Cape Verde - West Africa - page 271

FOGO
POP 37,051
Whether you're being tossed and turned in the heavy seas during the boat ride from Praia
or thrown about by unpredictable winds and turbulence in the small prop plane, the drama
of Fogo begins long before you even set foot on its volcanic soils. The island of Fire (Fogo
translates as fire) consists of a single, giant black volcano (which last erupted in 1995) that
dominates every view and every waking moment.
Life here isn't just about macho tectonic movements, though: São Filipe is easily one of
the most attractive towns in the archipelago and can be used as a base for great hikes and
pretty drives around the island's eastern side to the small town of Mosteiros, past terraced
hillsides yielding mild Arabica coffee.
CLIMBING MOUNT FOGO
The conical 2829m-high Pico do Fogo volcano, shrouded in black cinder, rises dramatically out of the floor of an
ancient crater known as Chã das Caldeiras ('Chã'). Bound by a half-circle of precipitous cliffs, Chã was born
when, sometime in the last 100,000 years, some 300 cu km of the island collapsed and slid into the sea to the east.
The main cone has been inactive for more than 200 years, though there have been regular eruptions in Chã. The
latest, in 1995, threatened the twin villages of Portela and Bangaeira, whose residents manage to grow grapes, cof-
fee, beans and apples in this forbidding landscape.
There's fantastic hiking along the crater floor, but most people come to climb the peak. The majority do it as a
day trip from São Filipe, departing around 6am; book one through Qualitur ( Click here ) or Zebra Travel ( Click
here ). Others overnight in Chã, which is a more leisurely option. Most people climb Pico Grande, which isn't tech-
nically difficult but requires good physical condition, a hearty pair of boots and a local guide. There are plenty in
Portela, and the going rate is around CVE4000. The taxing ascent - a climb of 1000m up a 30- to 40-degree slope -
takes three to four hours, with some challenging scrambles near the top, but the views are magnificent (especially
in spring; otherwise you may be staring down into cloud cover). Afterwards, you can run down through v olcanic
ash in 45 minutes!
For more of an adventure, you can go up Pico Grande and come down via Pico Pequeno, which is the more diffi-
cult descent: you go down a steep slope of loose volcanic rocks for some 200m before reaching the 'runway' of
volcanic ash and sand and then run down all the way to the multicoloured Pico Pequeno crater.
Fatal accidents have happened on these routes, so don't take the hike lightly. Always go with a guide and start
climbing early to avoid the noon heat. Leave São Filipe by 5am by taxi (CVE6000 return with waiting time, 90
minutes). The driver should be able to locate a guide. If you come by aluguer (CVE500; depart São Filipe around
11am), you will need to spend two nights in Chã. Spend the afternoon after you arrive exploring the crater, and
then make the ascent the next morning. Recover in the afternoon and then head back to São Filipe the next morning
by aluguer, which leaves around 6am.
Other options from Chã include visiting caves wedged between the walls of lava (you can even camp in some),
walking along the bordeira (crater edge), rock climbing and undertaking the steep and slippery five-hour descent
from the volcano to the town of Mosteiros.
In Portela you can stay at Pedra Brabo ( 2821521; [e-mail]; s/d CVE2500/3600) , with
basic rooms around an arcaded courtyard filled with lava stone sculptures. Only two rooms have private bathroom,