Cape Verde > Climbing the Fogo Volcano

Cape Verde - The first rays of the sun behind the volcano

My alarm goes off at five o’clock. It is still dark outside. I hear several roosters in the village announcing the new day. They have clearly also woken the dogs in the village. I wash myself at the sink. The hot water supply works with a large tank on the roof. The tank is heated by the sun. Since there was no hot water last night, I don’t have much hope for a warm shower. Cecilio already has breakfast ready. A few bread rolls, jam, and cheese. We also have a thermos of coffee. The bread is a bit dry, but otherwise a fine start to the day. Exactly at six o’clock, Eurico walks in. As enthusiastic as yesterday. “Did you sleep well?” he asks. We pack our backpacks and set off. The silhouette of the volcano is already visible. Behind the mountain, the first sunlight glimmers. The sunrays already reach the tops of the surrounding mountains. We follow the road along the volcano and then turn off along a field. We gradually walk upwards. The lava fields here date from older volcanic eruptions. There is no lava from the last two eruptions here, Eurico tells us. The last eruption here was in 1951. In total, since people have lived in Cape Verde, there have been 27 major eruptions. According to Eurico, it is safe to walk here. “We are in contact with the Spanish seismological service,” he continues. The magma field is connected to the volcanoes of the Canary Islands. After about an hour of walking, we reach the foot of the volcano.

Cape Verde - The final steep stretch to the top of the Fogo volcano

Here the path immediately becomes steeper. Eurico leads and sets a steady pace. He clearly has experience in how best to climb the volcano. At this pace, it is manageable. You have to be careful not to slip on the loose volcanic gravel. For safety, I take my hiking poles. Using the poles gives me extra grip. This works well. Only when I have to scramble over some rocks do the poles sometimes get in the way. We regularly take short breaks. Above and below us, we also see other small groups climbing. It’s not very busy on the volcano slope. I estimate that in total, a maximum of fifteen tourists with guides are on the mountain slope. Only Herman, a Dutchman who also sleeps in our accommodation, climbs the mountain independently. He prefers it that way. As we get higher, we have views of the valley behind us. The villages are visible, as are the lava flows from the various eruptions. The color reveals the age of the lava. On the right side, clouds hang low. We are walking above the clouds. Above the coastal strip of the island and above the sea, it is cloudy. A thick cloud layer lies like a blanket over the landscape. We climb further on the shaded side. Only when we get higher does the sun join us. We purposely started early to avoid the heat. This works well. At one of the last stops, Eurico points to the summit. “That is our goal for today,” he says. We see the other groups already standing at the crater rim. Most have passed us. We have no hurry and keep climbing steadily. The layer of gravel thickens. Here I sink in deeper. We also scramble more over boulders. Our effort is rewarded.

Cape Verde - Over a thousand meters below lies the village where we started

Around half past ten, after four and a half hours of climbing, we reach the crater rim. I look into the 180-meter deep volcanic crater. The diameter is about five hundred meters. What an amazing sight. I cannot imagine what a massive explosion created this crater. We could still go a little further to the highest mountain around the crater. For this, we would have to climb along the rocks with a rope. We decide not to do this. The descent already seems hard enough. After a break at the top, we begin the return trip. The first part follows the same path. The gravel makes the path slippery. Several times, I almost slip. We descend carefully. Maarten slips. Eurico sees it happen and rushes to help stop the fall. It seems to be okay. Still, the shock is clearly there. After a few hundred meters, we leave the path. We walk more on volcanic gravel. By digging my heel into the gravel and sliding a bit, descending becomes easy. At least, that’s how I find it. With long steps, I descend the steep volcano slope. Monique and Maarten are less enthusiastic about the gravel. Eurico helps Monique by giving her a hand. We descend straight down. I estimate the slope angle to be almost 45 degrees. I’m having a lot of fun. It feels like descending in deep snow. I can also take big steps as I imagine you can on the moon. However, my shoes sink deep into the gravel. There are stones everywhere. At the bottom of the mountain, I empty my shoes. From here, it is still about an hour’s walk back over hard paths to the village. Around half past one, we are back at the accommodation. It was a beautiful but tiring hike. Fortunately, lunch is ready at the guesthouse. We get Cachupa, a traditional Cape Verdean meal of pork, beans, corn, and rice. It tastes delicious.

Cape Verde - Descending through the volcanic gravel

Eurico eats with us as well. During lunch, he already tells us about tomorrow’s hike. Tomorrow, we will walk out of the valley toward the coast. We will descend from 1700 meters to 300 meters. “Bring enough water,” he advises, “and some snacks.” Eurico expects the walk to take about five to five and a half hours. At the coast, Mayuka will wait for us with our luggage. After that, we will drive on to São Filipe. After lunch, we say goodbye to Eurico for today. Tomorrow morning, we will see him again. I go to my room to wash off the volcanic dust. I step into the shower. The thin stream becomes a bit warm. Just as I lather my hair, the stream turns cold. The hot water is gone. I rinse my hair with cold water. In the afternoon, we take a short walk through the village. The hardened lava flow divides the village. We see a roof sticking out. Underneath, a small house has been dug out again. At the Casa Ramiro bar, we go for a drink. The lava stopped just next to the house. A large stone wall surrounds the terrace. This restaurant is one of the few houses that remained undamaged in the last eruption. A photo of the bar is also in the Bradt guide. “That is my father,” says the boy proudly who brings our drinks. He is currently in the United States. In the evening, we go to eat in a restaurant in the center. There isn’t much choice. We choose “Restaurant Isabella.” From the outside, the restaurant does not look very promising. It is more like a shipping container with a canopy. This restaurant was the first to reopen after the last eruption. Isabella welcomes us warmly. She has no wine from the corporation but does have homemade wine. We get to taste it. It is not a quality wine, but one glass should be fine. Meanwhile, Isabella puts a large dish of vegetables and marinated chicken on the table. A delicious meal. Isabella watches proudly to see if we like it. Probably tourists don’t often choose this location.

Cape Verde - Dining in the container restaurant