Fogo

Sao Nicolau

Santo Antao

Sao Vicente

Sal

In order to get to Fogo (meaning fire) I needed to take 3 internal flights with propellered aircraft. The first one was on a tiny 17 seater LET E20 back to Sao Vicente. With 2 just two pilots and no toilet on board the flight lasted 20 minutes. Later on I transited to Praia, the capital on Santiago Island. I spent three spare hours looking at how the sold out Sambala apartments were progressing. They are due to be completed around New Year 2007. Local people are employed where possible. The final sector of the journey was a flight with the larger ATR 42 down to Fogo. There was a great view of Fogo's volcano poking out of the clouds.

The capital Sao Filipe in my opinion was one of the prettiest towns on the archipelago with it's cheerfully painted colonial style buildings and cobbled floral squares. The town is perched on a hill descending to a cliff top from where I could make out the island of Brava (which means wild). It is about 25 km away but not easy to reach due to infrequent ferry services. Unfortunately with only 5 nights on Fogo there wasn't enough time to take a ferry across. Sailings are very weather dependant and even in the summer the sea between these two islands can be choppy. Brava has an abundance of wonderful flora as it has the highest humidity of all the islands. Blue sea contrasts against black sandy beaches and often colourful painted rowing boats can be seen.

Touring the circular coastline is worth a day trip out. There is a steep climb out of Sao Filipe up along steep hairpin bends towards more verdant scenery. Fruits such as papaya's and banana's are grown near the coast in plots. Plenty of acacia trees are dotted along the way. Terraced fertile landscapes are also a feature. Small churches perched on hillsides are a fairly common sighting. The best place to swim is Salina de Sao Jorge with it's almost enclosed lagoon.

Touring the circular coastline is worth a day trip out. There is a steep climb out of Sao Filipe up along steep hairpin bends towards more verdant scenery. Fruits such as papaya's and bananas are grown near the coast in plots. Plenty of acacia trees are dotted along the way. Terraced fertile landscapes are also a feature. Small churches perched on hillsides are a fairly common sighting. The best place to swim is Salina de Sao Jorge with its almost enclosed lagoon.


The highlight of Fogo has to be the volcano situated towards the centre of the island, at the foot of the village Cha das Caldieras. Standing proudly at a height of approximately 1200m the volcano is surrounded by fertile ash growing grape vines, pomegranates and apples. It is worth sampling the local wine rose, red or white which has a crisp fruity taste. Further afield coffee is grown and in the village children sold tiny huts with straw roofs made from the volcanic ash.

I set out with my guide around 6.30am. Passing the fertile ash mounds we were pestered by flies till about half way up. During ascent the scenery of volcanic boulders and black mounds contrasting against the clouds could have resembled a Martian landscape. Definitely an area with a wild beauty all of its own. Distant barren ridged mountains stretched along creating a rugged landscape below. Progressing towards the crater with several stops along the way, I made the journey in just over three hours. Reaching the crater itself was a rewarding experience even though sulphurous odour wafted from within it. Formed in the shape of a deep bowl, previous visitors had the delight of going into the crater and leaving their names marked with large pebbles.

The journey down was unforgettable yet three times quicker than the ascent. Ever thought of jogging down a volcano? Yes, it's the best way although you really feel it in your knees. Boots sinking into the lava gravel (and emptying them at the bottom) will stay with me for a long time to come...