Ilhado Fogo Travel Guide

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The old centre of Sao Filipe, called Bila Baxo, is a nice place for a walk. Cobbled streets, old colonial houses, small squares decorated with monuments of old (unknown for me) Portuguese heroes, and the seafront promenade with great views of the sea, the cliffs, the black sand at the beach, and of Fogo’s neighbouring island, Brava.

In the centre of town you’ll also find the most important catholic church of the town. It is Nossa Senhora da Conceição which was built at the end of the 19th century. I didn't go inside so can't give any information about the interior… You can also walk by the old fortress Fortim Carlota. It original dates from 1667. Only a part of the fortress remains today, and it was used as a prison until 2005. I was told that the prison was closed down because the inmates used to shout at the people walking by, but don't know if it is true…

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I booked a half-day ‘around the island’ tour through the Colonial Guesthouse, and it was a great experience. We were driving in an open jeep, more or less following the coastline around the Cha Das Caldeira volcanic crater. We passed small local villages, farmhouses, remains of old lava streams, and several spots with a good view of Pico de Fogo...

Our driver made a couple of stops during the tour. First at a viewpoint just outside Mosterios (in the north) and from there was a great view of the sea and Mosterios town. The area around Mosterios was the more tropical part of the island of Fogo, and here we also visited a small farm where the owner showed us around and told us a little about the crop (coffee, bananas and vegetables)...

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Cha Das Caldeira is the main reason why most people visit the Fogo Island, and it is an amazing place with a beautiful landscape and the volcano Pico de Fogo as the absolute highlight. The Pico de Fogo is the highest spot in Cape Verde, about 2.830 meters above sea level. The crater is also home of two small communities, Portela and Bangaeira, and they are well worth a visit. Houses made of lava, roads made of lava, a quite famous wine production, and an interesting history and culture... Lava, lava, and lava...

I didn't, but it is possible to climb the top of Pico de Fogo or the Dois de Abril peak, but this should only be done with a local guide. And there are a few options if you want to spend the night at Cha Das Caldeira, for instance at Casa Marisa.