Cabo Verde Hiking Odyssey: Santiago, Santo Antão & São Vicente

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About Cabo Verde Hiking Odyssey: Santiago, Santo Antão & São Vicente

Duration: 18 Days / 17 Nights

Lace up your boots for an 18-day walking adventure across three of Cabo Verde's most spectacular hiking islands. This is a trip built for those who travel on foot — with guided mountain hikes, ridge trails and self-guided roadbook routes woven into nearly every day of the journey. You begin in the misty highlands of Santiago, hiking through Serra Malagueta Natural Park and along the Gon-Gon ridge before descending to the coast at Tarrafal. Then you cross the ocean to São Vicente, the archipelago's musical heart, and step into Santo Antão — Cabo Verde's undisputed hiking paradise, where trails plunge from cloud-wrapped ridges down into deep green valleys and coastal villages. From short town walks to full-day mountain crossings, you'll walk the land, meet its people, and feel the rhythm of island life with every step.

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Pricing

Package	Price
2 people	€ 2,323.46 per person

Price available until April 30, 2027.

Includes:

9 overnights on Santiago with breakfast & tourism tax
3 transfers on Santiago
2 guided hikes in Serra Malagueta
Tarrafal Walking Tour
Guided hike to Lagoa with farmer-house lunch
Full-day Santiago North Island Tour
All Santiago guides, entrances & tour-day lunches
Inter-island flight Santiago → São Vicente
Roundtrip ferry tickets São Vicente ↔ Santo Antão
8 overnights on São Vicente / Santo Antão (incl. breakfast & tourism tax)
Meals on São Vicente / Santo Antão: 2× lunchbag, 2× lunch, 2× dinner (one extra lunch if optional excursion booked)
6 self-guided hikes with roadbook (Santo Antão / São Vicente, per program; one more if option booked)
All transfers on São Vicente / Santo Antão per the program
Airport tax

Excludes:

International flights
Optional canyoning excursion, Santo Antão (115 EUR pp / 2 pax) — must be booked at time of booking
Travel insurance
Drinks, tips and personal expenses
Bank fees for the international transfer
Any other service not mentioned

Highlights

Authentic farmer-house and valley lunches, half-board in the island villages
Six self-guided roadbook hikes across Santo Antão and São Vicente, at your own pace
A full-day Santiago North Island Tour with a driver-guide
Discover the best of 3 Islands on foot

Hotels

Strela Mountain Lodge, Serra Malagueta (Santiago)
Casa Strela Guesthouse, Tarrafal (Santiago)
Kira's B&B, Mindelo (São Vicente)
Guesthouse Aldeia Jerome, Paul (Santo Antão)

Restaurants

In House Accommodation Restaraunts
Farm to Table Culinary Experiences with Local Farmers

Itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival in Santiago / Into the Mountains
Transfer from Praia (RAI) Airport up to Strela Mountain Lodge, Serra Malagueta
Overnight at Strela Mountain Lodge

Day 2 — Serra Malagueta Natural Park
Guided hike through Serra Malagueta Natural Park (approx. 4–5 h) with a local guide
Overnight at Strela Mountain Lodge

Day 3 — Highland Freedom
Free day for self-guided trails around the lodge / optional excursion
Overnight at Strela Mountain Lodge

Day 4 — The Ridge Trail
Guided ridge hike Serra Malagueta – Gon-Gon / Principal (approx. 5–6 h)
Overnight at Strela Mountain Lodge

Day 5 — Mountain Air at Leisure
Free day for self-guided hiking or rest
Overnight at Strela Mountain Lodge

Day 6 — Down to the Coast: Tarrafal
Transfer Serra Malagueta → Tarrafal (Casa Strela)
Overnight at Casa Strela Guesthouse

Day 7 — Tarrafal Walking Tour
Walking tour: Concentration Camp Memorial (Campo do Tarrafal), town, market & Tabanka culture
Overnight at Casa Strela Guesthouse

Day 8 — Lagoa & the Farmer's Table
Guided hike to Lagoa with farmer-house lunch (approx. 4–5 h), transport from Tarrafal included
Overnight at Casa Strela Guesthouse

Day 9 — Santiago North Island Tour
Full-day Santiago North Island Tour with a driver-guide
Overnight at Casa Strela Guesthouse

Day 10 — Crossing to São Vicente
Transfer Tarrafal → Praia (RAI) Airport
Flight Santiago (RAI) → São Vicente (VXE) with (23 kg per checked bag)
Transfer VXE Airport → Mindelo
Overnight at Kira's B&B, Mindelo

Day 11 — Mindelo, the Harbour City
Self-guided city tour of Mindelo (harbour city, half day, with roadbook)
Overnight at Kira's B&B, Mindelo

Day 12 — Into Santo Antão: Descent to Caibros
Transfer to harbour; ferry São Vicente → Santo Antão
Self-guided hike Espongeiro – Caibros (Level 3, roadbook), incl. transfer to trailhead, lunchbags & luggage transfer
Overnight at Casa Zeca, Caibros (half-board)

Day 13 — The Valley of Caibros
Self-guided hike Caibros – Chã d'Igreja (Level 3, roadbook), incl. lunch & luggage transfer to Ponta do Sol
Overnight at Casa Mite, Chã d'Igreja (half-board, no luggage overnight)

Day 14 — Along the Coast
Self-guided hike Chã d'Igreja – Ponta do Sol (Level 3, roadbook), incl. lunchbags
Overnight at Guesthouse Casa Mar, Ponta do Sol

Day 15 — Leisure in Ponta do Sol
Day at leisure in Ponta do Sol
Optional: guided canyoning with lunch & transfers (115 EUR p.p. / 2 pax — book at time of booking)
Overnight at Guesthouse Casa Mar, Ponta do Sol

Day 16 — Discovering the Paul Valley
Self-guided hike through the lush Paul Valley (Level 2–3, roadbook), incl. transfer to Paul with luggage & lunch
Overnight at Guesthouse Aldeia Jerome, Paul

Day 17 — Back to São Vicente
Transfers to harbour; ferry Santo Antão → São Vicente
Self-guided island tour of São Vicente (roadbook, transfers included)
Overnight at Kira's B&B, Mindelo

Day 18 — Departure
Transfer to São Vicente (VXE) Airport for your international departure

Why Santiago, São Vicente & Santo Antão?

Each island tells a different story. Santiago carries Cabo Verde's deepest cultural roots — its music, its history, its Tabanka traditions. São Vicente is the archipelago's creative soul, forever tied to the harbour city of Mindelo and the sound of morna. And Santo Antão is pure, dramatic nature: ridges plunging into green valleys, trails winding past villages that time seems to have forgotten. Together, they offer the most complete portrait of Cabo Verde in a single journey.

Ready to walk the mountains, cross the ocean, and discover the real Cabo Verde?