博姆苏塞索植物园位于圣多美岛中心地带的海拔1153米处,不仅是物种繁茂的科研中心,更是进入占地约235平方公里的奥博国家公园的主要门户。作为非洲大西洋海岛中特有物种密度极高的区域,这里收藏了超过1000份植物标本,其中包括100多种当地独有的珍稀兰花,是深度游览圣多美和普林西比绝对绕不开的高地坐标。由于山地气候多变,清晨抵达时往往能感受到明显的凉意,这种湿冷感与海边的燥热截然不同。
走进植物园最直接的视觉冲击来自那些形态各异的兰花。这里培育着圣多美特有的兰科植物,不少品种是在外界极难见到的。这些兰花大多生长在模拟天然环境的露天或半露天棚内,每年雨季来临前后的花期最为壮观。如果你运气好,能看到一些花径只有几毫米的微型兰花,或者香气浓郁的各种石斛属植物。这里的向导能如数家珍地告诉你每朵花的采集海拔和生长习性,这种信息密度是自己在网上搜索查不到的。说真的,即使不是植物学专业人士,看到那些挂在树皮上的奇特生命也会觉得物有所值。
除了兰花,园内展示了大量圣多美土生土长的药用植物。当地人至今仍在使用这些植物治疗感冒、皮肤病甚至疟疾。你会看到那些巨大的树蕨和厚实的原始林木,它们是这片云雾林的骨架。植物园不仅仅是观赏性的花圃,它更像是一个活着的基因库。很多树种在外界已经因为砍伐而缩减,但在博姆苏塞索却能长到几十米高。空气中弥漫着一种泥土和腐殖质混合的清香,深呼吸一口,肺部那种湿润的扩张感会让你立刻意识到自己身处真正的热带高海拔雨林。
从圣多美市区出发前往植物园大约有20公里的路程,但别被距离数字骗了。这段路不仅全是上坡,而且路况相当颠簸,通常需要驱车45分钟到1小时才能到达。建议找那种底盘较高的四驱车,否则在雨后泥泞的路面上很难行驶。沿途会经过著名的圣尼古劳瀑布,大多数人会把这两个点串在一起玩。到了博姆苏塞索村子后,路面会变得稍微宽敞一点,植物园的入口就在村子尽头,非常显眼。如果不打算包车,也可以尝试乘坐当地的公共货车(Yapa),但那对体力和耐心都是极大的考验。
门票价格目前大约在200多布拉左右,折合欧元大概在8到10欧之间,价格偶尔会有变动。这笔钱通常包含了园内的讲解服务。如果你想玩得更深,可以从这里雇佣向导进入奥博国家公园内部徒步。最经典的路线是前往拉戈阿阿美利奥(Lagoa Amelia),那是一个被森林覆盖的火山口湖。往返大约需要4到5个小时,路面全是树根和烂泥,没双防水的徒步鞋真的走不下来。雇佣向导的费用大约在20到40欧元不等,取决于你的砍价本事和行程难度。向导不光能带路,还能帮你识别灌木丛里躲着的特有鸟类,比如圣多美伯劳或太阳鸟。
通常情况下不需要提前预约,直接在开放时间内到达售票处即可。如果是10人以上的大型团队,建议提前通过当地旅行社或酒店联系,以便安排足够的讲解向导,园内常驻向导只有2到3位。
这里的海拔超过一千米,气温比海边低5到8度。建议穿着透气的长袖衣裤,这不仅能保暖,还能有效防止山里的蚊虫和旱蚂蝗叮咬。如果打算徒步,必须穿防滑性能好的登山鞋,山上随时可能下雨。
大部分兰花的盛花期集中在10月到次年1月之间,这正好也是从小雨季向大旱季过渡的时间。不过即便在其他月份,园内的草药区和特有林木依然很有看头,只是花卉的视觉丰富度会略逊一筹。
雇佣一辆带司机的四驱车包车一天大约需要60到80欧元,这通常包括了周边的瀑布和咖啡庄园行程。如果单程打车,费用可能在20欧元左右,但回程很难在山顶叫到车,所以最好包车往返。
W MS Small, but fantastic site for plants and for birdwatching. Friendly staff offer guided tour. Majority of trees has labels with names. There is a parking site. Do not forget to leave your signature in guest book.
Pedro Diogo Vaz A place of pure nature that stopped at the beginning of the 20th century. There is so much natural beauty, but there is so much to do in order to promote biodiversity and effective preservation of endemic species and many others. In the country and abroad. Very much pleasant people, very aware of the challenges, very available to explain everything in detail, but very conscious about the "challenges" they face everyday. A must visit... but prepare for reality!
São Tomé Paradise Tours The project was funded by Ecofac (European union) in the 90´s. A great place to discover the various species in São Tomé : medicinal, ornamental, imported and endemic. Make sure you learn the difference between white and red porcelain roses... Check also the "orchid" garden.... Some people love it, while some others would have hoped something more organized... Anyhow, it´s a great place to learn about nature ! Closes at 1 pm... and only open on requests on Sundays !
Bruno VAN DEN BOSSCHE This place left me with very mixed feelings ... part of me was about to cry and another was enjoying the rich flora. I personally love gardens and gardening. The visit was extremely interesting thanks to the passionate guiding of our guide. On the other hand, the current condition of the garden is simply disastrous. What was once a fantastic project is becoming a wild jungle in no time. One can blame the Ministry of Tourism in Sao Tomé for doing nothing to maintain its attraction assets in a good condition. But the main responsible are the European project initiators who initiated and started something without ensuring the long term sustainability of the project ...
Anaman Sylvester Very amazing botanical garden with a lot of species and nice Flora. The guides are really nice and professional and know a lot about the island and it’s plants. So nice that I took a lot of pic. The island doesn’t have a lot of places to visit so try to visit all the places from North, south, East and West; don’t stay in town only.