Tour Overview
| Duration | 6 Days / 5 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Cape Verde — Sao Vicente & Santo Antao |
| Price From | $1,695 per person (twin share) |
| Tour Style | Boutique Discovery (all ages welcome) |
| Best Season | November — June |
| Data Source | Across Africa Tours via TourRadar / 2026 verified (Traveller’s Choice) |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Mindelo, Sao Vicente
Airport meet and transfer to Kira’s Boutique Hotel or Casamarel in Mindelo. Cape Verde’s cultural capital, Mindelo is a city of music, colonial architecture, and Atlantic spirit. Afternoon walking tour: the Municipal Market (1920s Art Deco), Cesaria Evora’s statue on the waterfront, and the colorful Rua de Lisboa. Welcome dinner featuring fresh Atlantic seafood and live morna music — the soulful, melancholic sound that Cesaria made famous. Overnight in Mindelo.
Day 2: Monte Verde & Sao Pedro — Island Panorama
Morning: drive up Monte Verde (750m), Sao Vicente’s highest peak. The 360-degree views encompass the entire island, Santo Antao across the channel, and the uninhabited Santa Luzia. The microclimate at the summit supports vegetation absent from the arid lowlands. Afternoon: visit the fishing village of Sao Pedro and its dramatic beach backed by dunes. Swim in the Atlantic or watch fishermen haul in their catch — tuna, wahoo, and the prized garoupa (grouper). Return to Mindelo for overnight.
Day 3: Ferry to Santo Antao — The Green Giant
Morning ferry across the channel to Porto Novo (1 hour), then drive the spectacular coastal road carved into cliffs. Arrive in the Paul Valley — Santo Antao’s impossibly green agricultural heartland. Walk the levada trails through terraces of sugar cane, banana, papaya, and coffee. Visit a grogue distillery for tasting — Cape Verde’s sugarcane rum, produced in family stills for generations. Overnight in Ponta do Sol at Hotel Tiduca.
Day 4: Cova Natural Park & Fontainhas
Morning: visit the Cova Natural Park — an extinct volcanic crater at 1,200m, its floor a fertile plain where farmers cultivate beans and corn within the crater walls. Drive to Fontainhas, the ridgetop village that is Cape Verde’s most photographed sight — pastel houses on a knife-edge ridge with Atlantic views on both sides. Hike a section of the coastal trail from Ponta do Sol. Afternoon: ferry back to Mindelo. Overnight at Kira’s Boutique Hotel.
Day 5: Baia das Gatas & Culinary Cape Verde
Morning relaxation at Baia das Gatas, a natural bay with calm turquoise water — perfect swimming and snorkeling. Afternoon: Cape Verdean tasting experience — sample fresh goat cheese, papaya jam, grogue cocktails, and pastel com milho (corn pastry). Visit a local artisanal workshop for batik textiles and pottery. Farewell dinner with live music. Overnight in Mindelo.
Day 6: Departure
Morning at leisure. Transfer to Cesaria Evora Airport. You leave with the rhythm of morna in your ears and the taste of grogue on your lips — a perfect introduction to Africa’s most captivating island nation.
Included
- 5 nights boutique hotel accommodation
- Daily breakfast + 3 lunches + 3 dinners
- English-speaking guide throughout
- Ferry tickets (Mindelo-Porto Novo return)
- Le guided hikes on Santo Antao
- Grogue distillery visit & tasting
- Cape Verdean culinary tasting experience
- Airport transfers
