To A Land Called Fire
Having from breakfast time till 4pm to make our way back down the island, we take a leisurely scenic drive down the east coast before turning inland across to Praia, rather than retracing our steps through the mountain ranges. Just before we leave the coast, we take a short break in the very appealing town of Pedra Bodejo where a great looking restaurant on the clifftop makes us wish we needed more than just a fruit juice.
And so by mid afternoon we’re back in Praia, car returned to the rental company, ready for the earliest morning start of the whole trip for the dawn ferry to our next island, Fogo. It’s still dark as we mingle with the other passengers ahead of what is a four-hour crossing, a journey which is uneventful apart from the method of loading baggage on to the boat. All baggage is loaded on to the back of an aged and creaking truck – which is then driven on to the ferry and comes with us on board all the way to destination, where it is driven out on to the quay ready for the guys to take it all off again. There is surely a better way!
Before departure, the sides of the truck won’t lock, and we are treated to the hilarious sight of one of the operatives using a brick to hammer the bolts shut in order to try and close up the truck and keep the luggage mountain in place. Later, at the destination port on Fogo and the truck safely on the quayside, boat staff climb right to the top of the luggage pile and begin to unload the whole cargo bag by bag, balanced somewhat precariously on top of the bag mountain, not helped by our fellow passengers clamouring around just inches from the rear of the truck even if their bag isn’t close to being visible yet. We just stand back and laugh at the whole daft scenario.
Finally reunited with our backpacks we head towards the gate where dozens of taxi drivers are touting for business in that familiar frenetic scene which takes place at ferry ports across the world. To my amazement, every one of them is looking at me and shouting “Taxi for Philip! Taxi for Philip!”. Just as my head is about to run away with my new found fame, it dawns on me that the main town here is called Sao Felipe….and it all falls mundanely and disappointingly into place. Ah well, maybe my fifteen minutes of fame will come another day.
Our time on Fogo will be limited to a little over 48 hours, comprising 2 nights, 1 full day and two half days. We had really wanted to stay longer, but a combination of sold out flights and sparse ferry schedules meant we had to rethink and cut our time here, so it’s necessary to fill that short time as gainfully as we can.
So Sunday morning it’s off straight after breakfast in a tour company minibus to take in more of the island and its unmissable highlight: the volcano. Fogo is basically one soaring conical island: craters and smaller calderas dot the mountainside but the entire island is dominated by the giant, commanding volcanic peak towards its northern edge, Pico do Fogo. This is no dormant or extinct monster, either: Fogo is an island which lives in fear of the next eruption every time a new earth tremor rumbles underfoot.
Fogo, which literally translates as “fire”, last witnessed a major eruption just nine years ago in 2014, before that in 1951 and again in 1995. Climbing the steep roads in the minibus, the landscape changes noticeably as the earth and the rock become darker and darker until eventually we’re in the midst of the lava field. Acres and acres of jet black lava rock form strange other worldly shapes stretching in every direction – it’s an eerie moonscape scene completely devoid of colour except where locals have planted vines or the odd poinsettia.
Many of these misshapen black devils lie precisely where they landed in 2014 – lava bombs measuring 4 metres across were hurled up to 500 metres from the erupting vent. The vast area destroyed and devastated by the lava flow has to be seen to be believed – what a terrifying sight the eruptions must have been at their height.
The top of Pico do Fogo is 2,829 metres above sea level, yet Fogo is just a small, almost circular island; the volcano is utterly dominant. Being what is known as a stratovolcano, Fogo is the perfect conical shape, the classic shape which we would all draw if picturing a volcano. It’s a mighty sight. The lava flow from the 2014 eruption poured directly through two villages, destroying nearly all of the dwellings in both Portela and Bangaeira, though with the warnings heeded there were thankfully no fatalities.
Portela though was virtually wiped out and the only road to both villages was submerged beneath the lava flow – it is still possible to see the roofs of houses now at the new ground level, surrounded by the blackness of the surreal landscape. The people of the village were re-housed closer to Sao Felipe, but as so often happens, are now migrating back to the home base and are rebuilding the village on top of, and amongst, the bleak black lava flow.
Our guide (we heard his name as Albino, not sure if that’s correct), tells us that locals believe that they are safe because the lava flow will not follow the same path twice. Whilst there may be some logic in that – after all, the lava field is by definition now raised ground and therefore not the lowest flow route – I’m not sure we’d be so confident if choosing the site for our new home. Living at the foot of an active, dangerous volcano is a precarious existence.
Older lava flows have now turned to fertile ash and soil in which coffee plantations and vineyards thrive – indeed the Fogo wines are very good, particularly the reds. These wines fall into two categories: Cha, from a vineyard co-operative within the caldera, and Manecom, local wines produced in small quantities by independent growers.
