Santo Antão, the great crossing

Transfer to the port of Mindelo. Board the ferry for the famous crossing between Porto Grande, the main port on the island of São Vicente, and Porto Novo, on the island of Santo Antão. You will be swept up in the hustle and bustle of the locals when you embark and disembark! Transfer to Vila das Pombas, a peaceful, flower-filled seaside village that also marks the entrance to the prosperous and lush Paul Valley, which you will discover on foot. After a short transfer, you'll discover this valley, where water flows continuously - a rare occurrence in Cape Verde - enabling a wide range of crops to thrive including manioc, sweet potatoes, bananas and sugar cane. Reputed to be one of the best in the country, Santo Antão's grog is partly made in this valley, and along the way you'll come across a number of traditional factories, the trapiches (in operation from January to June), where you can enjoy a refreshing drink. Taxi transfer to Vila das Pombas.

Walk : Vila das Pombas > Pico do Antonio > Cha de Joao Vaz | 6h | 8.2 km – 5  miles  | elevation: + 650m / - 400m
Meals included: breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Vila das Pombas

Short transfer to the end of the road in the Paul valley. You take a path that gradually rises to the pass. From the pass, the view takes in the whole of the Paul valley and the floor of the Cova crater, carpeted with a mosaic of crops. The trail from the crater to the Ribeira da Torre is breathtaking: first you pass through humid forests of eucalyptus and mimosa, then you reach ridge paths offering grandiose panoramas of sharp peaks and rocky promontories. The gradient is dizzying, before easing off to return to the terraced farmland as far as Xoxo, where you will find your guest house.

Walk : Cha Manuel dos Santos > Cova Crater > Xoxo | 5h30 | 12km - 7.5  miles  | elevation: + 900 m/-1155m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Xoxo

Leave the guesthouse on foot along a paved path winding through fields of sugar cane and levadas. You then begin a slow ascent to the high plateau. The views over the valley are impressive, before you return to the forested areas of the previous day and your next stop, a family home in Espongeiros.

Walk : Xoxo > Losna > Espongeiro | 5h00 |6.5 km - 3.8 miles | elevation: + 1000m / - 100m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Espongeiro

Today's route will take you through the central valleys of Ribeira Grande. Starting from Espongeiros, you will first skirt the Lagoa plateau, planted with pine trees. Then, you begin a magnificent descent along a path offering spectacular views: deep valleys, volcanic peaks and steep, jagged cliffs... The rugged terrain is softened in the heart of the valley by the terraced farming. Transfer to Ponta do Sol, a fishing village and once the island's thriving port. Settle in for the night in Ponta do Sol.

Walk : Espongeiro > Caibros | 5h00 | 15 km - 9.3 miles | elevation: + 100m / - 1100m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic lunch, dinner
Night : Ponta do Sol

From the village, you set off on one of the most beautiful and majestic hiking trails on the island: the small, paved road leads up to Fontainhas, a colourful, tiered village nestling among tiny, cultivated terraces. Continue along a high path above the blue waters, passing through the two villages of Corvo and Forminguinhas, then the abandoned hamlet of Aranhas. Arrive at the small fishing village of Cruzinha da Garça and continue to your accommodation nearby the flower-filled village of Cha de Igreja.

Walk : Ponta do Sol > Fontainhas > Cruzinha > Cha de Igreja | 6h | 16 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +750m/-750m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Cha de Igreja

Today is a day of leisure before starting the 2nd, more physical part of the trek. Enjoy your charming guest house with a flower garden and swimming pool.

Meals included : breakfast,  dinner
Night : Cha de Igreja

Discover the island's most isolated coastal valleys. An impressive itinerary in an incredibly mineral world. After walking along a narrow strip of pebbles between the sea and the mountains to reach a canyon, you follow a remarkable winding paved path to cross a pass and then descend into the isolated Ribeira Alta valley. You continue eastwards, from ribeira to ribeira, with spectacular views of the ocean and the rugged mountains. The higher you go, the more isolated the villages become. It is in one of these villages that your host welcomes you for the night in their house.

