Visiting Cape Verde’s smaller islands, Fogo and Brava, is an adventure. Visitors often take them in together because of the proximity. Getting there from the capital however means a trek. On a previous trip to Cape Verde, we went to Fogo only and ran out of time. Since we felt there was much more to see on Fogo and we had heard excellent things about Brava, we decided to include these two gems in our recent trip.
We spent four days on Fogo and Brava islands. This was just enough to cover the highlights. If you can, I would recommend taking another day on each island. The big dependency for us was the schedule for the ferry and domestic plane. We were travelling onward to attend a wedding and did not have a lot of flexibility. Plus, we needed to include a buffer in case of the weather turning bad, leading to cancellations (this happens regularly).
DAY 1 – 2: VISITING FOGO ISLAND
TO THE CALDERA
The main purpose of our second visit to Fogo was to climb the Pico de Fogo. With 2829m of elevation this is the highest point of Cape Verde. Pico de Fogo classifies as an ultra-prominent peak, making it a very distinct feature in the landscape. Pico de Fogo is a VERY active volcano. Its last eruption dates from 2015 and completely wiped away the villages in the caldera. It was impressive to see how quickly they are being rebuild and life in the crater is picking up again.
The flight from Praia was short and easy. We had booked a car upfront to take us to our guesthouse. From the first visit, we knew that the drive was long, but also very pretty with lots of good viewpoints. If you want to save some money on transportation though, finding a collectivo (shared taxi) is not a problem at the airport.
In order to maximise chances of a pretty sunrise with view of the volcano and to make most of the cooler morning, we had booked guesthouse Casa Alcindo in Chã das Caldeiras, right at the foot of the mountain. This turned out to be an excellent choice. French owner Laetitia was very friendly and the room had all the comfort one could expect. Additionally, the dinner was simply succulent. Of course, we paired it with a glass of Fogo wine (the grapes are grown in the caldera). We did not make as much use of the facilities as we would have liked to as we wanted to maximise sleep and start walking at 0600.
HIKING THE VOLCANO – PICO DE FOGO
It was still dark when we met our guide Nezito outside the guesthouse (any accommodation will be able to help you organise a guide). We could make out the looming Pico de Fogo as we set off for the walk. A few people have asked me if you really need a guide to climb the Pico. Yes, you do. The mountain is covered with loose, slippery scree. On most days there is a strong buffeting wind that can become dangerous if you are too exposed. Having the local knowledge of a guide is essential to get you up the mountain safely. Additionally, I don’t think on my own I would even have found the via ferrata that take you along the final stretch to the top.
As we approached the crater rim, the smell of sulphur became more distinct and we could see smoke down in the crater. The weather was not completely clear on the day of our walk, but still we got to enjoy impressive views down in the valley.
HIKING THE VOLCANO – DESCENT VIA SMALL CRATER
Instead of taking the same way down and returning to the guesthouse, we descended via another route. This includes a scree slope of close to 600m long. That descent was the best scree run I have ever done, which is another reason I was glad we had Nezito to show us the best way to enjoy it. At the end of the slope, we stopped to admire the “small crater” as locals call it. This is a new crater dating from the 2015 eruption. You can still feel the heat and can see smoke arising from the ground. From here, a gentle slope took us back to the road by lunchtime. By the time we finished our picknick, the driver to take us back to São Filipe, the main town of Fogo, had arrived.
SAO FILIPE & THE COLONIAL GUESTHOUSE
We had booked one more night on Fogo for two reasons: we were keen to explore some of the hiking paths outside the caldera and we were even more keen to return to the Colonial Guesthouse, the lovely hotel where we had stayed on our previous trip. Owners Vincent and Luisa have restored one of the old Portuguese houses in São Filipe to its original state, complete with original materials and furniture. Not only it is a masterpiece, it is also an excellent hotel.
