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São Vicente is an island of 227 square kilometres in the north of Cape Verde, and almost every visit starts in Mindelo, the port town that wraps around the bay of Porto Grande. In a single day you can wander its markets and seafront, go up Monte Verde for the view, swim in the sheltered lagoon of Baía das Gatas and still be back on the coast by evening.
Mindelo is the capital of the island and of the municipality of São Vicente, which also takes in the uninhabited island of Santa Luzia and belongs to the Barlavento Islands, the northern group of the archipelago. The town looks out over the bay of Porto Grande, and from the seafront you see Monte Cara on the far side, a mountain whose outline many people read as a face gazing at the sky.
On the waterfront stands a small replica of the Torre de Belém in Lisbon, which now houses a museum of the sea, with the fish market, the Mercado de Peixe, right next to it. In the centre, the Mercado Municipal is a covered market in a colonial building, and the pro-cathedral of Nossa Senhora da Luz is the town's Catholic cathedral. For a view over the rooftops and the bay, go up to the Fortim d'El-Rei, the ruins of an old fort on the hill above the centre; it is best visited in daylight.
Mindelo is often called the cultural capital of Cape Verde, and music is a big part of that reputation. Cesária Évora, the best-known voice of morna, the Cape Verdean song of emigration and distance, was born in Mindelo and spent her life there, and a small museum in town is dedicated to her. The Mindelo Carnival is the island's great party and one of the best known in the country, while Baía das Gatas lends its name to an open-air music festival.
Monte Verde is the highest point of São Vicente, and you can reach the top by road or on foot. From up there you look down on Mindelo and its bay and, on a clear day, across the sea to Santo Antão and Santa Luzia. The summit is often wrapped in fog and is wetter than the rest of the island, so the view depends on the weather: go early and keep the day flexible.
On the northeast coast, Baía das Gatas is a small settlement beside a natural lagoon enclosed by volcanic rock. The water is shallow and clear, which makes it one of the calmest places on the island for a swim; water shoes help on the rocky edges. On the way there from Mindelo, Salamansa, a fishing village, has a long stretch of sand that fills with kitesurfers on windy days. Further south on the east coast, Calhau is a quiet fishing village, and the crater of the extinct Viana volcano lies a short distance away.
On the west side of the island, São Pedro is a fishing village on a long beach. From there a path cut into the hillside runs along the coast to the Dona Amélia lighthouse, on a headland above the Atlantic. The path is exposed to the wind and has no shade or water, so wear closed shoes and take something to drink.
All the trips below start in Mindelo. For a first look at the whole island in one go, the full-day island tour begins at the Torre de Belém replica and a cultural centre, walks through the fish, African and municipal markets, then climbs Monte Verde and follows the north coast road to a swim in the lagoon of Baía das Gatas, with the Calhau valley and the fishing village of Salamansa along the way. Another full day adds the view from the Fortim, lunch near Calhau and the sand dunes beside Baía das Gatas, and ends on the summit of Monte Verde. If you arrive by cruise ship, a private shore excursion with your own guide fits the same highlights into a port call: the main square, the church and the municipal market, a viewpoint over the town and the bay, lunch in Calhau, a swim at Baía das Gatas and Monte Verde.
Shorter tours cover similar ground. A half-day tour pairs the African Market and the centre of Mindelo with the volcanic landscape around Calhau, Salamansa, Baía das Gatas and the natural park on Monte Verde, while a morning tour starts in São Pedro, stops for tea at the top of Monte Verde and goes on to Baía das Gatas, where a small pier lets you jump into the lagoon, before Calhau and the Viana volcano.
For walkers, a guided hike up Monte Verde passes endemic plants on the climb, stops at a tea house near the summit and brings you back by car. The Viana volcano hike drives through the Calhau valley, where farms are still worked by hand, and climbs from the village of Calhau to the rim of the crater. To end the day on the west coast, a sunset walk follows the coastal path from São Pedro to the Dona Amélia lighthouse, with pickup and drop-off at your accommodation.
Every trip that passes through here is also listed on the Mindelo destination page.
Yes. The lagoon is sheltered by rocks and the water is shallow and calm. Wear water shoes on the rocky parts.
No. The summit is often in fog. On clear days the view takes in Mindelo, the bay and, across the water, Santo Antão and Santa Luzia.
Yes. It is the island's main town, and all the tours on this page start there.
The private shore excursion is built around a port call, with lunch in Calhau and a swim on the way.
Sources: Wikidata (CC0).
