Saotome Paradise Avis 

We originally booked and prepaid for a private cruise excursion in São Tomé. When our cruise line first changed the itinerary and removed the port stop, J-Maxime handled the cancellation professionally and provided a full refund promptly.

Later, when the cruise line changed the itinerary again to re-include São Tomé, we rebooked the tour because of the confidence we had developed through our prior interactions. Unfortunately, due to rough ocean conditions, the cruise ship was unable to safely tender passengers ashore and the stop was cancelled only minutes before disembarkation.

Even though the São Tomé Paradise Tours team was already on shore and prepared to operate the tour, J-Maxime still provided a 70% refund, which we considered both fair and gracious under the circumstances.

Throughout the planning process, J-Maxime was responsive, flexible, informative, and helpful in working through itinerary ideas, timing concerns, cruise logistics, and contingency planning. We especially appreciated the collaborative attitude and willingness to customize the experience around our interests in the history and culture of São Tomé.

While we unfortunately never made it ashore, our experience dealing with São Tomé Paradise Tours left us with a positive impression of the company’s professionalism, integrity, and customer care.

We would gladly consider booking with them again if we return to São Tomé in the future.

Professional service in São Tomé. Friendly and communicative. Well trained guides and good organization of groups and complex itineraries.

Hard working, and dedicated to providing the best tourism experience in São Tomé. Experience and time has proven it !

I believe that Paradise Tours in Sao Tome, run by European citizen Maxime, has been trustworthy and reliable in the past. Unfortunately, our experience was different. As a tour guide, I don't like to write negative reviews about my colleagues. But for the safety and satisfaction of future potential clients, I consider it necessary. Me and my daughter were patient with provided tours, even though the jungle hike was led by a young 18 year old boy, without a machete, without a first aid kit, without a driver's license. What would he do in the middle of the jungle if one of us was bitten by a snake? The highlight of it all was the rental car in a dirty and dangerous condition. When we complained about this fact, Maxime started recommending us to another company, with which we had no contract and to which we did not pay. We have not seen Maxime since then, he was not willing to solve the problem to the satisfaction of both parties. His behavior on the phone was aggressive, which led to blocking his calls. We processed a partial refund from rent a car company through the manager of our hotel, for which we are very grateful. The money did not reach us until the next evening. Final recommendation: Do not believe that something like this is normal because you are in Africa. We ended up renting a car from another company and it was in better condition than any in Europe. Check the company carefully before ordering services and rent a car. And most important, do not pay in advance. We only lost a few euros, but some of Paradise Tours' clients missed their cruise ship or suffered an injury.