Hiking on the natural treasures
Hiking on the natural treasures
“Bom dia!” and welcome to the most European of the African islands: São Vicente and Santo Antão! Wild lands, mesmerizing and bathed in sunshine, where the art of living is summed up with the term: Morabeza! Let yourself be carried away to the rhythm of the music of Cape Verde. There are names that are trotting in the head without knowing the reason. Cape Verde is one of them and if you are looking for excuses to go there, we will provide you with good ones. First, the colors: the yellow of crunchy corn, the emerald green of the waves or the volcanic black of the sand. Hiking, overlooking the sea. The meetings, warm and smiling… More than just a stay, we promise you a real life experience!
Day 1
São Vicente/Santo Antão /Tarrafal de Monte Trigo
Boat crossing from Sao Vicente to Santo Antão. After an hour of navigation, we arrive in Porto Novo. We reach the village of Tarrafal (south-west) 1h30mn driving. We will discover its calm waters and its superb black sand beach.1 nights.
Lunch in a local restaurant.
Day 2
Tarrafal /Monte Trigo
Today we are leaving for a superb coastal hike to reach Monte Trigo , a small paradisiacal fishing village still isolated from the rest of the island and protected from the trade winds by the Topo de Coroa the highest Point of Santo Antão( 1979m).
4h walking /11km
Accumulated elevation -600m/+600m
Level 1
Day 3
Monte Trigo – Cha Feijoal
We leave Monte trigo to the plateau of Norte and leave for 2 days with our stuff for the night. We reach the village of Pascoal Alves . We go around the immense crater of Coroa and begin a long climbing towards the coast. Arrival in Cha Feijoal in the middle of the afternoon.
7 walking/18km
Elevation: + 1500m / -600m
Level 3
Day 4
Cha Feijoal – Ribeira das Patas
Morning departure to Chã de Morte where we will finish one of the most beautiful walks of Santo Antao. We will be surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, and spectacular mountains. On the plateau, the landscape changes again completely to a wide and fragrant grassland. The plateau is perfect for a longer rest break before going down to the famous serpentines of the Bordeira de Norte. This hike is certainly one of the most beautiful and varied walks of Santo Antão and you should have a head for heights.
5 walking/9km
Elevation: -700m/ +600m
Level 1
Day 5
Ribeira das Patas – Dominguinhas
Early departure from your hotel on the way Dominguinhas .After 1h30 walking, we will arrive in Forquinha, where we will have the pleasure of a double panoramic view, on Alto Mira and Ribeira das Patas, then descent towards Alto Mira, where we can see the daily life of the locals, and their hard day’s work, with the land and also the rudimentary and traditional form of transporting water. Characteristic landscape of, not only for the culture but also for the contrast of the black colors of the volcanic rock, characteristic of this archipelago.
5h walk /11km
Accumulated elevation +500m/-600m
Level 1
Day 6
Dominguingas – Figeiras
Early departure from your hotel to the locality Figueiras . Then the path begins to descend which runs along the hill to the next village of Boca de Alto Mira . We will have a clear perception of the contrast between the villages , on one side, the immenseValley ,one of the most largest hydrographic basin in the country. There is little human attachment at the starting bridge of the hike. Along the hike you can find endemic plants and also breathtaking landscapes. The population is dedicated to livestock, dry farming and cheese production. Already, at the point of arrival, we will find a dense settlement of the population, whose main activity is agriculture.
6h walk /16km
Elevation +800m
Level 2
Day 7
Figeiras – Os Lombos – Lagoa
Early departure from your hotel to the locality of Lagoa . With a beautiful climbing towards Os lombos and then we continue climbing towards Natural Parque of Maroços, where the driver will be wayting for us for a small transfer to lagoa where we will spend the night .
5h walk /10km
Accumulated elevation +800m
Level 2
Day 8
Lagoa – Caibros
We leave for two days and bring our stuff to spend the night in Lagoa. As we progress, we discover superb panoramas of the surrounding valleys. In the middle of the afternoon, we reach the Valley of Caibros located in the Ribeira Grande , .we enjoy a dinner prepared by the local family.
