Hiking and relaxation in Cape Verde between Santo Antão and São Vicente

⛴️ Early departure for the boat crossing from São Vicente to Santo Antão, the most mountainous island in the archipelago. After an hour's sailing, we arrive in Porto Novo . We then take an aluguer, a local taxi, along the Corda (main road) to reach the Cova crater. We begin our first short hike on the island of Santo Antão. We walk along a path overlooking the valley and then reach "Lin de Corv" on the Cova plateau at an altitude of 1300 m. We settle into our guesthouse. In the evening, our neighbors prepare a delicious traditional dish for us – a real treat!

After a good breakfast, we gradually leave the plateau and descend gently into the Caibros Valley. It's a beautiful day of downhill hiking. We arrive in the village of Caibros before being driven to Ponta do Sol, on the north coast, a charming village and small fishing port. Overnight stay by the sea.

On an old Portuguese paved mule track, we walk to Fontainhas , a village perched on the Atlantic cliffs with only about a hundred inhabitants. The village, on its promontory, is surrounded by terraced fields. The coastal hike before heading inland offers breathtaking views of the ocean ! We then return to Ponta do Sol to see the fishermen come in, followed by lunch at a small seaside restaurant. Next, we take a shared taxi (aluguer) to the Paul Valley (45 minutes). In Cha de Manuel do Santos, we settle into Sandro's guesthouse . We stroll through the village, wandering among the fields and meeting the locals. Finally, we have dinner at Honorine's before returning to the guesthouse after this full and varied day.

After a very short transfer by shared taxi (aluguer) to Passagem, we spend a day hiking down one of Santo Antão's most beautiful and lush valleys: the Paul Valley. We discover all the local crops: sugarcane, coffee, vegetables, as well as papaya trees, breadfruit trees, and banana trees, and meet the locals, who are so open to conversation. In the mid-afternoon, we arrive in Vila das Pombas, on the coast, where we meet our shared taxi again. We are then driven to Porto Novo to board pickup trucks and take the track that leads us to Tarrafal , a stunning seaside village located at the western tip of the island. We settle into a guesthouse for two nights.

We set off to explore this fishing village, a little slice of paradise. Our hike takes us along trails overlooking the village, winding through palm and mango trees. The views of the ocean are breathtaking. We return to the village in the mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is free, with the option of swimming.

We leave early in the morning from Tarrafal to reach Porto Novo and take the first ferry of the morning towards Mindelo.

We set off for a short walk from the beach to reach the Dona Amelia lighthouse , along the Atlantic Ocean and return by the same path.

As an option for those who wish (to be paid on site), you can embark in a fishing boat to reach the turtles (a few meters from the beach).

We then enjoy lunch at a nearby local restaurant. In the afternoon, we return to Mindelo and the rest of the day is free.

Last morning on São Vicente before our transfer to the airport for the return flight to France.