Experience the best of Ilha do Fogo

Fogo is a single volcano rising straight out of the Atlantic, and its summit, Pico do Fogo, is the highest point in Cape Verde at 2,829 metres. The cone stands inside a caldera about nine kilometres across, enclosed by a steep wall and floored with black lava, small settlements and a few vineyards. The volcano erupted in 1995 and again from late 2014 into early 2015, and the second eruption forced the people of the caldera villages to leave.

The caldera floor, Chã das Caldeiras, is reached by a road that climbs the slopes, and the walk up the cone itself is the island's great excursion. São Filipe, the island's capital and the second-oldest town in Cape Verde, has a historic centre of colonial town houses with wooden balconies, set above a black-sand beach on the western side.

Wine is made on the caldera floor, and Fogo coffee has a good name, credited to the volcanic soil. Cachupa, the national stew of maize and beans, is the everyday meal, often served with sausage or fish. Rain is scarce and falls mostly in late summer, leaving the island dry and dusty for the rest of the year.