Sao Nicolau Island Cape Verde`s lost island
Untouched by tourism, unchanged for centuries
Sao Nicolau is a volcanic island with the peak of Monte Gordo,
1304m high. Discovered on Santa Claus Day 6th December 1461. In
Portuguese he is known as Sao Nicolau or in English Saint Nicholas.
Only later did this day become associated with Christmas. For a
long time , it remained uninhabited. Sao Nicolau was first settled
at Porto da Lapa only in the I7th Century. Pirate attacks forced
a move inland to Ribeira Brava, and the port switched to Preguica
on Sao Jorge Bay, which has had a fortress since 1818.
Sao Nicolau is one of the more fertile islands since rain does
fall here in the Autumn. Oranges are grown as well as coffee high
up on the slopes of Monte Gordo. Maize or sweet corn grows in the
valleys. . There is enough greenery for horses and a few live contentedly
in the relatively mild climate. Walking is one of the special pastimes
of Sao Nicolau and there is a route that follows the main spine
of the island.
Ribeira Brava
A town of narrow streets are lined with pretty colour-washed houses,
with a fine old church and mission school in the town square. Beautifully
kept flower gardens and just a few restaurants.
Preguica
The fishing port of Preguica is on St George Bay, with a fine view
of Caldeira, the extinct volcano known as the cauldron. It is a
small place with a population of only a couple of thousand, Many
of the native born emigrate to Sal for work.
Tarrafal
The main fishing harbour and beach of Sao Nicolau and also the
main ferry port. The town of Tarrafal is renowned for its beach
of black sand, rich in titanium and iodine, and visited by many
people in search of relief from rheumatism.
Nearby is the Rocha Escribida or written on rock face with some
unclear inscriptions, which may be very ancient, possibly Chinese.
This is the island that hardly anybody visits. You can reach it
by ferry from Mindelo or Praia, usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays
and sometimes from Sal on Sundays, but only with special permission
which is rarely given. Or you can fly from Sal, Praia or Mindelo.
It is the best place to catch blue marlin in the Cape Verdes and
one of the best in the entire Atlantic. The seas around the island
of Sao Niciolau are rich in tuna, wahoo, blue marlin and swordfish.
Fishing here can be more productive in terms of weight of fish caught
per dollar spent than almost anywehre in the world.
It also offers wonderful walks along the mountain ridges and horse
rides along the mule tracks.alleys.There is a wide variety of attractive
tracks in different landscape, from volcanic lave to empty beaches,
green valleys and savannah. Monte Gordo is not as high as peaks
on other islands but there is a network of former mule tracks criss-crossing
the entire which make for easier waiking than on Santa Antao or
Fogo.
A from South Africa went out to Raso.
"A fishing boat took us from Tarrafal harbour to Raso and Branco
On Raso, walk to the booby colony and the lark area in fine, sunny
weather. Stay in Raso then proceeding to Branco, where we camped
for the night in the open, on the beach. We explored the south tip
of Branco (Ponta Delgada) in the afternoon, and in the evening,
where we watched the seabirds come in from the sea to their nest
holes in the flat, sandy area near the tip. Beautiful sunrise and
early morning on the beach of Branco. We were picked up by the boat,
and returned to Sao Nicolau, on a very quiet and sunny day, with
very calm sea. The rest of the afternoon and evening, we relaxed
at Hotel Alice. We drove to Ribeira Brava along the north coast,
east to Juncalinho and Jalunga. Visit to an impressive rockpool
at the shore. Returned to Ribeira Brava for lunch. We returned to
Tarrafal, with a stop over near the island's highest peak, Monte
Gordo. Dragon Trees and small patches of indigenous forest was seen
here. We passed through Tarrafal, and went straight to the south
western point of Barril, at the abandoned lighthouse. We watched
seabirds, dolphins and whales from this point. "
B & S from Iowa took the ferry but left by plane.
"Seasickness hits Later in the week, our journey aboard the
Ferry Tarrafal (which took us from Praia to Tarrafal on Sao Nicolau)
proved to be a real test of intestinal fortitude and Dramamine.
We disembarked at 8 p.m. in seas that were expected to be a bit
rough for "inexperienced travelers." Soon after the ferry emerged
from the shelter that Santiago provides from the easterly winds,
the seasickness set in - mostly among the Cape Verdeans. It was
a long, mostly sleepless night until we neared Sao Nicolau and the
shelter of the bay at Tarrafal 12 hours later.
Our driver met us at the landing with his pickup truck. With
Sue in the passenger seat and the rest of us on wooden bench seats
in the back with the luggage, we set off up a winding, washboard
gravel road through mostly treeless, desert-like, rock-strewn landscape.
Over a pass several kilometers from the coast, the interior was
increasingly green if not exactly lush. About halfway through the
hour's drive to Vila da Ribeira Brava, our son's Peace Corps home,
the gravel gave way to cobblestones and we reached the northern
coast.
Architecture differs Ribeira Brava is home to about 2,500. In
marked contrast to Praia and Santiago, the architecture and atmosphere
are more Portuguese and Mediterranean than African. As in the rest
of the nation, fresh water is always in short supply and indoor
plumbing is scarce outside the larger towns. Women carry water home
from community water stations, which are replenished by tanker trucks,
in containers on their heads, in pushcarts or on the backs of donkeys.
Although these islands are considered "developing," it's not unusual
to find families with cell phones and teenagers listening to iPods.
Jobs are few and many Cape Verdeans work in the United States, Italy,
Brazil and Portugal to provide for their families.
We stayed at the Pensao Jardim, a few minutes' walk from the
town square. With colorful tile decor and lush greenery (jardim
means garden), the hillside hotel features a commanding view of
the town and valley from its second-floor patio. Breakfast and dinner
are served al fresco in a rooftop dining area. Other guests during
our stay, from Holland, were there for the hiking, for which Cape
Verde is becoming increasingly well-known.
Christmas dinner We were invited to Christmas dinner with a family
in Ribeira Brava, who cooked a stew of fresh-killed young goat,
potatoes and onions in honor of the occasion. Before we had even
landed on Sao Nicolau, we'd agreed to avoid the 12-hour ferry ride
back to Praia. Instead, we booked seats on a plane from Ribeira
Brava (the airport is a 10-minute drive from the hotel) to the island
of Sal for a six-hour layover, then to Praia."
Hotels on Sao Nicolau Island
