Experience the best of São Filipe

São Filipe is the capital of Fogo and, after Cidade Velha, the oldest town in Cape Verde, founded in the sixteenth century on a slope above the sea. Its historic centre, Bila Baxo, is a grid of colonial town houses called sobrados, many dating from the nineteenth century, with wooden balconies and painted fronts built around the parish church. The old town is on UNESCO's tentative list for World Heritage.

Praia da Bila, a beach of black volcanic sand, lies below the old town, though many residents prefer the calmer water at Vale de Cavaleiros, where the harbour is. The road to Chã das Caldeiras climbs the slopes of Pico do Fogo to the caldera floor, and the island of Brava lies across the sea to the west.

Cachupa rica, the fuller version of the national stew, comes with pork, sausage and fish, and the town's cafés pour coffee grown on the volcano's slopes. Wine from the caldera is the island's other pride. The town is warm and dry for most of the year.