Santo Antao is the greenest island in Cape Verde and the reason walkers come to the country at all. It has no airport, so every visitor arrives by ferry from Mindelo into Porto Novo on the dry southern coast, then crosses the spine of the island to the north, where the trade winds dump their moisture and the landscape changes completely. The northern valleys, Paul and Ribeira Grande above all, are terraced from riverbed to ridge with sugarcane, coffee, mango and banana, and threaded with cobbled paths built for mules that now serve as some of the finest hiking trails in the Atlantic. Sugarcane becomes grogue in small distilleries throughout the valleys, and the island supplies most of the country's supply.
Things to Do in Santo Antao
Cova to Paul Valley hike
Hiking TrailThe island's signature walk. It starts in the Cova crater, a farmed volcanic caldera on the ridge at around 1,200 metres, climbs to the rim for a view down the entire Paul Valley, then descends a cobbled path for four hours through terraces of cane, coffee and mango to the sea. Downhill throughout and hard on the knees.
Duration: ~5 hours
Ponta do Sol to Fontainhas coastal path
Hiking TrailA cliff path cut into the rock above the Atlantic, leading from Ponta do Sol to the village of Fontainhas, which sits improbably on a spur above the sea. About ninety minutes each way, exposed in places, and the most photographed walk on the island.
Duration: ~3 hours
Grogue distilleries
Food and DrinkSmall family trapiches throughout the Paul and Ribeira Grande valleys press sugarcane, ferment the juice and distil it into grogue, the national spirit. Many will show visitors the ox-driven or diesel press and the still, and sell bottles directly. The ponche, grogue sweetened with molasses and lime, is easier going.
Duration: ~2 hours
Cova Crater
Natural LandmarkA shallow volcanic caldera on the island's high ridge, its floor divided into small farmed plots and usually wrapped in cloud by mid-morning. It is the starting point for the descent into Paul and reachable by aluguer from either coast.
Duration: ~2 hours
Estrada da Corda
Scenic DriveThe old cobbled road from Porto Novo over the spine of the island to Ribeira Grande, hand-laid stone the whole way, climbing to 1,500 metres along a ridge with drops on both sides. A newer coastal road is faster; this one is the reason to come.
Duration: ~2 hours
Santo Antao Neighborhoods
Where to stay and explore
Ribeira Grande
SafePractical, working, valley-mouth town
The island's largest town, known locally as Povoacao, set where a broad valley meets the north coast. It has the banks, the hospital and the bus connections, and works as a practical base even though it is not especially pretty in itself.
Price level: $
Ponta do Sol
Safe and very quietPrettiest town on the island, small and quiet
The island's northern tip, a small colonial town on a cliff above the sea with a disused airstrip, a handful of good guesthouses and the best restaurants on the island. The coastal path to Fontainhas begins here.
Price level: $$
Paul Valley
Safe; the hazard is the terrainLush, agricultural, steep
A deep green valley running inland from Vila das Pombas, terraced its whole length with cane, coffee and fruit, and dotted with small grogue distilleries. Several simple guesthouses sit along the valley road, and the classic walk down from Cova ends here.
Price level: $$
Porto Novo
SafeFunctional, dry, transit
The ferry port on the dry southern coast, where everyone arrives and where almost nobody stays. It is arid and functional, with aluguer minibuses waiting at the quay to run passengers over the mountain to the north.
Price level: $
Food & Restaurants
Food on Santo Antao is what the valleys grow: cane, coffee, mango, papaya, yam and cassava, plus goat and whatever the boats land. Cooking is domestic rather than restaurant-driven, and most guesthouses feed their guests better than any dining room could. Ponta do Sol is the exception, with a few genuinely good places.
Must-Try Dishes
Cachupa with valley vegetables
The national stew made with produce grown a few hundred metres away, which makes a noticeable difference.
Goat stew
Slow-cooked with root vegetables, the standard guesthouse dinner in the valleys.
Grogue and ponche
Cane spirit straight, or sweetened with molasses and lime as ponche.
Top Restaurants
Ponta do Sol restaurants
$$Cape Verdean and seafood • Ponta do Sol
The best cooking on the island, with the sea below
Valley guesthouse tables
$Home cooking • Paul Valley
Set dinners from the terraces around the house
Santo Antao Nightlife
There is none, in any conventional sense. Guesthouses pour grogue after dinner, someone occasionally brings out a guitar, and the island is asleep by ten because most people are walking at first light. Mindelo is an hour away by ferry if that matters to you.
Best areas: Ponta do Sol, Paul Valley guesthouses
Guesthouse bars
BarPaul Valley
Grogue, conversation and an early night, which is the whole of it.
Shopping in Santo Antao
Buy grogue, coffee and preserves, all made in the valleys, directly from the producers. There are no shops of any size, and Ribeira Grande's small supermarkets are the extent of the retail.
Malls
Markets
- Ribeira Grande market - Produce
- Valley distilleries - Producer
What to Buy
Safety in Santo Antao
Crime against visitors is effectively unheard of on Santo Antao. Every real risk here is terrain: exposed cliff paths with no barriers, cobbled descents that punish knees and ankles, cloud that closes in on the ridge without warning, and roads with long drops and no guard rail. Mobile coverage fails in the deeper valleys and mountain rescue is not a service that exists.
Safe Areas
- ✓ All towns and villages
- ✓ The main valley roads
- ✓ Marked trails in clear weather
Avoid
- ✗ Exposed cliff sections in high wind
- ✗ The ridge when cloud is down
- ✗ Unmarked descents without a guide
Safety Tips
- • Tell your guesthouse which walk you are doing and when you expect to be back
- • Walking poles matter more here than boots; almost everything is a long descent
- • Carry water and food; the valleys have few shops and no cafes between villages
- • Aluguer minibuses stop running by early evening, so plan the return leg before you set out
- • Draw cash in Mindelo or Ribeira Grande; card payment barely exists on the island
Getting Around Santo Antao
Aluguer minibus
RecommendedShared minibuses meeting the ferries and running the main valley routes. Stop by early evening.
$2 to $8
Hired driver
A car and driver for the day, standard practice for reaching trailheads and doing the Estrada da Corda.
$50 to $80 a day
On foot
The cobbled mule paths between villages are the transport network as much as the attraction.
Free
Santo Antao Weather
Cool and humid in the northern valleys, arid in the south, cloudy on the ridge most mornings
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| january | 23°C | 17°C | 12mm | Cool and clear, good walking |
| february | 23°C | 17°C | 8mm | Driest and clearest, peak hiking |
| march | 24°C | 17°C | 4mm | Dry, excellent visibility |
| april | 24°C | 18°C | 2mm | Dry and warm |
| may | 25°C | 19°C | 1mm | Warm, valleys drying out |
| june | 25°C | 20°C | 2mm | Warm, ridge cloud building |
| july | 26°C | 21°C | 6mm | Warm and humid on the ridge |
| august | 27°C | 22°C | 40mm | Rains begin, valleys greening |
| september | 27°C | 22°C | 80mm | Wettest month, trails slippery |
| october | 27°C | 21°C | 45mm | Rains easing, valleys at their greenest |
| november | 25°C | 20°C | 20mm | Cooling, very good walking |
| december | 24°C | 18°C | 15mm | Cool and green |
How Many Days in Santo Antao?
3
Minimum
5
Recommended
7
Ideal