Rarely have I found a place as special as Santo Antão, one of the ten islands in Cape Verde, Africa. It is known as the green paradise where you can hike beautifully. There is less chance of stable wifi here, so I took that into account in advance. Here, on the contrary, I wanted to be a little more offline and enjoy nature. And I succeeded. What a unique and impressive island this is.
Book your stay on Santo Antão
I noticed beforehand that there are relatively many ecological accommodations to be found. On an island like this, that’s exactly right, you go back to basics and enjoy nature. You can also eat vegetarian food in many places. Although you should add that you then also do not eat fish, which is often served by the sea here. The owners of these accommodations are often foreign entrepreneurs, who have the best interests of the local economy and nature conservation at heart. I myself have been to the north and west of the island. Most accommodations are in the north, in Paùl, Ponta do Sol and Ribeira Grande. Porto Novo also offers some options, which is the town where the ferry arrives from São Vicente.
Impressive overnight stay at Mamiwata Eco Village
Our first accommodation was truly beautiful. Mamiwata Eco Village is right next to Cruzinha, by the sea and at a considerable height, giving you beautiful views of high cliffs and the ocean. To be quiet about. It took 8 years to build this special place. Everything was done by hand, stone by stone it was lugged up the hill. What a lot of work! But the result is hugely impressive. The cottages and villas are super stylishly decorated and all have beautiful sea views.
At Mamiwata Eco Village, they generate their own energy with solar panels, grow their own vegetables and use water sparingly. For example, you can only use their special shampoo because shower water is used to water the garden. You can also pick your own herbs for your cup of tea. Breakfast is also a treat, which comes almost all from their own garden. Which totally suits the environment, where you really come to recharge and enjoy nature. As in many places in Santo Antão, the wifi is a bit unstable. So working full days and doing video meetings is not recommended, but brainstorming, writing or thinking about your business plans is certainly possible. In fact, it would be a shame to do a lot of work here, because most of all you should enjoy all the beauty. Jump in the pool, enjoy the view from a lovely lounger and take a nice hike along the coast.
Dive into the infinity pool at RM Green Hotel
If you are looking for picture perfect accommodation on Santo Antão then this is the place to be. As you drive up the mountain the cute chalets of RM Green Hotel immediately catch your eye. Perched on the edge of a high mountain, overlooking the sea, this is truly an impressive accommodation. The chalets are small but nice and very modern.
At the restaurant you can eat delicious food, from breakfast to lunch and dinner. After a long walk in the area, plopping down on a lounger here and drinking wine on the terrace in the evening is certainly not a punishment. The pool is the eye-catcher here. So in the infinity pool you regularly see people posing for a nice picture. I did some work here, which went fine with the internet connection. When it’s busy they do have a shortage of power, but instead of worrying about that, it’s better to accept that this is the way it works here on the island and just enjoy your surroundings.
Staying overnight in the famous Paùl valley
The Paùl Valley is one of the most famous places on Santo Antão. You cannot visit the island without having been here. Surrounded by giant banana trees, you really imagine yourself in the tropics here. The small-scale B&B Kasa d’Vizin is fantastic here. Belgian owner Hannelore and her team immediately gave us a warm welcome. When we walked into the room, I couldn’t say anything but “wow”! Every detail has been thought of and it looks beautiful. The day started off right away with a delicious breakfast on the rooftop terrace, overlooking the beautiful valley. All the food here is vegan, and even though I’m not myself, it was truly delicious! Then it was time for a nice hike, where the guide from Kasa d’Vizin took us to Vale do Paùl. In between the beautiful views, he told us a lot about the island, local life and all kinds of plants and fruits we encountered along the way.
This area is the perfect place if you want to unwind and do something active at the same time. For me that meant working little, even though the connection was fine to get some work done, and enjoying the place where you are. I could stare endlessly at nature, enjoying this special place.
My favorite hikes on Santo Antão
The island is known for hiking. Almost all the tourists you meet here have sturdy mountain boots on and hiking poles with them. This is not just an hour of stretching your legs, here you follow impressive trails through the mountains and along the coast. All accommodations will provide you with a packed lunch, as you will soon be hiking for 3 to 6 hours. Here are my favorite hikes in Santo Antão:
- Cruzinha – Ponta do Sol
The route runs along the coast from the town of Cruzinha to Ponta do Sol. It is a nicely constructed trail that runs right along the ocean. The whole route is about 5 to 6 hours, I (as a non-experienced hiker) kept it at 3 hours and walked part of the route. - Paul Valley
This is the most famous valley on the island. You have several routes here and can decide how hard (and high) you want to go. - Xoxo Valley
This is my favorite. This 3-hour route was quite tough especially in the beginning with climbing, but got easier after that. We went with a guide, otherwise we would have never found the little roads between the sugarcane fields. Afterwards we had lunch at Melicia’s, in the middle of the greenery and very atmospheric. - Paùl Crater
I found this hike too long to do on my own, but it is very popular. You first walk through the Paùl valley, over the mountain top and then get to the giant crater. I went by car to the viewpoint.
Wondering how transportation works on these islands? Then read this blog about local island transportation.
Your workation to Santo Antão
This island is not the ideal place if you have a lot of online work to do and tight deadlines, but if you want to slow down and do some work now and then, it is perfect. You can unwind and recharge very well here. Especially since you can go out into nature a lot, take beautiful walks and enjoy a nice temperature and sunshine in between.
#samenwerking
