Cape Verde Island Hopping

This morning we explore Praia, the largest city in Cape Verde and capital, on a guided walking tour. We’ll see the old historic buildings such as the Presidential Palace, City Hall and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Graca in an area of the city known as the Plato. The statue of Diogo Gomes stares out to sea, reminding us of the European explorer who first made mention of these islands in 1460.

Following a drive through pleasant countryside, we start our afternoon walk. We start above the Salineiro Valley where we descend a rocky sandstone path to the valley floor. Once in the valley we follow paths which run along the river bed, through small villages and fertile terraces where we’ll see tropical fruits growing and small sugar cane plantations. The sugar cane is used to make ‘grogue’, a local drink which offers more punch than taste, which some distillers mix with honey or fruit syrup.

Lunch is at a seafront restaurant in Cidade Velha, after which we visit the old fortress. Cidade Velha stands on the site of the oldest settlement in Cape Verde, Ribeira Grande. It was classified as one of the Seven Wonders of Portuguese Origin. Distance: 3miles (5km) with 650 feet (198m) of descent.

We start the day with a visit to Assomada and its lively West African style market with its smells, noise and mesmerising colours. We may do this visit later in the day, depending on local conditions.

We continue to the entrance of the Serra Malagueta National Park, where we walk through recently planted reforestation projects and down into the Gon Gon valley to the village of Hortelão. The path is easy to follow, though there are a few steeper sandy sections. The trail takes us through small villages, tropical fruit orchards and the odd ‘grogue’ distillery. Look out for grey headed kingfishers on this walk.

Distance: 6½ miles (10½km) with 700 feet (213m) of ascent and 3,300 feet (1,000m) of descent.

After a journey of about an hour we start our walk to ascend to the summit of Pico Antonio, the highest mountain on Santiago at 4,560ft (1,392m). There are several routes which reach the top, but we usually take the same route up and down.

This is an optional walk; it can be challenging for some and the ascent to the summit is quite steep. Distance: 6 miles (9½km) with 2,300 feet (700m) of ascent. Please note, this walk is just outside the holiday’s general level 3 parameter and is a low level 4.

An extra local guide will offer an alternative easier walk which descends on forest trails through native bush and reforestation projects to the village of São Jorge. The village has several cafés and bars where you can purchase refreshments.

Distance: 5 miles (8km) with 1,300 feet (396m) of descent.

Today we fly to São Vicente where we’ll discover Mindelo on a guided walking tour. Mindelo is the jewel of this island, with a cosmopolitan atmosphere and a vibrant cultural scene. With its sheltered deep port, the British installed a coal station in 1838 which supplied ships from all around the world, leading to the town’s prosperity. On our tour we’ll see influences from the British and the Portuguese in the Governor’s Palace, the City Hall and the replica of the Belem Tower in Lisbon. We'll then take the ferry from São Vicente to the neighbouring island of Santo Antão (1 hour crossing).

We begin our day with a scenic drive to the start of our walk overlooking the Cova da Paul - a volcano whose caldera is situated at the centre of steep cliffs at over 4,600 feet (1,400m). Our walk descends on a cobbled switchback track through fertile plantations into the Paul Valley, from which we'll continue to our hotel.

Distance: 6 miles (9½km) with 800 feet (240m) of ascent and 3,600 feet (1,100m) of descent.

Today we fully appreciate our surroundings as we walk from the valley of Pinhao to Lomba Branco. We’ll traverse through several valleys and pass a deserted village before the final short steep ascent to Lomba Branco. Distance: 5 miles (8km) with 1,050 feet (320m) of ascent.

This walk is quite challenging, so an easier option with a second local guide will be available. We’ll walk from the valley of Cha de Pedras to the village of Coculi. We traverse between valleys on relatively easy cobbled paths through sugar cane plantations, farms and villages. We pass a grogue distillery and have the opportunity to sample and purchase locally made preserves. We finish our walk by descending on a small cobbled road to the main valley. It’s also possible for the walk to be extended by walking back up the valley to the hotel.

Distance: 5½ miles (9km) with 985 feet (300m) of ascent and 1,640 feet (500m) of descent.

Today we walk the lesser known northwest part of Santo Antão. The walk takes us from the remote village of Alto Mira III to Cha da Morte and is interesting because of its impressive and varied rock formations and micro-climatic variations which affect certain parts of Santo Antão.

Distance: 4 miles (6½km) with 1,200 feet (370m) of ascent and 1,650 feet (500m) of descent.

Today we walk from our hotel to the beautiful village of Cha de Igreja in the next valley. We walk along a road on the left-hand side of the Riberia Grande for about half an hour and cross the dry river bed to a small path up the right (north) side of the valley. The path is steep, and zig zags its way up the saddle at 830m. You might spot Egyptian vultures.

From here it’s a hard descent on a cobbled path to the edge of the remote village of Selada do Mocho. We continue until we reach the dry river bed of Ribeira Garca, where we can see the small village of Cha de Igreja on a promontory of land above us. A short but steep path leads to the village.

Distance: 7½ miles (12km) with 2,000 feet (620m) of ascent and 2,200 feet (700m) of descent.

A more relaxed option is also possible: walking from the hotel, ascend through maize and sugar cane fields to the ridge visible from the hotel’s terrace before descending on cobbled tracks to the village of Cha de Pedras, seen earlier in the week.

A spectacular coastal walk today as we start from the fishing village of Cruzinha. We follow a dramatic coastal path which contours around to the village of Fontainhas and the former capital of Santo Antão, Ponta do Sol.

This is an undulating walk, with one sustained uphill stretch just before reaching Fontainhas. There is an option to finish here if you don’t want to continue all the way to Ponta do Sol.

Distance: 9½ miles (15km) with 2,150 feet (655m) of ascent.

Today we take the ferry back to São Vicente and to Mindelo where we have an optional last walk and the rest of the day at leisure to relax or explore this vibrant cultural centre of the islands.

Transfer to the airport for the return flight from Sao Vicente via Lisbon back to London.