Cape Verde Walking Holiday on Santo Antao

A Walking Holiday on Santo Antao that is perfect for keen hikers and nature lovers.

Our Cape Verde Walking Holiday starts and finishes on Sao Vicente. You have time to explore this culturally vibrant island, before crossing to Santo Antao for four spectacular days of walking in steep, rocky mountain valleys.

Arriving into the beautiful harbour town of Mindelo on Sao Vicente, you will be taken on an exhilarating off-road tour of the island. You’ll visit fishing towns, walk on the dunes at the southern end of the island, visit lush green oasis, and stop for lunch at a location hand-picked by your local guide. We think this is the best way to familiarise yourself with the island and get your bearings.

From Mindelo, you catch a ferry to Porto Novo on Santo Antao. It’s an enjoyable one hour journey and you often see jumping fish, such as the blue marlin. Santo Antao is one of the best islands on Cape Verde for walking. It’s the greenest island and has dramatic, steep sided mountains. From Porto Novo, you’ll be driven up a steep and cobbled mountain road to the crater rim of Cova do Paul.

From the crater rim of Cova do Paul, you trek to the crater floor. You’ll see farmers hard at work in the fertile volcanic soils of this extinct caldera. Depending on the time of year, they may be sowing or harvesting corn, bean, and other produce. After gaining the crater rim on the other side, the path zig zags down a steep decline into the Paul Valley. The views are simply stunning; a hazy blue mountain scape and the green valley below. You’ll walk through terraces of banana, almond and mango trees. The aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans wafts up from the little hamlets as you head down to the coast. Enjoy a dinner of fresh fish and sample a glass of the local sugar-cane grogue, whilst watching the sun go down.

The valleys in this whole area are absolutely breath-taking, so we’ve also included a walk in Cha das Pedras and Cha d’Igreja valley. You’ll follow small winding paths, often a little exposed, through mountain sides scattered with little houses. Your luggage will be transferred from point to point, so you will only carry a small rucksack. Your final walk takes you along to coast to Ponto do Sol, swapping steep green valleys for a refreshing coastal breeze!

You’ll return to Mindelo and can enjoy some more time relaxing on the beach at the harbour. Or perhaps you will choose to fly out to one of Cape Verdes other islands. The choice is yours and we’re always here to give you our first hand advice, so that we can build the perfect holiday itinerary for you.

Jake and Max are our destination specialists for Cape Verde. Get in touch if you would like to talk through your options:

📞Call Us: 017687 21030

💻Email: team@archipelagochoice.com

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