In these difficult financial times, it is reassuring to know that when you book with us, your holiday is fully protected financially. We have an ATOL license which protects your holidays 'that includes' flights, and we are also members of AITO who have stringent financial membership criteria.

Many of you who have travelled with us to Sao Jorge in the Azores will have met Luis Vieira who organised all our transfers for us on the island. We were shocked to hear this week that Luis died suddenly on 7th February. We will all miss him on our visits and have so many lovely memories of him as I know many of you will too.

The cultural heart of Cape Verde, this island has a vibrant music scene and is a mecca for sailors and windsurfers. Why not combine Sao Vicente with a trip to Santo Antao, just a one hour ferry trip away and take advantage of the wonderful walking, canyoning and mountain biking on this island?

São Vicente Information

This Afro/Brazilian art form is a style of acrobatic non combat fighting performed to music and narrative. Whilst staying on Sao Vicente I was lucky enough to visit a local Capoeira school in Mindelo. The class is funded through donations from a local agency which pays for the rental of the room and uniforms for the children. I arrived a few minutes before the session began and the children ranging from about 6 to 18 poured through the doors full of excitement and chatter. The master then called them to gather round and the mood changed, all became quiet and you could tell the children were listening intently to his every word. One or two children played the musical instruments while another child called out the narrative for the dance and the performance began. It started slowly at first and then became faster as the tempo picked up. The martial art style moves are quick and slick, an impressive sight which will stay with me forever, as I found the performance very emotional and had to fight back the tears. I was so taken with the relationship between the master and the children and their mutual respect for one another. It is a huge part of Cape Verdean culture and groups perform in the main square Amilcar Cabral on Sunday evenings. So if you stay in Mindelo join the locals, buy an ice-cream and enjoy the spectacle!

See our holidays on Sao Vicente

One of the largest towns in Cape Verde, Mindelo is home to 60,000 of Sao Vicente’s 70,000 inhabitants! During my recent guided tour of the city I was amazed by the contrasting colours of the buildings and by how busy and bustling the markets were. The tour took about 1½ hours and in that time we visited the main square which is where everyone meets in the evenings and also the old warehouses which are down by the sea front. Here you can find a large bar which was made for all the sailors and fishermen and also a building where theatre is performed. One of the highlights for me was visiting a guitar maker named Luis Baptista who had a workshop a few minutes from the centre of town. Here it was interesting to see the different stages of guitar making and we were also lucky enough to be given a private performance of typical Cape Verdean music by Luis and his colleagues!

Casa Café Mindelo During my visit to Mindelo I stayed in this stylish guesthouse above its trendy café of the same name which is a favourite place for artists, musicians and writers to hang out. This old colonial property has been restored and renovated beautifully. It’s located close to the Town Hall and the main harbour which is bustling with people during the day. There are only 4 rooms which are large and tastefully furnished. The two shared bathrooms are located on the roof terrace. Don’t be put off by this as the bathrooms are very smart, it’s also lovely to sit on the terrace at night and cool down after the heat of the day. Take some time to sit in the café over a coffee and cake. It’s a great place for people watching.

A rugged island of green moor land dotted with lakes, a coastline of black lava dominated by verdelho vineyards and of course the lofty Mt Pico – the volcanic cone which rises to 2351m. For visitors to Pico the main attraction is the wonderful whale and dolphin watching, but the walking is also excellent, the quiet lanes make for good cycle touring and anyone who enjoys wine will not be disappointed.

Azores Pico Information

My whale watching trip on Pico started with a multimedia presentation by one of the Marine Biologists. This was both entertaining and informative and prepared us for the trip to come. Once togged out in lifejackets and waterproofs we all headed off with Pedro the skipper to our inflatable RIB boat and bounced off to sea. The skipper received news over the radio that a male sperm whale had been spotted in the waters between Pico and Faial. Once nearby, the engine was cut so as we could hear the sounds of the whale on the hydrophone. Male sperm whales are quite shy, so he wasn’t keen on showing himself too much! Before long the whale decided it was time to dive below to feed on squid, so the excitement was all too soon over! On our return back to base we were lucky enough to spot some dolphins and witnessed a very rare occurrence; a common dolphin and Risso dolphin mating! The dolphins didn’t disappoint and entertained us for some time with showy jumps. Overall we were probably out at sea for almost three hours, but it was worth every bump to our rear ends! During the trip the Skipper and the Marine Biologist kept us informed and shared their knowledge and also answered a barrage of questions from the eager folk on board.

See our whale watching holidays

Last October I visited the Azores for the fifth time since I began working with Archipelago and I was determined to finally climb Mt Pico! After a quick ferry trip across the channel from Faial I was met by Joao, our taxi driver on Pico who is also a qualified mountain guide. To begin with we drove out of Madalena for 30 minutes up the lower slopes until we reached the starting point – a building at about 1000m. The ascent is fairly steep from the outset and as the path winds up the mountainside you can see the vegetation getting sparser and sparser until you reach the crater where there is none at all. The climb to the crater took us about 2½ hours and then there is a 20 minute scramble up Piquinho, the small peak which marks the top of the mountain. Unfortunately by the time we reached the very summit the clouds had descended but every so often there was a clearing and I could make out the 5 islands of central group beneath me.

See our walking holidays

Whale’come Lodge After your whale watching trip, what better end than a celebratory drink with your fellow spotters at the Whale’come Lodge café in Lajes? When I was there, the atmosphere was full of chat and buzz with people sharing their news on what they had seen so far that week. The café is the hub of the village, a place to meet new people, play cards, board games or be tempted by the delicious food, a mixture of Azorean and French food. If you visit, make sure you try the Tarte aux Pommes with ice cream which is fabulous! You can also stay here in one of the 11 ensuite rooms.

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