Cape Verde - West Africa - page 272

and all showers are cold water. There's a restaurant (mains CVE800) and guide services on offer. The same own-
ers run Casa Mariza ( 2821662; s/d CVE2500/3600) in Bangaeira, where all the rooms have private bath-
rooms with hot water (the only one in Chã with this luxury).
About 11 households have built rooms (s CVE1200-2000, d CVE2000-2800) for tourists in their homes; none
have hot water, some include breakfast. Enquire at the tourist info point ( 2821515; 9.30am-1.30pm &
3.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri & Sun) in a wooden roadside kiosk in Portela. The kiosk also has a small exhibit about the
area, including some info about the famous François Louis Armand de Montrond, a French count who moved to
Fogo in the late 19th century and apparently fathered 21 children with seven island wives. Two of the sons moved
to the crater in the 1920s and founded Portela, so the legend goes; that explains why you still see many villagers
with blue eyes and light hair, and why 80% of them carry the surname Montrond. The info point is being moved
to the entrance of the village; it should be up and running by summer 2013.
Finally, after you've struggled up the peak, what better way to reward yourself than with a drop of locally pro-
duced wine? The vines are actually grown in the volcanic ash of the crater. For tastings and purchasing, visit
Adega de Chã das Caldeiras , a small cooperative in Portela (hours are erratic). If you're staying overnight,
don't miss the nightly performance (around 6pm) at Casa Ramiro , a grocery store where you can try local goat
cheese and homemade manecon wine, and enjoy live music performed by Ramiro and his children.
Getting There & Away
TACV ( 281228; www.flytacv.com ; 8am-12.30pm & 3-5.30pm Mon-Fri) has one to two daily flights
to/from Praia, which last 30 minutes. A taxi from the airport into São Filipe (2km) costs
CVE300. Boats arrive at the port 3km from town (taxis charge CVE400), which looks like
a giant construction site.
Getting Around
Minibuses around the island are relatively scarce. Most are based around the timings of
the central market in São Filipe. That means they head to São Filipe in the early morning,
and then back home later in the day; plan accordingly. Fares depend on distance but
shouldn't cost more than CVE500.
Qualitur ( 2811089; www.qualitur.cv ; 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, to noon Sat) and Zebra Travel ( 9914566;
www.zebratravel.net ; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat) offer self-drive cars from CVE7000 to
CVE7500 per day as well as island-wide tours. The going rate for hiring a taxi for the day
is CVE6000; one of the best drivers on the island, who speaks English to boot, is Albino (
9953231) .
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São Filipe