If we had to count the real wonders of this low world on our hand fingers, Santo Antao Island would definitely be a part of it. This is the most fascinating island of Cape Verde and certainly one of the most interesting on the Earth. Santo Antao, the most distant Island from African continent, is as wonderful as inaccessible. There, everything is extreme, starting by the small landing strip, laid on the sea like an aircraft career. Natural elements are wild. The mangled relief and its abrupt mountains diving into an agitated sea creates a humbleness feeling by approaching the coasts for the first time. A traveller find again this impression everywhere in the island, so much natural wonders are grandiose. Even for Cape verdian people from the others islands, Santo Antao is a bit mysterious, considered as an exception, but is also popular because here is produced the famous Grog, sugar-cane alcohol more than 60%, which is the national drink. Santo Antao remains very authentic. Travellers can only access from the neighbouring Sao Vicente Island, by ferry or local planes. There are no accommodation, but some small pensions, and the few foreigners visiting the place are all a bit adventurous and fond of trekking. Santo Anto, in spite of a hostile sea that is not propitious to beach tourism, reserves certainly some the most fascinating discoveries in the World, through long and unforgettable walks permitting to get really involved into local traditions.

Santo Antao is very different from the others Capeverdian islands. Contrary to the frequent dryness of this archipelago, this place is an impressive tangle of micro-climates that results to an incredible variety of landscapes, from small jungles to dry mountains, all grouped on small distances ( only 779kms2 of surface ). Faun and flora, at this image, are as much exceptional as varied. Inside the island, the relief is so hilly that colonization was long and difficult. On the other hand, a great part of Santo Antao beneficiates of important precipitations that allows some extremely varied cultivations. In the northern-east part, inside deep and green valleys called "ribeiras", between two vertical crests, pure water filtered by rocks is preciously saved inside natural or artificial reservoirs.

From Porto Novo harbour, after a 1-hour ferry trip in extreme but funny conditions, the main road of the Island reaches the top of the mountains; the difference of level is so important and sudden that it's like a take off. This paved road, essential link between the North and the South of Santo Antao is a pleasure for eyes. After the top of the first crest, climate changes to become almost like in the French Alps. Suddenly, pines forests appear to contrast with the dry aspect of the southern coast. The difference of temperature is also high and the atmosphere becomes almost cold ! Then the road gets up and down on the tops of the mountains, passing into the clouds, like hanged in the sky. While altitude becomes less important, a tropical vegetation and terraced cultivations, reminding Asian landscapes, take place on the hillsides. Valleys are sometimes so deep and green that its difficult to differentiate the bottom. Down to the sea, at the end of a green ribeira is located Ribeira Grande, the small capital and its lovely small colonial centre that represents well the rural aspect of Santo Antao. Trekking around Ribeira Grande will take a visitor to a green world, at the middle of an exuberant nature. Behind the crest of Cova crater, an inactive volcano where is located a lost village, starts a winding path getting vertically down into the clouds. The atmosphere becomes cottony and the dense fog doesn t allow to see where the way is going down to. At the bottom, spread Passagem valley. The show is amazing : the numerous cultivations, the heavy vegetation and also humidity turns the place into a real jungle. Coloured flowers of every kind add a sweet touch. The way gets through picturesque villages and groups of small houses built into gross stone and with sugar-cane roofs, so typical of Santo Antao. This valley seems rather prosperous and is the privileged part of Cape Verde. Local people, thanks to the exceptional conditions of the place, manage to live with agriculture, cultivating various products like bananas, papayas, African potatoes, sugar-canes etc. Water coming down the mountains is collected by a complex system of irrigation. This gift from Nature is exceptional in the Archipelago. The place is definitely savage and contrasts in the climate are flabbergasting. Along a short distance, a tropical rain makes the trek difficult, then a bit further, the ground is absolutely dry. A few kilometres away, this dreaming adventure ends on the east coast, in the small city of Paul, where a strong sun is shining in a perfect blue sky. This joking climate and those changing temperatures request a strong capacity of adaptation to a traveller.

Cliffs of Santo Antao are also a great example of the natural disproportions. A scenic 11 km path will put a trekker in communion with the elements. West to Ribeira Grande city starts a road in poor state getting inside the island, passing trough a hilly, luxurious and humid landscape, to stop on the Northern coast. In Cruzinha da Garcia village, the view over black and almost menacing cliffs, partly covered with clouds gives an idea of the wonders that reserves this trek. From here starts a vertiginous and narrow bridle-path hanged on the cliffs sides, between sea and sky. By this path that runs along every winding of the coast and gets up and down inside quiet coves, a trekker will have the occasion to discover the surprising natural sculptures of some rocks ( from volcanic origin ) hewed by the wind. This way is sometimes dangerous because of stones collapsing, but the scenery is like in a dream. The furious sea strikes with violence the bottom of the cliffs, hewing some inaccessible caves and natural platforms. The high mountains maintain the clouds inside the island, so the sun of the coast is really strong and the small path is crushed under hotness. Elements are masters here and at that moment, a tourist on his own can feel very small. The trek ends by a small detour from the coast inside a green valley and 3 lovely villages ( Formiguignhas, Corvo et Fontainhas ) where a tired walker can rely on inhabitant's hospitality, as usual. Those middle-aged villages are built on such steep mountains sides that the first question coming up to our mind is to know why people choose such an abrupt place to settle. After the end of the trek in Ponta Do Sol, where is located the small Santo Antao airport ( to be seen for its amazing landing strip ), its easy to find a collective taxi ( feeling it almost comfortable after all those emotions ) to get back to Ribeira Grande city.

The southern and western parts of Santo Antao strongly contrasts with the natural richness of the northern areas and show another aspect of the island. Close to the coast, dry and red canyons suddenly replace greenness. Along the sea, over West, spreads an arid landscape covered by black volcanic dust. Inside this part of Santo Antao, geology offers a spectacular show. Imposing volcanic needles, testifying of an active past. Between those mountains, valleys are so dry and hotness is so much strong that it is difficult to believe we are still on the same island. Until Ribeira da Cruz, close to the West Coast, villages are more rare and terraced cultures are less luxurious. As everywhere else in the island, this area remains very savage and empty of any industry. Along the road, only the mountains raising their pointed tops over the sky, almost menacing, are masters. The road ( not always paved ) suffers sometimes of collapsing stones and in general of the mountains caprices.

In Santo Anto, people took advantage of the privileges offered by a disproportioned Nature. Nevertheless, locals respect the strengh of Nature by being perfectly integrated to the ecosystem. Here, it's like inhabitants were only allowed to keep their role, given by Nature that masters the rest. Human Beings did not trespass on millenaries wonders and remain on right place like the whole faun. More than exceptional sceneries, this aspect turns Santo Antao into a complex and fascinating World. A traveller will have many difficulties to explain and sum up the strong impressions and new sensations he discovered here.

* AFTER YOU HAVE READ THIS ARTICLE, KNOW MORE ABOUT CAPE VERDE WITH THE RELATING ALBUMS ON THIS SITE :

Cape Verde : Presentation and Santiago Island : http://www.worldisround.com/articles/6739/index.html

Boa Vista, the sand island: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/6740/index.html

Fogo, the lava island : http://www.worldisround.com/articles/6742/index.html

Sao Vicente, the music island : http://www.worldisround.com/articles/6743/index.html