Trekking in Santo Antão

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 | 4h 15| 8.2 km – 5  miles  | elevation: + 700m / - 320m
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: + 1020 m/-1280m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Xoxo -  Important note : No upgrade option available in this area

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: + 1100m / - 100m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Espongeiro - Important note : No upgrade option available in this area

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: + 200m / - 1200m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , 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 | 5h45 | 16 km - 10 miles | Elevation : +800m/-900m
Meals included : breakfast, picnic , dinner
Night : Cha de Igreja (Simple version) or Boca de Coruja (Comfort version)

Morning transfer to the port of Porto Novo via the panoramic road "Estrada da Corda". This paved road, built by hand, stone by stone for nearly 30 years, crosses the island, rising in a multitude of bends to reach an altitude of nearly 1 000 metres, before descending towards the coast. The views and the peaks are breathtaking! Return ferry to Mindelo and enjoy your afternoon in the city.

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