Ponta do Sol is a pleasant little fishing village located at the very eastern tip of the island. A little off the beaten track, but it is only 1 Euro and a short collectivo ride to Ribeira Grande.
I stay on Vitora, a small hotel near the harbor overlooking the sea. According to the talkative hotel owner is Ponta do Sol Up and Coming with increasing property prices. Now there are only a few small hotels, but it will probably grow over time. Tourism is a very important source of income for Cape Verde, and Ponta do Sol has nice weather and is easily accessible.
Down in the small harbor is a fishing reception and fish cleaning on the lava plate that extends out in the sea as a living room floor, a few decimeters above the water surface. The small open boats are well pulled out of the sea. We are on the outermost of the Cape Verde Islands, and the Atlantic extends all the way to South America outside the small pier where the swells create cascades of sea spray.
You may wonder why fishing is not more professional, with larger boats. Fishing from Ponta do Sol is almost hobby fishing, only for locals and the restaurants. The harbor is too small for larger boats, but there were few larger boats to see in Porto Novo and Mindelo that have descent ports.
But by all means, seen from the tourists’ point of view it is picturesque, and there is always fresh fish to get.
Hiking Ponta do Sol – Cruzinha
From Ponta do Sol you can walk along the coast to the small village of Cruzinha. The trip is spectacular. When not spectacular, it is extraordinarily spectacular. It is also one of the most popular hikes on the island.
The first part to Fontainhas you walk along a narrow, cobbled road before the trail starts. Or not exactly a trail, it is mostly cobbled like all the old donkey trails on the island.
The road climbs upwards a few hundred meters, balancing on the edge of a cliff. Around a turn you see the small colorful village of Fontainhas which is a bit up from the sea, inside a valley that ends in vertical mountain walls behind the village. National Geographic has classified the view here to be the second best in the world, only surpassed by a village in Turkey.
From Fontainhas you walk onto the path that climbs up the mountain side, partly chopped into the mountain, partially built with high stone walls. It is an unbelievable job that has been put into this road between the villages. At every river valley the path goes all the way down to the sea again, and up on the other side. So it is a lot up and down, but fortunately also longer flat parts so you get some rest for your legs. In total there are 900 meters up and down.
Midway you come to a small settlement, Formiguinhas. It is unbelievable that someone actually has settled here. There are a couple of small restaurants where you can buy food, water or a cold beer, and enjoy the break with grand views. All goods must be hand-carried or on donkeys. There is no harbor, and the constant Atlantic swell makes it difficult to land anything from a boat.
Then it continues to the abandoned Chã de Mar, a few roofless ruins on a valley plain, flanked by a mountain wall where you see the path continue upwards. Incredibly beautiful, so beautiful that it for a short time make me forget I have to climb the zigzag path that clearly emerges in the mountain wall. I have to admit that I begin to feel it in my legs …
From here and to Cruzinha it goes up and down a couple of more times, before ending on a large sandy beach, perfect for a cold dip if the weather permits. Watch out for currents!
If you are lucky you will get transport back to Ribeira Grande from Cruzinha, or at least up to Chã de Igreja a few kilometers up the valley. Maybe you have to walk up to Chã de Igreja. From there you will get a taxi. You will hardly find a collectivo in the afternoon. They drive to Ribeira Grande in the morning and return in the evening. The trip costs 30 Euro with a taxi.
The hike from Ponta do Sol to Chã de Igreja is 14 km long and the takes 6 hours.
One possible alternative is to take a taxi from Ribeira Grande to Chã de Igreja and walk the opposite direction. Many people choose this, and it should be easy to find someone to share a taxi with. A taxi takes 15 people.
But why not take it as a two -day round trip? A little outside Cruzinha, overlooking the sea, is a small, affordable hotel, Questel BronQ Resort. If you spend the night here you can continue the next day across the mountain to Boca de Ambas (see below). The hotel has a saltwater pool so bring swimwear. Hotel prices are low so no need to check out where you stay, and leave your luggage there.
Hiking from Chã de Igreja / Cruzinha to Boca de Ambas
You can start either from Chã de Igreja, Cruzinha or Boca de Ambas. I started from the latter and as usual it was going up and up the old donkey trail. All the time you have a formidable view down the Ribeira Grande valley and towards Cova de Paul on the other side. The trail is easy to walk, except for the climb of course. It is wide, without rails and it is a long drop in many places, so the hike is not a good choice if you are afraid of heights.
After 500 meters of climb you reach the top. Here is a shady cliff where you can sit down for lunch and admire the views before going just as steep down again in the next valley.
Bring plenty water and sunscreen. Westerly on the island the sunshine is usually strong.
The views is just as brilliant on this side of the mountain, and soon you are down in cultivated areas. Down in the valley you can see a house with a blue roof. Here you can buy food and drinks. Also the path divides into one for Chã de Igreja and one for Cruzinha.
Taxi from Ribeira Grande to Boca de Ambas costs 10 Euro. To Chã de Igreja 30 Euro.
The taxi ride back to Ribeira Grande goes through the wild and beautiful Ribeira Garça valley with small villages between fantastic volcanic formations. Remember that the driver stops for taking pictures. There are a few accommodations in the valley and several hiking opportunities, both further westerly and up towards Cova de Paul.
The map is taken from the app Locus Maps with openandromaps. Read more here: Navigation apps for overlanding and hiking
I would recommend a paper map for planning. See here ab-kartenverlag.com. Here the most important routes are plotted with data on time, altitude etc.
All about Cape Verde here: cape-verde
More hiking destinations: Hiking in the Canary Islands and warmer regions
