|
Tropical Trails of Cape Verde
African Island Hopping
 Off the western coast of Africa, there is a group of islands that offer an eclectic mixture of African culture with a European flavour. Cape Verde (the green or verdant cape) is an archipelago of ten islands, which were settled by the Portuguese and their slaves from the fifteenth century. You will find many of the towns and villages reflect this in their architectural style, but you will also find African culture here that reflects the mainland: fishing, coffee and citrus fruit growing. The different islands offer a magnificent set of landscapes; some are mountainous, some flat and sandy. The climate is sunny throughout the year with a temperature range of 21C - 31C, (water temperatures 22C - 27C), but it is rarely too hot for walking as the heat is usually tempered by sea breezes.
This is an easy going walking and sightseeing tour based on three islands, Sal, Santo Antao and Sao Vicente, with the option of extending your visit by a couple of days to make use of 2-week flight schedules, for an even more relaxing stay.
Fly to the island of Sal for your first night, then take a local flight to Mindelo for a night on the island of São Vicente. This is a small old Portuguese colonial city in a magnificent bay, and famed for its music. Cross the island by vehicle via the central oasis to walk in the petrified lava fields of the coast of Praia Grande. Next day take the boat for Porto Novo, an animated coastal town on the southern side of Santo Antão island and on to Ribeira das Patas on the desert like southwestern part of the island. Walk in canyon landscapes, volcanic peaks and hamlets. Then you cross the mountains to the village of Alto Mira and walk down the Alto Mira Valley to the sea, an isolated valley with hamlets and tropical culture. Transfer back from Ribeira da Cruz to Porto Novo. There follows a walk in Cova crater bordered by pines and mimosas with a spectacular descent into the valleys on its northern side. Then transfer to Pinhao and stroll around small valleys perched above the ocean. The next walk is a climb up to the luxuriant Ribeira of Paul, hamlets, terraces of banana trees and sugar canes, "rum distilleries", basaltic cliffs. Then there is a balcony trail above the sea along the spectacular coast to the perched village of Fontainhas and fishing village of Cruzhinha. The next morning you will be driven along the spectacular ‘Road of the Cord’; a colonial cobbled road that winds through the mountains of the island. You then take the boat back for Mindelo for a night before flying back to Sal for a final night in Santa Maria, before flying home.
|
Accommodation
11
nights/12 days -1st and last night at Santa Maria in Sal at a small modern hotel but built in Colonial style. It is 200 metres from a large white sandy beach. 2 nights are spent at a family run hotel in
Mindelo with a wonderful terrace, bar and restaurant providing a view over the bay. On St. Antao Island 3 nights are at
Ponta do Sol, another small family hotel on the ocean front. 2 nights are at a coastal hotel in Porta Nova and 2 nights are in a hotel in the countryside of
Ribeira Grande Pedracin in traditionally built cottages with pool and gardens. Note that depending upon availability, alternative similar hotels may be used.
Sherpa
Notes
Accommodation &
Meals
European style standard category hotels, double occupancy with private facilities. 11 breakfasts, 7 picnics prepared by hotels, 6 dinners and 1 lunch (main course and dessert) in the hotels.
Way Marks
It is necessary to follow the route descriptions provided together with the maps
|
vacations
|
