Santo Antão - The Green Island of Cabo Verde

Hello friends. After Mindelo and the island of Sao Vicente, we boarded the ferry to Santo Antao. I’ll talk about the westernmost and greenest island of Cabo Verde. In fact Santo Antao is considered the westernmost point of the African continent. As soon as we arrived I immediately noticed how much greener it is here. There is a clear climate difference between the western and eastern parts. The eastern side is grayer usually. But it rained a few weeks before we arrived and a green carpet had formed over the volcanic landscape. Along the way we could see the layers that had formed thousands of years ago. Everywhere is photogenic thanks to the rugged, multi layered scenery. The Boi Lighthouse stood before us, with a few villages further ahead. The closest to us was Janela, followed by Paul. Starting from the Paul region, a lush valley stretches out and the vegetation really takes off there.

First we went to the Ribeira Paul valley. This place is much grener, with a completely different nature. The humidity and frequent rains here actually allow for farming. Bananas, potatoes and sugarcane are grown. Since sugarcane is produced in limited quantities instead of making sugar, it’s used to make grogue, a local alcoholic drink. Making sugar just doesn't make much economic sense. It’s also a pleasure to watch the traditional houses built along the river. They have cool roofs made of woven sugarcane that look like bundles tied together. The new buildings next to them look like skyscrapers because these traditional houses are very small. The hotel where we stayed in this valley was pretty nice. They told us it was one of the best around. It was definitely better than that chain European hotel we stayed at on Sal island.

Our next stop was the ruins of a synagogue a place I never thought I would see in this island. This spot has an interesting story. The Moors took over the peninsula and the Jews worked with them and did business with them. Then the Reconquista. The Jews were forced to leave and go to Portugal first. After that they were expelled from Portugal too. A lot of the Jews went to Morocco. but it turns out they didn't just go to Morocco. They came to Cabo Verde as well. There was a community of people here a long time ago. Now almost nobody, from that community is leftt. They had built this synagogue for themselves. I spoke with the people who live here now. They told me that even though the community is gone you can still see last names around. Today some of the coolest rave parties in the region are held among these ruins.

We witnessed a rare event at sea. Waves coming from different directions colliding. Then we crossed to the side of the island facing the open sea the Atlantic. From here on out, it’s straight to Brazil an South America. Some waves come from there and some come from the direction of Africa and the other islands, clashing at one point. It creates a very rare sight. The cliffs and all the green stuff on the steep parts looked a lot, like Madeira to me. Of course that’s a relative comparison. You can look at my Madeira posts and decide for yourself.

Next we went to Ribeira Grande, one of the wealthiest cities in Santo Antao. We saw the buildings. Learned about the history of Ribeira Grande and it is clear that this is one of the most affluent parts of the island of Santo Antao. Two famous people, from Cabo Verde were born in Ribeira Grande. One is Roberto Duarte de Silva, a chemist who spent his career in France working on glycerin. The other is a businessman involved in trade, agriculture and banking, who also promoted healthy living on the island. Since grogue production is high in the region, he fought against this harmful habit. The city has both colonial era and modern buildings. There are even structures and luxury housing complexes that I could call Cabo Verdean modernism.

Another wealthy town we visited was Ponta do Sol, which means Sun Point.The only airport on the island is here. It is currently closed. Flights were stopped after a small plane that was coming from Sao Vicente crashed and this accident killed 22 people. The pilot of the plane lost his way in the fog and he hit the mountain. Because of this accident Santo Antao can only be reached by ferry. You can tell the town is wealty by the fully painted, colorful houses.

Fontainhas is a unique place in Santo Antao. With its massive views, terraces and colorful houses, it was chosen as the village with the most beautiful view by National Geographic in 2015. This is a world class spot. There is a path here that locals call the goat path.Smugglers used this path at night to get the drinks to the port and secretly take them to other islands, when transporting grogue was banned. In the past the terraces on the slopes were used for agriculture. But they aren't planted much anymore. The small fishing shelters here are very authentic. The sight of people heading out to sea in their old boats, throwing nets and cleaning, selling what they catch right there is very colorful.

Then we stopped by Ribeira de Torre, the Valley of Towers. Some rocks realy do look like towers and the mountain ranges surrounding the valley resemble castle walls. They call the most interesting tower here Pico de Antonio. There are tropical rivers and vibrant greenery in the valley. It’s an enchanting place. Then we returned to Porto Novo toward the ferry via the old road. The new road goes along the coast. It is faster. The old road is really special because it goes right over the ridges that form the valley. On one side of the road you can see Ribeira de Torre and on the other side you can see Ribeira Grande. It is very unusual to be able to look at Ribeira de Torre and Ribeira Grande at the time and it is also very beautiful.

We climbed to the very top, to an extinct volcano krater. What’s interesting is that they even farm inside the krater. Since the area is very humid, they get successful results. We were literally inside the clouds and it was quite cold. There were pine trees around. It reminded me more of a European landscape than an African island so close to the equator.

We returned to Porto Novo, marking the end of our Santo Antao journey. See you on the next trip.