We used the afternoon to unwind by the pool. Once the sun started to set, we headed into town to explore the old houses and shops. São Filipe is the perfect place to pick up a couple of bottles of Fogo wine to take home. I’m convinced you can taste the volcano in it! Another local product to try is the Fogo coffee. The best place to try and buy is Dja’r Fogo (creole for Fogo Island), a small shop that sells various local products. Enjoy a coffee on the patio, whilst chatting with owner Agnelo (who recognized me from our 2015 visit!). We ended the evening with a Senegalese dinner at Pipi’s Guesthouse.
A RIBEIRA HIKE TO SALINAS
For the next day’s walk, we decided on a classic Cape Verdean ribeira walk. We hired a car to drop us off at Ribeira Filipe, about an hour’s drive from São Filipe. First we climbed Monte Preto one of the small, ancient volcanos in the area, to get a good view over the ribeira. We then descended down to Salinas. This place is popular with visitors because it is one of the few place where you can swim in relative safety. A naturally enclosed bay forms a place where the sea is a bit quieter and you can go for a swim. We ate lunch on the beach before returning to the Colonial Guesthouse. We spent another couple of relaxed hours at the pool and packed our luggage for our next stop – Brava island.
DAY 3 – 4: VISITING BRAVA ISLAND
A ROUGH FERRY CROSSING
The trip from Fogo to Brava was not a very pleasant experience. The only way to travel between the island is a 30 mins crossing on the fast ferry. The boat (which came from Praia) was two hours late. Moreover, we realised only just before boarding that we could not buy a ticket on spec (like we had done for other Cape Verdean ferry). Instead you have to buy tickets from an office in town. Thankfully, we met a small group on a press trip with a Portuguese speaking guide. Thanks to his convincing chat with the captain, we were allowed to board and pay for our ticket in the office at the other end. Off to Brava we went, on a very rough sea. I gratefully accepted a sick bags, but thankfully didn’t need it.
Upon arrival, a collectivo took us from port town Furna to Vila Nova Sintra, also referred to as Sintra, the main town on the middle of the island. Sintra is undoubtedly the prettiest town of Cape Verde: well-maintained colonial housed line the streets and the style is quite different from other towns.
We checked in Hotel Pousada and went straight to bed. Exceptionally, we had two nights in this accommodation and that was very relaxed. It had been a very cheap option (there is not a lot of choice on Brava), but the value for money turned out great. The room was small and simple, with friendly staff and a hearty breakfast more than making up for that.
HIKING THE HIGHLIGHTS
We had one full day on Brava to see the highlights and it was not enough. After getting up rather late, owing to the late arrival, we started the day with several jobs to do. Notably we had to buy the return ticket for the ferry in the local office. Once we had the ticket, we decided on a walk that would allow us to see the highlights of the island. There are two things not to miss. Firstly, a hike up Monte Fontainhas, the highest point of the island and located more or less in the middle, will give you an excellent 360 degrees view of “the garden of Cape Verde”. With 976m of elevation and decent farmers’ paths leading up, this is an easy hike.
Second, walk down to sea level to the natural swimming pools of Fajã de Agua. The name sounds more amazing than the reality. The rockpools, sheltered from the open sea, are shallow and not really suitable for a good swim. That said, they still look beautiful and are a good place to dip into the salty water. If you don’t fancy walking all the way, you can take a collectivo or hire a taxi to take you from Sintra down to the sea.
From Fajã de Agua we took that collectivo back to Sintra. After a quick fish dinner, we headed to the community hall to watch the performance of a local band. This was part of the “Sete Sóis Sete Luas” festival organised by the tour leader who helped us out with the ferry tickets and kindly invited us.
FERRY TO PRAIA
The next day was a travel day. This can often feel like a lost day, but I was looking forward to the ferry trip, despite the experience from two days ago, and the opportunity to have a rest and sort out photos. We got up for an early breakfast and the hotel shuttle took us back to Furna for the 0800 ferry. We were extremely lucky as the crossing to Fogo and then onward to Praia was very calm. The trip takes around five hours, but the boat spends quite a lot of time loading and unloading in the dock at Fogo. This means we were only really at sea for around three hours.
Check my other blog posts about Cape Verde for more information on getting around and expert island hopping.
