Cape Verde - A hiking dream

This small island nation makes itself heard. From the thundering ocean to the trade winds rustling in the banana leaves to the ever-present music: melancholic morna, lively funaná, guitar players in the bars and melodies flowing from courtyards and cars.
And suddenly it becomes quiet. You stand high above a dramatic valley surrounded by nature scarred by ancient volcanism, like a tropical Iceland. The creation myth tells that the islands were formed from the crumbs that God brushed from his fingers after the hard work of creating the universe.

Cape Verde is both an old colony and not. The Portuguese found the islands uninhabited in 1458. After a dark period as a stopover for the slave trade, the Cape Verdean people were formed by free Africans, fleeing Jews and settlers from Portugal and the rest of Europe. Both the culture and language are creole - but Portuguese is also spoken. Independence was achieved in 1975.

There are no direct flights to paradise, as they say, and the same is true for the hiking island Santo Antão. There is no airport here, but you can easily fly from Lisbon to the neighboring island São Vicente. The small capital Mindelo's pastel colors - noble blue, lime green, candy pink - compete for attention with fishermen, children, lazy cats and conspicuously dressed street vendors.
The next day you take the ferry to Santo Antão shoulder to shoulder with the local population. Vale do Paul is Cape Verde at its greenest and overflowing with sugar cane, bananas, yams and mango. Nothing is flat, everything is angled and rugged and yet the villages cling on. If you haven't visited Machu Picchu, it's hardly needed after these views.
 

The walking visitor is rewarded with surprisingly small water holes here and there. O Curral is a place along the trail that offers fresh-pressed juice, cheese and grogue (the pirate favorite sugar cane rum). Others have no menu but you eat what is offered for the day. The lucky one also gets the chance to experience some home cooking - homemade food prepared and enjoyed in a Cape Verdean home. You can't get closer to the destination than that.

Hiking in Cape Verde is not just an activity for privileged tourists. Many villages lack roads and the fact that the trails are in such surprisingly good condition is because they are used daily as transport routes. Many wonder about the heat - the mercury usually stays around 26 degrees with strong sun but also wind. It's warm but not unbearable in any way. Take plenty of sun protection, drink like a camel and above all take it easy. Cape Verde should be enjoyed at a slow pace anyway.

Cape Verde is certainly exotic and yet so easy to get to. The flights via Portugal work and complete hiking packages with accommodation, transport and meals are available. A way to be truly adventurous without making it difficult for yourself!