Brava Island Furna, Cape Verde
Cape Verde

Entering Furna Bay demands silence. The anchorage sits inside a former volcanic crater open to the ocean, and the ship seems to glide into an amphitheatre of dark cliffs. Stepping ashore at the foot of this wall ranks among the highlights of a Cape Verde voyage: depending on the ship's size, passengers dock directly or reach land by tender, and Brava, the island nicknamed the island of flowers, only reveals itself to those who take the time to climb up and meet it.

The Road of 99 Turns

From the small landing point, a mountain road climbs in tight switchbacks up to the heights. It's said to have 99 turns, and no one bothers counting, so busy are the eyes with the scenery: at every bend, the bay shrinks below, the ocean widens, and the vegetation grows fresher as the altitude increases. This short drive is already an experience in itself, between cultivated slopes and mist clinging to the ridgelines.

Nova Sintra, a Balcony at 520 Metres

The road opens onto a plateau where Nova Sintra, Brava's main town, spreads out. Its colonial centre ranks among the best preserved in the archipelago: low houses in soft colours, flower-filled gardens, streets laid out in an even grid. It's a place to wander without a fixed plan, between the São João Baptista church and quiet squares, up to the nearby lookout with its view reaching the coast. The Eugénio Tavares cultural centre honours the island-born poet, a beloved figure in Cape Verdean letters, whose verses still accompany the mornas sung here today.

The air on the plateau is surprisingly cool: ocean mist clings to the heights, sustaining the gardens and blooms that gave Brava its nickname. You'll pass schoolchildren in uniform, locals happy to say hello, and sometimes an emigrant back from America to spend the season at home, the island's whole story bound up in these transatlantic comings and goings.

Fajã d'Água and the Lava Pools

On the western slope, the hamlet of Fajã d'Água stretches out between the ocean and a ring of mountains. It's one of the island's most endearing spots: a handful of houses, boats pulled up on dry land, and natural pools carved into the volcanic rock where you can swim when the swell allows. The water takes on deep hues, framed by black basalt. Time here is measured by the passing clouds more than by any clock.

The Rombo Islets, a Seabird Refuge

Facing Furna, the islets of Seco and Rombo rise offshore, uninhabited and protected. Designated a strict nature reserve and an important bird area, they're a reminder that the richness of these waters lies as much in the sea as in the island's high-altitude gardens. From the ship's deck, binoculars in hand, you can follow seabirds moving between the rocks and the open sea.

An Island Worth Earning

Brava appears on only a handful of itineraries, most often those of expedition ships, and that rarity is exactly what makes the port call so valuable. There's no terminal here, no row of shops: just welcoming residents, vertical landscapes, and an island culture proud of its poets and its emigrants who come home again.

Leaving the Crater

As the ship pulls back out of the bay, the cliffs of Furna slowly close behind it like the pages of a book. The flowers of Nova Sintra, the pools of Fajã d'Água and Tavares's verses stay behind at their post, faithful as ever. The archipelago has more famous islands; none says goodbye with quite this gentle gravity, and many passengers that evening keep their eyes on the cliff wall for a long time, as if to make sure it all really exists.

Frequently Asked Questions

In Furna Bay, a former volcanic crater open to the ocean. Depending on the ship's size, you either come alongside the small pier or land by tender, at the foot of an amphitheatre of dark cliffs.
No, you have to go up. The landing is at sea level and the island's life is on the plateau, 520 metres above. A mountain road credited with 99 bends carries you there by vehicle.
Brava's main settlement, on a plateau at 520 metres. Its colonial centre is among the best preserved in the archipelago: low houses in soft colours, flowering gardens, a regular street grid, the church of São João Baptista and a lookout with views down to the coast.
Because ocean mists catch on the heights and keep the gardens and blossoms going. The air on the plateau is surprisingly cool, in sharp contrast to the heat at sea level.
Brava's native poet, a beloved figure in Cape Verdean letters, whose verses still accompany the mornas sung here. A cultural centre in Nova Sintra is devoted to him.
A hamlet on the western slope, stretched between the ocean and a cirque of mountains: a few houses, boats hauled up on land, and natural pools cut into the volcanic rock where you can swim when the swell allows.
In the natural pools at Fajã d'Água, when the swell allows. The water takes on deep tones, ringed by black basalt. There is no developed beach on the island.
Uninhabited protected islets offshore from Furna, classified as an integral nature reserve and an important bird area. From the ship's deck, binoculars in hand, you can follow the seabirds moving between the rocks and the open sea.
Very few: no terminal, no row of shops. The island appears on only a handful of itineraries, mostly expedition ships, and that rarity is exactly what makes the call worth it.
The Cape Verdean escudo; euros are sometimes accepted, but bring cash. Portuguese and Cape Verdean Creole are spoken, and residents greet visitors readily.