Hiking in Cape Verde

Upon arrival at the island of São Vicente, you are met at the airport and driven to your accommodation in Mindelo, Cape Verde's cultural heart. Take a walk through the colonial old town or along the palm-lined bay, chat with the hospitable locals and soak up the colourful atmosphere. If you arrive in the morning or have chosen extra nights in Mindelo, you can add an initial hiking tour to Calhau or a guided city walk in Mindelo.

Get more out of São Vicente with one or more optional excursions: a colourful guided city walk in Mindelo, a tour across the island and a hike between the impressive Praia Grande beach and the fishing village of Calhau. Read more below and add these when booking.

Transfer to the port of Mindelo and ferry crossing to Santo Antão, a roughly 1-hour crossing between Porto Grande and Porto Novo. The atmosphere on board is lively with locals getting on and off. Upon arrival, a taxi transfer follows to Ribeira das Patas. Today's first hike goes through a canyon and further upwards towards mountain ridges with impressive basalt pillars. The path winds between green oases and lava walls that can reach several metres in height. Descent into the lively valley of Ribeira Alta. You pass terraces with sugar cane and banana plants and small green oases. After the hike, transfer back to Ribeira das Patas for the evening and overnight stay.

Short transfer to the starting point of one of the island's most beautiful hikes – a very barren landscape where an impressive old cobbled serpentine road leads up to the top and offers great views over the valley and São Vicente. This is likely to be one of the trip's strongest experiences – but also one of the most demanding days. Via Curral das Vacas you finally reach your accommodation on foot.

Check-out and transfer up to the upper parts of Santo Antão. Today's hike begins at the impressive Cova crater, where the extinct volcano is today filled with a patchwork of tropical crops. You first follow the crater rim among pines and eucalyptus before the trail crosses the crater and reaches the mountain pass. From here, a stunning view opens up over the lush Paul valley and the Atlantic far below. The trade winds are caught by the mountainsides and give the valley its unique greenery.

Then a long and enjoyable descent awaits on the classic cobbled trail, which winds down through the mountainside in tight serpentines. During the hike, the forest is gradually replaced by terraced crops of sugar cane, coffee and other crops. When you reach the valley floor, you can choose to walk directly to your accommodation or extend the hike through the cultivated landscape to the traditional bar O Curral. Here you can take a break and taste local specialities (paid on site) before continuing on foot to your accommodation.

Short transfer down into the valley to start today's hike – one of the greenest on the whole island. The path goes through small villages and terraced plantations of sugar cane, bananas and coffee trees. Up on the Pico Antonia mountain ridge, you get to admire the view over the Paul valley from another angle. Along the way, you can try a glass of local liqueur, a speciality of Santo Antão. When you reach Chã de João Vaz, a stop at Bar O'Curral is also recommended to taste fresh goat cheese with herbs.

Today is Santo Antão's finest coastal hike. First you get a transfer to Ponta do Sol on the north coast. From there you follow a spectacular path carved into the cliff face all the way to the village of Corvo and further along the coast past abandoned villages. Just before Cruzinha you pass a beautiful black sand beach, but swimming is prohibited due to strong currents. Transfer back to Ponta do Sol where you are lulled to sleep by the sound of the sea.

Short transfer to Coculi, the starting point of today's hike in the magnificent Ribeira Grande valley. You walk through terraced plantations and colourful gardens with banana trees, mango trees, sweet potatoes, guava and coffee trees. For lunch, Augusta, who lives in the small village of João Alfonso, prepares the traditional Cape Verdean dish cachupa for you. After lunch, you continue through the valley and get a transfer to Porto Novo and the ferry back to Mindelo on São Vicente.

Some destinations are harder to say goodbye to than others. Cape Verde tends to leave an indelible impression on its visitors. Today you leave the island nation to travel home to Europe again, unless you choose an extra night or perhaps an extension with sun and swimming on one of the more easterly islands.