Fogo is Cabo Verde's active volcano, and the trip centres on Cha das Caldeiras, the flat crater floor where a farming community has rebuilt vineyards and houses in the shadow of the cone despite past eruptions destroying them. Reaching it from Santiago requires a short flight rather than a ferry, since there's no direct sea link, which makes this the most logistically involved day trip on the island. Inside the caldera, the black lava fields and the volcano's slopes dominate the scale of everything around you.
| Distance | 45-minute TACV flight |
|---|---|
| Travel time | 45 minutes by air (no ferry from Santiago) |
| Getting there | TACV domestic flight from Praia (Francisco Mendes Airport) to Fogo (Sao Filipe Airport) |
How to get there
- TACV domestic flight from Praia (Francisco Mendes Airport) to Fogo (Sao Filipe Airport)
- Day trip or overnight stay possible
Highlights
- Pico do Fogo - active volcano rising to 2,829m, highest peak in Atlantic islands south of Iceland
- Cha das Caldeiras village inside the caldera - built on 1995 lava flows
- Local volcanic wine tasting at Cha winery (grown in volcanic soil inside the crater)
- Guided summit hike with local guides (4-5 hours round trip from caldera floor)