guests in the island’s chocolate-making industry, with tours of fields and production facilities. Omali is a tranquil bookend to any trip: It’s the only HBD property on São Tomé, which is home to the country’s sole international airport.

Over the past 15 years, HBD has invested more than $100 million in the country—and with time has earned the trust of the São Tomean people, as my guide, Wuilber Tavares, explained. “When the locals first saw white people coming ten years ago, they didn’t like it, because of our past,” he said as we drove through Santo Antonio, the main town on Príncipe. “Now we have a new generation.”

That includes people like 27-year-old Tavares, who see HBD, and by extension the tourism industry, as a reason to stay rather than move abroad in search of employment. And HBD’s growing constellation of projects means there’s always more to do. The company levies a $26-per-night fee on all stays, money that directly funds grassroots conservation initiatives and social-welfare programs run by the Príncipe Foundation, such as observing local reefs, monitoring sea-turtle nests, and providing scholarships to students.

In 2024, HBD expanded its community support with a new organization, Natural Dividend, a foundation created to financially compensate islanders for conservation efforts. “It’s a bit of a universal basic income program,” says Jorge Alcobia, who heads up the initiative. “If people enroll—it’s voluntary—we will pay those who commit to maintain and preserve nature as it is.”

For all the work on the island, the ultimate goal of the project is to create a replicable road map that other destinations can follow, Alcobia explains. The efforts have already garnered notice from the Long Run, another Global Vision Award winner, which advises lodges worldwide on how to best implement sustainability practices.

“Intensive agriculture would have had a devastating impact on the island and the community,” says Ruth Crichton, a regional manager at the Long Run. “One of the most significant aspects of HBD Príncipe is its focus on preserving the island’s unique biodiversity.”