Cape Verde Cultural and Nature Walks

Itinerary

DAY 1
Arrival to Lisbon

Your leader will welcome you, and after meeting your fellow passengers, an introductory walk will be available if time allows.

DAY 2
Transfer to Mindelo and Lighthouse walk

Early morning transfer to Lisbon airport and flight to São Vicente (4h flight). Arrival at São Vicente and transfer to your accommodation in Mindelo (15 min).

After settling at the hotel, we will take a short walk along the cliffs to the D. Amélia lighthouse on the southwestern tip of the Island of São Vicente.

Built in 1894, the lighthouse serves as a symbol of the region’s maritime history. Named after Queen Amélie of Orléans, the last queen consort of Portugal, it offers stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean. Visitors can appreciate the scenic landscape and explore the history of this iconic landmark.

On our way back, we will reach the fishing village of São Pedro, where we can enjoy a drink and relax in the warm, crystal-clear waters of the beach.

DAY 3
Santo Antão

Take the modern ferry from Mindelo to the city of Porto Novo in Santo Antão, which takes about one hour. During the journey, you’ll pass by Bird Island, an inhabited rock situated in the middle of the channel. Upon arrival in Porto Novo, we transfer by road to the starting point of our first walk.

We take a trail towards Cova, a fertile volcanic crater where various crops are grown, mainly corn, sweet potatoes and beans, which are the basis of the Cape Verdean national dish, cachupa.

The path climbs the slope until it reaches a narrow ridge covered with cedar trees, a rocky plateau dividing the Cova crater and the lush Paúl valley. After a winding descent, we arrive at the first village, Cabo da Ribeira, following the road until we reach Vila das Pombas.

At lunch, we prepared a treat: a local family will welcome our group to taste their homegrown produce.

DAY 4
Grogue Tour

Today, we take a cultural and sensory journey when we visit some local producers of grogue! Santo Antão is a famed producer of this spirit, the local rum, reputed as the best in Cape Verde.

The grogue production is still mainly artisanal, in a device called trapiche.

We will not only visit production areas but also experience living museums which use ancestral techniques of sugar cane grinding. The extracted juice is fermented in large wooden barrels, followed by distillation in a copper still, where the wood-fired fire gives life to the grogue.

The dedication and knowledge passed through generations guarantee the exceptional quality and authenticity of this much-loved product.

Explore and taste a cultural treasure, speak with local producers, and get a bit more of the essence of Cape Verde through its flavours and stories while exploring Santo Antão from Ponta do Sol to Tarrafal de Monte Trigo. 

DAY 5
Cruzinha, Fontaínhas and Ponta do Sol

Today we head to the mountainous and fertile valleys of Ribeira Grande and Garça on the way to the picturesque coastal village of Cruzinha.
Here, our walk ventures along a trail bordering the ocean. Keep an eye out for the sight of turtles, dolphins or whales.
Enjoy a lunch in the isolated hamlet of Corvo before continuing to Fontainhas, a cliff-clinging village famous for its multicoloured houses and already featured in the National Geographic magazine for boasting one of the most formidable views in the world.
Our walk ends in the charming fishing town of Ponta do Sol, the northernmost point of Cape Verde, featuring a striking yellow town hall, a whitewashed church, and waving palm trees.

DAY 6
Paúl Valley

A short transfer will get us to the lush valley of Paúl (marsh). Follow the small paths from hamlet to hamlet, passing through cultivated terraces carved in the steep hills in the area of Cabo de Ribeira.
Here, the locals grow coffee, oranges, guavas, and vegetables, depending on the season; this is also where the delicious grogue (local rum) is distilled, still in traditional mills. The grogue from Paúl Valley is considered one of the finest in Cape Verde.
We’ll have our lunch in the small valley of Figueiral.
After lunch, the walk follows a spectacular path along the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean.
In the afternoon, we say goodbye to Santo Antão and hop on the ferry to return to Mindelo.

DAY 7

Mindelo
In Mindelo, we can have a free day to enjoy the beach, shop, or organize a tour to visit the Island of São Vicente.
You can get to know Salamansa, Calhau and the famed Baía das Gatas, where the biggest Cape-Verdean music festival takes place on the first full-moon weekend in August.

DAY 8

Return to Lisbon
Transfer to São Vicente Airport to take the return flight to Lisbon.