Fogo Island Sao Filipe, Cape Verde
Cape Verde

18 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Lindblad Expeditions (2 Cruises)

Ponant (16 Cruises)


Frequently Asked Questions

Ships anchor off the west coast and passengers land at the small port of São Filipe, the island capital. The upper town is then explored on foot.
Wander the upper town, a grid of sloping streets lined with sobrados, the two-storey Portuguese colonial houses with wooden balconies and pastel facades. From the seafront lookouts, the view drops to a black sand beach pounded by Atlantic rollers.
The climb to Chã das Caldeiras, a lava plateau at around 1,700 metres inside a caldera nine kilometres wide, ringed by walls close to a kilometre high. Allow about an hour and a half of winding road and half a day at minimum.
Yes. Pico do Fogo last erupted in 2014. Its near-perfect cone catches the clouds at 2,829 metres.
No. The ascent takes a long half-day and excellent fitness: it is out of reach on a standard call.
Yes. The villages of Portela and Bangaeira, partly buried by the 2014 flow, were rebuilt on the spot by their residents, who raised houses and guesthouses directly on the fresh lava. You walk among roofs still emerging from the black rock.
Yes, and it is unique in the archipelago: Fogo wine comes from vines growing directly in the volcanic ash of the caldera. It is served with goat cheese and Cape Verdean dishes in the guesthouses of Chã das Caldeiras.
Locally roasted coffee from the well-regarded plantations on the northern and eastern slopes, caldera wine, and cotton goods sold in the shops of São Filipe.
Bring a warm layer if you go up: it is cool at 1,700 metres even when the coast is sweltering. The contrast between the green coast and the mineral caldera is the trip in itself.
The Cape Verdean escudo; euros are often accepted, but cash is recommended. If the call falls around 1 May, the town celebrates its patron saint with cavalcades, drums and processions, one of the oldest festivals in the archipelago.