100% customisable travel idea
From São Vicente to Santo Antão A Week Discovering Cape Verde
Cape Verde - São Vicente - Santo Antão
100% customisable travel idea
Cape Verde - São Vicente - Santo Antão
100% customisable for you
Flight to Lisbon, then to the island of São Vicente. You’ll have a private transfer to Mindelo then check in for two nights in your accommodation perched on a hill, with a stunning view over the city, the neighbouring island of Santo Antão and the pretty boats anchored below. The building, dating from the early 20th century, has been restored with passion - a passion that is also felt in the welcome. Each room has been thoughtfully imagined and decorated, and the common areas are especially welcoming. The suites and apartments are very comfortable and have a certain something that makes you feel at home straight away. At the restaurant, the menu features dishes that showcase local, organic and seasonal produce, along with tapas and several vegetarian options. You can also choose to have your meals wherever you’d like. How about on the lovely terrace?
The hometown of the famous singer Cesaria Evora, Mindelo is the cultural and musical capital of the island of São Vicente. Scheduled - a private introductory scuba diving session. São Vicente boasts some of Cape Verde’s most beautiful diving spots, with dense and varied marine life. Here, you can spot both Atlantic and tropical species within the same school of fish. Less than 20 metres deep is enough to reveal an incredible underwater world, with corals, volcanic rocks and caves where tuna, lemon sharks, manta rays and endemic pink lobsters move gracefully. You will begin exploring this magical world accompanied by an experienced instructor. Optional - Tour of Mindelo with a private guide.
Scheduled - A guided walk along the northeast coast of São Vicente, dotted with small villages where fishing is the main livelihood. Every morning, the women go to Mindelo to run their stalls at the fish market or walk through the streets with basins filled with tuna, mackerel or wahoo balanced on their heads. The village of Baia das Gatas (Bay of Nurse Sharks) is the holiday spot for the Mindelo bourgeoisie, who have built hundreds of villas there - lacking harmony or grace, but with views of the bay and the vast natural pool formed behind the breakwater. This tour offers the chance to stroll through fishing villages, swim at Baia das Gatas and drive up Monte Verde - the island’s highest point - for panoramic views of São Vicente and the neighbouring islands. Second island, different atmosphere: private transfer to the port and ferry to the nearby island of Santo Antão. Once you move beyond the first impression of an arid and rather inhospitable land, the island reveals its imposing mountains and lush valleys, cut off from the world. After another private transfer, you’ll check in for two nights at a hotel nestled in the peaceful mountain setting. The estate, largely abandoned a few years ago, was restored by a French-Swiss couple with the help of local artisans, and the result is wonderfully inspiring. The planting terraces have been restored, a reservoir built, drip irrigation installed, and a new stable created. The house where you’ll stay is intentionally spacious and comfortable, inviting moments of comfort and relaxation between hikes. The project aims to support the region’s development in the spirit of respectful and thoughtful tourism.
Santo Antão is one of Cape Verde’s most beautiful gems, with unspoiled landscapes still largely untouched by the winds of modernity sweeping across the country. It is also one of the poorest islands in the archipelago, and agriculture remains its main activity. Its heights block the wind and clouds, creating a more humid, cooler climate that is ideal for crops. On the west of the island, Ribeira das Patas - literally “valley of the ducks” - is far from the most visited. Even so, its natural landscapes, all canyons and jagged terrain, make it a fantastic place for hiking. However, you don't need to be athletic to enjoy it - the beauty here reveals itself without much effort. Optional - Hike around the estate, in private.
Scheduled - A day of exploration around the island, accompanied by a private guide. You’ll see Ribeira Grande, a historic town in the north of the island, then Ribeira de Coculi, Ribeira da Torre and finally Ribeira de Paúl, one of the most beautiful landscapes in Cape Verde. It is a proud agricultural valley, scented with sugar cane and dotted with beautiful colonial mansions and trapiches, where the local rum is distilled — which you’ll have to try. During the day, we’ll stop for lunch before continuing to the fishing village of Ponta do Sol. Its small harbour below, a real attraction, offers the lively sight of fishermen returning through a passage with the aptly symbolic name Boca da pistola (“pistol mouth”). You’ll spend two nights in the Paúl Valley, in a charming little stone house set in the heart of nature. The “garden”, planted with papaya, guava and mango trees, stretches over more than 7,000 sqare metres (1.7 acres). From these heights, you’ll have an unobstructed view of the valley and the surrounding mountains. In such an enchanting setting, relaxation and outdoors activities unfold against a backdrop of serenity and unspoiled nature.
This is the green valley of Santo Antão. Water is not overly abundant there, of course, but it is still available enough to irrigate the terraced crops, plot by plot. The landscape is coloured by chlorophyll, banana leaves gently sway in the wind, and the persistent work of people is visible in the landscape. When you look up, you’ll realise that powerful mountain ridges tower over it all. And then there is sugarcane, from which grogue - the rum of Cape Verde - is made. The one from the valley, aged in oak barrels, is considered the best in the archipelago. Optional - Private walking tour of the Paul Valley.
Transfer to the port of Porto Novo via the Corde road, which crosses the island’s mountains and offers exceptional views. You’ll cross by ferry, then have another transfer to your accommodation in the hills above Mindelo, for your last night in Cape Verde.
Private transfer to the airport, then a return flight via Lisbon.
This suggested itinerary can be customisable down to the smallest detail, including duration, stops and content. An à la carte menu of experiences is also available to create a journey that reflects who you are.
Every day, our travel specialists craft bespoke experiences shaped around each traveller's profile, desires and budget. These passionate experts design experiences delivered on the ground by a local network of Concierges and trusted contacts. These fully customisable, made-to-measure trips are complemented by a wide range of high-end services (lounges, 24/7 assistance, travel booklet, app, Wi-Fi, restaurant booking, etc.)
Let us create your trip
Travel with complete freedom, guided by your interests,
ideas and passions.
250 travel specialists, organised by country and region. Driven by a passion for beauty and never short of ideas, they inspire you and design an ultra-personalised journey: itineraries, accommodation, workshops, encounters, and more.
Always at your service: with a dedicated travel specialist, Concierge service and 24/7 assistance, our teams support you and adapt in real time, for a trip that is both flexible and expertly supported.
With family, as a couple, in a group of ten, on a road trip, by train, by boat, for a weekend or a round-the-world journey... Trips tailored to your preferences, enhanced by clever services, for ever smoother travel.
