An hour’s boat ride from Sao Vicente takes you to the remote island of Santo Antão, considered the granary of Cape Verde, along with the island of Santiago. Imperious mountains jagged into gorges and canyons, arid lunar landscapes alternating with green valleys cultivated in terraces, cobbled paths climbing between small villages perched on steep sides, characterise one of Cape Verde’s most surprising natural environments, on the most fertile island in the whole archipelago.
A trekking paradise, Santo Antão surprises with its alternation of arid areas in the south and green valleys in the north, in a surreal landscape dominated by a mountain range that reaches 1979 metres at the peak of Tope Coroa. Trails wind through gorges and canyons, past sugar cane and banana plantations, through forests of giant ferns, cedars and pines. Miraculous streams flow from the peaks all year round, diverted by a system of channels into large cisterns, reservoirs that are essential for irrigating the crops and terraces during the driest months. Gorges, crevasses and volcanic peaks eroded into bizarre shapes surround the small villages that can only be reached on foot or by juvitas wooden carts, along tiny wild paths or paths carved in local stone, finely carved to create a mosaic. The island, inhabited since the 16th century due to its favourable climate and the presence of fertile, irrigated land, lives mainly from agriculture and stockbreeding, while fishing is practised marginally in the small ports of Tarrafal, Janela, Sinagoga (due to the presence in the past of Portuguese Jews in exile) or Porto Novo, which is also the island’s main port. Beaches, given the impervious morphology, are sporadic, including Praia Formosa and Praia da Pedrinha.
But you don’t come to Santo Antão in search of beaches. The true essence of the island is to be found inland, among the traditional villages and terraced fields that dot the mountains and hills. It is a unique experience to travel along the internal stone road that crosses the mountains between Porto Novo and Ribeira Grande, known as the Estrada Corda, with its ups and downs, hairpin bends and overhangs with breathtaking views, at first over barren, arid and lunar landscapes, and then through the fresh mountain vegetation, before descending again steeply through the irrigated valleys of the northern side, where the largest number of villages, also built in stone, are concentrated. Among the hills and ancient craters of Concelho do Paul and Fontainhas, agricultural traditions are still alive and can be felt as you walk through the houses and estates. There are goat herds where excellent cheese is made by hand, sugar cane fields for the artisanal extraction of grogue distillate and tamarind poncho through oxen-powered mills and ancient stills, plantations of local coffee with a unique aroma, and forests of eucalyptus, mangoes and papayas. Among the most evocative routes are the path leading to the Cova crater, where rainwater has formed natural basins, amidst scenery and steep slopes that are only traversed by a few donkeys carrying barrels of water. Everywhere there is a welcome and the smiles of a hospitable and friendly population who will be proud to share and let you discover their culture and traditions.
