Cape Verde Islands Roundtrip

Arrive in time for embarkation of the Le Ponant this evening. Settle into your luxurious cabin and prepare for a stunning African small ship cruise.

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Impressive, almost untouched mountain scenery, the quaint likable capital of "Ribeira Brava", friendly residents, lively traditions - that's Sao Nicolau. Being widely unaffected by tourism, this island has maintained its authenticity and offers tranquility, a recipe for an unforgettable tour.

From the harbour town of Tarrafal the road leads up to the agricultural high plateau area of "Faja" where you will stop twice for photo stops. Arriving in the small and very neat town of Ribeira Brava, you will be dropped off in the main square. Walking through the small and colorful streets, you will visit the local vegetable market, the statue of Baltazar Lopes, one of the famous writers of the country who is originally from S. Nicolau before you have a coffee break in an open-air restaurant. Enjoy the live music together with a cup of local coffee and capeverdean sweet pastries mostly made of corn & manioc flour. A 10-minute walk after your coffee-break will take you to the old “seminario” - an ancient convent which was the bedrock of Cape Verdean intellect in the 19th century.

On the way back to Tarrafal, you will take a beautiful detour through an almost hidden valley where, in front of a church, you will discover a traditional Mazurka and Square Dance Group.

San Nicolau is not only the island of origin of these 'imported' dances - it is one of the only places that preserves this tradition. On your way back to the ship you will feel privileged to have been able to explore this charming island with its traditional soul.

Mindelo, on the island of Sao Vicente, is both the cultural capital and the liveliest town in all Cape Verde. A superb panorama over Mindelo Bay will allow you to overlook the city with its beautiful houses in pastel colors and the buildings in the colonial Portuguese style.

Start your day of Canary Island touring with a panoramic drive along the breathtaking coast to the greenest, almost tropical valley on the archipelago the Paúl valley. Here you will start your moderate hike through splendid nature and through different plantations. This valley is another main provider of the archipelago’s produce which includes bananas, potatoes, lettuce, papaya, mangos and breadfruit. In the middle of this peaceful scenery take a rest to enjoy some of the fresh fruit that you can readily find in this valley! No visit would be complete if there wasn’t a grogue tasting!

Continuing on the coast through the towns of Ribeira Grande and Ponta do Sol make your way to the romantic mountain village called “Fontainhas.” Fontainhas is a small and colorful village along the North-Western coast close to Ponta do Sol. The town seems to cling onto the mountains which overlook the spectacular coastline. Here you will have a break and take pictures of this special place and enjoy a salty appetizer.

Along the incredible and breathtaking coastline, make your way towards to the fishing village of Ponta do Sol. Here you will enjoy a two course lunch (main course and desert).

Your way back to the cruise leads you briefly through the town of Ribeira Grande before making your way along the former trading route where you will have spectacular views into different valleys, and formations of the volcanic mountains. One of the highlights of this road is the view into the Cova crater which is the birthplace of this island. Today, the rich soil found in the former crater is perfect for farming and the crater floor is spotted with different types of agriculture including corn. After making your way over the mountain ridge begin your decent onto the other side of the island and back to the cruise. Although the dryness is a great contrast to the spectacular lushness which you discovered today, none the less it is still beautiful.

It is just because it is 10 times smaller, that Brava cannot compete with Madeira for the title “pearl of the Atlantic”, but Brava joins the same enchanting landscapes with memorable visits.

Discover the magic and mystery of this island: majestic cliffs, hidden valleys covered with green, jasmine, hibiscus, and bougainvillea.

Brava, despite its isolation, has an enormous contribution in the history of the country's development being the residence island of the governors in former times and becoming the starting point for emigrants embarking on American Whalers. The isolation of Brava hindered its development in the villages but at the same time also preserved its quaint colonial architecture. The island has also given birth to one of the most respected Cape Verdean writers, it has also transformed the 'morna' (melancholic music about emigration), the Cape Verdean music style that Cesaria Evora later revealed to the world.

You will drive up the curvy road to approximately 600 m altitude where 'Vila Nova Sintra' the island's capital surveys over the harbour of Furna. This town that you will visit, is a sequence of small little houses neatly painted in white with tiled red roofs, square wooden windows and flowers on the window sill. Old colonial houses that are wildly mixed into this picture give this town a sense of pure elegance. You will understand the melancholy of the island due to its isolation by listening to a “morna” composed by Eugenio Tavares (1867-1930), one of the most famous writers and poets of the country who is originally from Brava. Continuing your journey further up the mountains, you will have a splendid view over Nova Sintra. Arriving in the area of Nossa Senhora do Monte you will understand why Brava is also called the 'flowery island' - hedgerows of pink hibiscuses colour the landscape. The tour continues to Faja d'Agua a valley that opens to the north-western coast. It is a small oasis on the coast - a fishing village with coconut trees around it and white houses beautifully decorated with flowers. After a coffee-break with local sweet pastries you will head back using the one and only road the island has to offer, looking back at today's new discovery.

Fire is the element which can be sensed all over Fogo – in the people’s minds, in the deep red of their wine and the lava-landscape of the Cha das Caldeiras. The heart of the volcano is simmering everywhere. The island of Fogo is a majestic cone reaching out of the ocean having a volcano, the 'Pico de Fogo', as its center. And all over the island until the very near foot of this volcano there are little villages spread out. What appears grey on your first approach will become, at a closer look, the most beautiful spectacle of color the archipelago has to offer.

Fogo being the hottest island of the archipelago, you will use the morning freshness to drive up the road to the crater in 1600 m altitude leaving Sao Filipe behind you in order to start your one-hour hike. With every meter of altitude the beauty of the island shows. Right at the bottom of 'the big one' you will be dropped off to continue your voyage walking through the lava landscape. Climb the 'vulcaozinho' (the small volcano how the local population calls him) that aroused during the 1995's eruption. From 200 m altitude you are overlooking the lava fields of several eruptions from the last century. Listen to the story of the 1995 eruption that most of the guides have witnessed.

Walking towards the two crater villages you will pass by a lot of plants living in the rich lava soil. After a hearty local lunch, followed by a wine tasting, it will be time to say goodbye to this abstract scenery.

On the way back towards the harbor, visit the charming town of Sao Filipe with its old colonial buildings. Sao Filipe was originally the name of the island until the story tells that sailors came by the island during an eruption and screamed 'fire!' when they saw it - this exclamation gave the new name to the island and it is certainly the one that fits the best.

Disembark this morning for your continued journey home.