One of the stops on our recent transatlantic cruise was Cabo Verde, a beautiful island/country off the coast of western Africa. Before we arrived, my husband and I tried to find information about hiking up Monte Verde, the highest peak on the island which is close to the port of Mindelo, where our ship was going to dock for the day. But it was difficult to find info, possibly because Cabo Verde is not a common destination for many travelers. So, future hikers and visitors, here is what we learned and experienced:
We correctly determined that we weren’t going to have enough time to hike all the way to and from the port to peak and back (a roundtrip hike of about 13 or 14 miles). However, according to Google Maps, it was about a 20-minute drive to the “crossroads” where the main highway intersects with the cobblestone road that goes up to the peak, so we decided to get a ride to the crossroads. As soon as our ship arrived early in the morning, we exited the port, only to be greeted by a throng of taxi drivers who shouted and waved maps in our faces trying to get our attention. It was a little overwhelming, so we walked a few blocks to get out of the crush of taxis and humanity.
On the main street, we approached a few drivers and using the few words of Portuguese we learned, we communicated that we wanted a ride to the crossroads at the base of the mountain. One driver didn’t want to take us there and another driver said he wouldn’t be able to pick us up later, which was another problem. Finally, we found Fernando, who drove a pickup truck with wooden seats in the back. He hesitated at first because he didn’t want to drive up to the top. But when he understood that we only wanted a ride to the crossroads, he agreed, and even said he would pick us up after our hike. To sweeten the deal, we offered him a few extra dollars for his effort to come pick us up later. Perfect!
By the way, if you have any euros, BRING THEM to Cabo Verde. We only had U.S. dollars, which made Fernando’s face scrunch up like he just ate a Sour Patch candy. He would have preferred euros or the local currency, but since all we had were dollars, he grudgingly accepted them. In total for both of us, we agreed to pay him $12 going to and $15 coming from the crossroads.
I was glad for the ride. Most of the road would have been walkable, but there was definitely a significant stretch of highway with no shoulder that would not have been safe. But when he dropped us off at the crossroads, we could not find the hiking trail that went to the top. We knew it existed, but we had NO IDEA where it started or ended, so we decided to simply walk the three miles up the cobblestone road. No joke, it was steep. So steep that a few cyclists we saw trying to ride up could barely stay upright on their bikes, and every time a taxi or minibus drove past us taking visitors to the top, everyone looked at us like we were freakin’ crazy. To be fair, it was a 1,500-foot elevation climb in the heat with no shade, so… uh… yeah… we were crazy.
However, it was a fantastic hike. The view of Mindelo and the island beaches below were beautiful, and we enjoyed seeing our ship, the Island Princess, way off in the distance. It was also fun to pass a goatherd tending his herd on the side of the hill. For the record, it took us an hour and fifteen minutes to hike to the top and a bit longer, about an hour and a half, to hike back down. That’s because the steep downhill hurt my knees. Although I huffed and puffed and sweated going uphill, I definitely preferred that to the pain of going down.
When we got back to the crossroads, we faced another dilemma. Although we were certain Fernando agreed to meet us back at the crossroads after our hike, we weren’t sure what time we told him to return. Part of the problem was that the ship time was an hour later than island time, but also Pat and I apparently told him two different things. Pat thought he should come back in 4 hours, and I told him to be back in 3 hours and whatever we communicated to him was a jumble, even to us. So when we hiked down the mountain and got back to the crossroads and he wasn’t there, we realized we could only afford to wait for him for an hour or we would have to start walking back to make sure we got back to the ship in time. In case you don’t know, cruise ships don’t wait. If you’re not back in time, the ship will sail off into the sunset and offer no apology when you have to make your own expensive arrangements to get to the next port, which for us would be Fort Lauderdale.
For 45 minutes, we sat on the side of the road under a bush, which was the only shade we had seen in hours. Although we both carried water bottles, they were both empty. Eventually, we knew we had to start walking, and I had to really psych myself up to the prospect of walking all the way back to the ship in the blazing heat, hoping we could find something to drink along the way.
Fortunately, we had only walked for about 10 minutes when we saw his truck approach and we happily waved him to the side of the road, where we gratefully scrambled into his truck.
Fernando pulled through. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Fernando!
We got back to the ship in plenty of time, happy, grateful and completely spent. At least I was. Pat, of course, barely even sweats. But the next day when our ship was at sea, I felt seasick, probably because I was exhausted and dehydrated from the hike.
Nonetheless, Cabo Verde is now one of my favorite places, and hiking to the top of Monte Verde will remain one of my best memories.