5h walking/10km
Elevation: + 1000m / -200m
Level 2
Day 9
Caibros – Cruzinha
Morning departure to Cruzinha de Garça where we will finish this beautiful walk of Santo Antao.
After 30mn walking we arrive in Boca the Ambas as Ribeiras ,where we will start climbing on the way to the selada de Mocho over 700m from the sea level. A very beautiful spot for a pick nic and enjoy the beautiful landscapes around. After the pick nic we will start walking down on the way to Cruzinha de Garça (fishing village ) where we will finish the spectacular hike.
Approximately 4h walking /10km
Accumulated elevation +700m /-700m
Level 2
Day 10
Cruzinha – Ponta so Sol
After breakfast, superb walk on the cliffs along the sea; Cruzinha small fishing village and the small rural hamlets,Formiguinhas,Corvo,and Fontaínhas. We stop in formiguinhas village for a lunch in a local restaurant and then we we continue to Ponta do Sol, a city with colonial architecture where you will spend the night. Lunch in a local restaurant.
Approximately 5, 6h walking /14km
Accumulated elevation +1000m
Level 2
Day 11
Ribeira da Torre’s Valley
Ribeira da Torre, a deep volcanic valley surrounded by cliffs and dotted with pythons, where we spent the day discovering life and rural culture. Passing trough Ribeira de Vinha with its magnificent waterfall of 150 meters high and village of Lombo de Pico with its spectacular volcanic neck. The trail passes and the irrigation canals (levadas) they lead to the town of Rabo Curto, descent through fields of sugar cane and yams to the village of Xoxo. Lunch in a local restaurant .
4 walking / 8km
Accumulated elevation +600m/-450m
Level 2
Day 12
Paul’s Valley – Porto Novo – Mindelo
A transfer will take you to the starting point of this magnificent hike, walking among potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, papaia and other vegetables and fruits, as a starting point of the famous hike, over 600m, a magnificent hike. with many sugar cane terraces and of course the possibility to taste the local grogue and the punch. We share a typical meal and a typical restaurant. Return to mindelo in the afternoon .
4h walking/9km
Accumulated elevation +500m /-700m
Level 1
Day 13
End of your stay, return to the country of origin
São Vicente Island Airport (Departure)
Transfer from your hotel to Airport Cesaria Évora
Our guide will pick you up and transfer you to the airport wishing you a nice flight home
The price includes:
· Accompaniment by a English , French – speaking guide throughout the stay
· Accommodation, Pension, Residencial, Hotel throughout the stay
· Half board
· Transfers by private Driver depending on the itinerary.
· Round trip boat crossings between São Vicente and Santo Antão
· Luggage transfers
· Domestic flights between the islands
The price does not include:
· The international round trip flight to Cape Verde
· Repatriation insurance
· Tips, (all expenses personal equipment and drinks) are not included.
· The Airport Security Fee (30€)
· Tourism Tax ( 2€ )
Travel Notes:
The programs was carefully selected and established according to the latest information known from our guides.The hikes are for couple, groups and solo travelers who wish to discover cape verde and its morabeza.Are always possible circumstances and situations beyond our control can change the program. Depending on weather and operational conditions, Soltur team reserves the right to modify the itinerary in order to best ensure the smooth running of the stay and your safety. Under no circumstances may these modifications give rise to a refund .
From July , the covid-19 certificate of vaccination with the 3rd dose or negative PCR test performed within the previous 72 hours, antigen test within 48 hours or certificate of recovery for inter-island travel is required.
Travel well insured:
When purchasing your trip with Soltur, we suggest that you take out travel insurance…you have up to 13 days to take out this insurance from the date of booking your trip. We hope you never need to use this insurance, but it can be very useful and a huge help. It is very important to think about it now.
Our recommendation:
This insurance product provides insurance coverage intended to compensate the beneficiary against the risks associated with the trip.