Back down near sea level, Sao Felipe is a quaint little town not at all similar to Tarrafal on Santiago, still laid back but a little more genteel, maybe even a little more polished. Sitting on the top of cliffs above the black sands of its deserted beach, the town boasts a collection of leafy squares and a whole host of steeply inclined lanes lined with colourful low rise houses, many of which are adorned with beautifully crafted balconies and balustrades.
We arrived on a Saturday, our host telling us straight away that, apart from the restaurants, everything shuts down from 4pm Saturday until Monday morning. It’s true: we enjoy a very tranquil couple of evenings here with good food, good wine and peaceful surroundings.
Monday comes around and, with a 4-hour indoor-only ferry crossing to come, one which has a reputation for difficult crossings, we are not best pleased to see a much rougher, white topped Atlantic rolling below. By coincidence we catch sight of our ferry on its way up the line several hours before it returns to take us back to Praia. It’s being thrown around as if it’s made of cork.
It’s with a little bit of nervousness that we board the ferry. This might just be something of an ordeal.
24 Comments
Toonsarah
Ah, this is one of the islands I most wanted to visit but couldn’t, as when we booked at short notice there was no accommodation available! Your photos and descriptions make me even sorrier we didn’t make it here, as that bleak volcanic landscape is mesmerising and the town looks (and sounds) lovely 🙂
Phil & Michaela
The Fogo volcano and lava flow really is a stunning sight, Sarah. Would ideally have liked to have stayed longer.
wetanddustyroads
Ha, the ‘luggage transport system’ is funny (at least it’s very neatly packed on the truck). But yes, you’re going to wait a long time to get your backpack if it’s at the very bottom! And what a stunning view from your balcony (love the pictures). The area around the volcano is beautiful in a strange way and yet also eerie. I wouldn’t want to be there when it erupts (and certainly not building my house nearby)! Beautiful photos of Sao Felipe … and I’m grabbing my seasick pills for your next post!
Phil & Michaela
Yep, our backpacks were well buried. Took ages and everything inside was flattened! But yeah the volcano is a really spectacular sight.
grandmisadventures
I’ll never complain about the baggage handlers at the airport again after seeing the truck packed to bursting with luggage! What a great 48 hour visit with the volcano and those beautifully colored houses…although I would never be brave enough to build a house so close to a volcano like that 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Me neither!
Andrew Petcher
I like the colours. I would like to see a volcanic eruption just so long as I am not standing too close. Etna awaits.
Phil & Michaela
We climbed Stromboli at night on an organised hike and stood above watching the lava explosions and ducking when the cinders came flying. It’s a fantastic experience if you ever get the chance to do it.
GeoDel PhotoTravelogue
It looks like quite an adventure. One must be resilient to be living in this place. Nice photo!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you – yes life beneath an active volcano is a different type of existence
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
I have seen those baggage mountains before and they are certainly a sight to behold; daft, as you say.
Your photos are fantastic. I have seen a smoking Etna, and that drove the respect required for active volcanoes. I certainly wouldn’t be re-building on the old site!
Interesting post. 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Thank you 😊
restlessjo
I loved Lanzarote for the lunar landscape but this is something else. More akin to Pico in the Azores. I think I’d really like Fogo. Our crossing from Faial was pretty rough but much shorter.
Phil & Michaela
Fogo is really spectacular, Jo. Wish we could stayed longer because there are organised treks right to the top. Would like to have done that but we just didn’t have time.
restlessjo
😢🩵
Lookoom
Sao Felipe looks like a beautiful little colonial town, more colonial than local.
Phil & Michaela
Yes those balconies belong in Europe rather than Africa!
Travels Through My Lens
The luggage movement system is quite entertaining! After having lived through one volcanic explosion (Mt. Saint Helens, 1980) I could never live so close to a volcano. Beautiful photos!
Phil & Michaela
I can totally understand that! Remarkable that the villagers are so intent on moving right back into the danger zone.
WanderingCanadians
I’m not sure I’d want to build or buy a house in a lava flow either, especially since the volcano is still active!
leightontravels
What a stunning place and a fearsome looking volcano. The town seems really charming too, love those splashes of colour which give it a European feel. Talk about a whirlwind couple of days.
Phil & Michaela
Definitely left wishing we had longer…
Annie Berger
Quite a journey! Looks like it was well worth it even if it was shorter than you’d have preferred. Loved the vibrant colors of San Felipe. Hope the return ferry crossing wasn’t as bad as you feared.
Phil & Michaela
It was much worse….!