Fogo, Cape Verde Islands
Today was our second day in the Cape Verde Islands, and we visited an island very different from Santo Antão in the north. Fog is the active volcano in Cabo Verde, and the peak of the island rises straight up to 2800 meters above sea level. We landed by zodiac at the primary port of San Felipe and drove up and up on the cobblestone roads to the edge of the caldera. Here, we drove over lava produced during an eruption in 1951. Fogo (which means “Fire” in Portuguese) has erupted at least 12 times in the 500 years since its discovery in 1500. In 1682, the British pirate and nationalist William Dampier wrote that “Fogo is a Vulcano. It is all of it one large mountain of good heighth, out of the top of which whereof issues Flames of Fire, yet only discerned in the Night: and then it may be seen a great way at Sea.” Obviously, Fogo was a beacon even then.
From the crater rim, we drove right down into the caldera floor and over the lava which erupted in 1995, the site of the most resent activity. This lave a very fresh and shiny and also extremely sharp. It will cut one’s shoes to pieces in short order. Continuing past the new lava flow, we stopped at the small village of Chã das Caldieras (which means a flat spot in the caldera). The village is home to a couple of hundred souls who were evacuated in 1995 and have now chosen to return to their rather bleak, but beloved home. At Chã they produce wine and a few other agricultural products and have recently opened a very small information center for the National Park which includes the entire caldera complex. The wonderful people of Cabo Verde are taking the initiative to protect his wonderful, if stark landscape and to encourage responsible tourism. Tourism is still at a very small level of activity in the islands and it was a privilege for us to see them so undeveloped.
Today was our second day in the Cape Verde Islands, and we visited an island very different from Santo Antão in the north. Fog is the active volcano in Cabo Verde, and the peak of the island rises straight up to 2800 meters above sea level. We landed by zodiac at the primary port of San Felipe and drove up and up on the cobblestone roads to the edge of the caldera. Here, we drove over lava produced during an eruption in 1951. Fogo (which means “Fire” in Portuguese) has erupted at least 12 times in the 500 years since its discovery in 1500. In 1682, the British pirate and nationalist William Dampier wrote that “Fogo is a Vulcano. It is all of it one large mountain of good heighth, out of the top of which whereof issues Flames of Fire, yet only discerned in the Night: and then it may be seen a great way at Sea.” Obviously, Fogo was a beacon even then.
From the crater rim, we drove right down into the caldera floor and over the lava which erupted in 1995, the site of the most resent activity. This lave a very fresh and shiny and also extremely sharp. It will cut one’s shoes to pieces in short order. Continuing past the new lava flow, we stopped at the small village of Chã das Caldieras (which means a flat spot in the caldera). The village is home to a couple of hundred souls who were evacuated in 1995 and have now chosen to return to their rather bleak, but beloved home. At Chã they produce wine and a few other agricultural products and have recently opened a very small information center for the National Park which includes the entire caldera complex. The wonderful people of Cabo Verde are taking the initiative to protect his wonderful, if stark landscape and to encourage responsible tourism. Tourism is still at a very small level of activity in the islands and it was a privilege for us to see them so undeveloped.
