Tarrafal sits on the western shore of Santo Antão, about half a day’s drive across the island from the Paúl Valley. To begin with, the road to Tarrafal is absolutely spectacular. Over the course of six hours, we drove through a lush forest and into a stark, dry, rock desert. The change in landscape happened abruptly. In fact, we moved from the misty windward side of the volcano into the dry, sunny, leeward side in a matter of minutes.
Hitchhikers on the Road, Some Genuine, Some…
Halfway across the island, we stopped in the town of Lagoa. There, we left our driver who had taken us around the eastern areas of Santo Antão. We boarded a small pick-up truck instead, one of many that ferried Cape Verdeans and tourists alike around the hamlets along the western coast. A random man actually boarded our truck under the pretence of hitching a ride. However, our driver took us to the police station just around the corner. There, a policeman came out, yelling at the man to get off. There were a few other genuine hitch-hikers though, who needed to be dropped off at a mining village a few kilometres down the road. These we picked up.
The landscape turned starkly dry and desert-like soon after we exited Lagoa. Soaring, verdant cliffs transitioned into gently rolling hills covered in rough gravel. Our guide, Mar, told us that for a short period of time, the hills turn green after an extended bout of rain. It was hard to believe, but we’d seen them this way on postcards, sold around the island.
We stopped at a crossroads from where we had a view of the peak of Tope de Coroa. It is the second-tallest mountain on Cape Verde after Pico do Fogo, standing at 1,979 metres. Here we got out for a breath of fresh air. I was shocked at how chilly it was, despite the sun blasting harshly down on everything around us.
Football, Lobsters and Colourful Characters
The last few kilometres of road into Tarrafal were nothing more than a rocky dirt track. It was one of the most inaccessible places we’d ever been to, despite its seeming popularity with visitors to Santo Antão. There, we stayed in one of the few guesthouses available, the “Vista Tarrafal”. The owners still worked on one part of the house, but we didn’t mind. The staff were very helpful, and the breakfast, which was prepared in the guesthouse’s own kitchen, was delicious.
Tarrafal is a lovely place to visit after a few days of hiking. Once there, we spent our time walking along the beach, capturing photos, as well as observing the local team practice a bit of football. Finally, we ended our days most enjoyably – eating lobsters.
We met one of the residents of the village, a Swiss man called Norbert, who had been living on Cape Verde for several years. He was an agriculturalist by trade and had a great deal to share about the local produce on Cape Verde. Overall, he was an interesting character with a unique perspective shaped by his experiences on the islands. He also knew Stan and Raphäle, who are the French couple that own the lovely Pension Goa on São Vicente, which we were going to stay at.
Tarrafal has Santo Antão’s Best Sunrises
The best, however, was still yet to come. The sunrise over Tarrafal is not to be missed. You will likely catch it on your way to Porto Novo, for the ferry back to Mindelo, on São Vicente. For this, we had to get up before dawn, navigate our way through breakfast, and around the guesthouse, with only torchlight (there is no electricity available in most places in Tarrafal between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.).
While we were driving up the dirt road, we saw a woman climbing up the slopes in the distance. She carried a huge bag of clothes balanced upon her head. We speculated that she must have been walking since nightfall, for her to have gotten this far.
As the sun rose, the peaks of Tarrafal were lit in an incredibly rosy pink, as the skies turned golden and blue. It was the most beautiful and spectacular sunrise I’d ever seen.