Walk :  Cha de Igreja > Ribeira Alta > Figueiras Valley | 6h30 | 16 km - 10 miles | elevation: + 1170m / - 800m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Figueiras Valley, family home with shared bathroom

You leave this lively and charming village and return to the peace and quiet of the mule paths. After a winding canyon, you reach the magnificent Alto Mira valley, a deep valley, surrounded by imposing mountains from which water flows to reach the levadas. These small irrigation channels are used to water the abundance of terraced plantations that thrive this fertile valley. Along the way, you'll discover a trapiche, where rum is traditionally made. Settle into a family guesthouse with a magnificent panorama of the gorges and mountain cirques.

Walk :  Figueiras de Baixo > Alto Mira | 6h30 | 17 km - 10.5 miles  | elevation: + 1100m / - 600m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Alto Mira, possibility of shared bathroom

Meet your local English-speaking guide for the last part of the trek to Tarrafal (3 days from D9 to D11 included):  After a short transfer, a superb winding road takes us up the steep foothills to reach the Norte plateau (1500 m). You pass from prosperous valleys to desert expanses: the lunar landscapes offer an incredible contrast! This high plateau is dominated by the Tope de Coroa volcano (1980 m), where the earth is red and grey and mingles with the lava fields... life here is harsh and the habitat scattered. Optional: you can climb Tope de Coroa, Santo Antão's highest peak, from Cha de Feijoal and back. From the summit, it's a succession of viewpoints: volcanic craters, steep slopes plunging into the ocean, Tarrafal Bay (your stopover for the next few days) and the island of São Vicente, on a clear day.

Walk : Cha de morte > Norte Plateau > Cha de Feijoal | 5h30 | 7.5  km - 4.3 miles  | elevation  : + 800 m / - 200 m
With the summit option: + 2h30 walk. M: 650 -D: 650 m
Meals included : breakfast, pic nic lunch, dinner
Night : Cha de Feijoal, family home with shared bathroom

Important: Prepare a small overnight bag for the following day, as excess luggage will be transferred directly to Tarrafal de Monte Trigo.  You will collect your luggage on the evening of D11 in Tarrafal.

This morning you set off on a beautiful day's descent to ocean. You will make your way through one of the most isolated and arid areas of the island before returning to the ocean and the village of Monte Trigo. Only accessible on foot or by boat, this small fishing village at the end of the world dominated by the Tope de Coroa will be the finishing point.

Walk : Cha de Feijoal > Monte Trigo | 6h00 | 20 km - 12.42 miles | elevation  + 150 m / – 1500 m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Monte Trigo, possibility of shared bathroom

On this final stage, you will travel from the village of Monte Trigo to Tarrafal along a coastal path overlooking the ocean.  You arrive in the bay of Tarrafal. With its small fishing village and magnificent black sandy beach sheltered from the strong winds, it's a haven of peace that has retained all its charm and where time has stood still! Its history dates back to the time when steamers came here to draw water to supply the town of Mindelo. Today, people come here for the authenticity and tranquillity of the place, its superb beach of fine black sand and its peaceful waters. Check in for two nights. End of the local guide's services in Tarrafal in the evening.

Walk : Monte Trigo >Tarrafal | 3h30 | 11 km - 6.8 miles | elevation  + 600 m / – 600 m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic
Night : Tarrafal

Free day to relax. This small village of farmers and fishermen is the ideal place to recharge your batteries after a fun packed adventure on Santo Antão. The local fishermen will no doubt offer you a spot of fishing, unless you prefer to go snorkelling.

Meals included : breakfast 
Night : Tarrafal

Free morning to enjoy a little more of this haven of peace, swimming and relaxing. In the early afternoon, transfer to the port of Porto Novo and then boat to Mindelo. After the cobbled road and a bumpy, dusty mountain track, Mindelo will seem bubbling with life! 

Meals included : breakfast 
Night : Mindelo

Depending on your return flight time, transfer to the airport for your return flight in the middle of the day or at night. If your flight is scheduled for the night, the day will be free in Mindelo (day-use room, meals and optional activities on request).

Meals included : breakfast