Fogo, Cape Verde

Fogo and neighboring Ilha Brava are the southernmost islands of Cape Verde and at the western end of the Sotavento group. Unlike some of the other islands in the archipelago which were named after saints, Fogo’s name goes back to the volcanic activity of its dominant feature Pico do Fogo, at 2,829 meters the highest elevation of Cape Verde and also its largest volcano. The third Cape Verde island to be settled by Portuguese –there is no indication of human activity before the Portuguese voyages of exploration - the discovery of Fogo is celebrated with horse races and the “Festas do São Filipe” on May 1. Sao Filipe is Fogo’s largest city with 20,000 inhabitants and the fourth-largest of Cape Verde. Sao Filipe lies on the western flank of a giant volcano which in his 9 kilometer wide caldera has the Pico do Fogo, an active stratovolcano which last erupted in 2014-15 and still today emits sulphur vapor through its fumaroles.

The island of Fogo is a vast cone reaching out of the ocean with the volcano, the Pico de Fogo, as its center. All over the island until the very near foot of this volcano there are little villages. The word "fogo" means fire.

We were here twice, a few days apart, and enjoyed the same tour to the lava field. A drive in the early morning up the road to the crater to 1600 meters in altitude. then down into the crater. Walking towards the two crater villages, passed by many plants which make their living nourished by the rich volcanic soil. We walked on the petrified lava fields and passed numerous remains of houses that had been destroyed. often rebuilt on top of the original house. It takes a lot of resolve to rebuild your house, when you know that it is very likely to be destroyed by the next eruption, that will almost certainly come in the next 10 years. Once at the village we walked with Enrique who had lived in the village and spoke excellent English. We stood on top of the destroyed wine cooperative and then walked to the brand new primary school on the outskirts of the main village. We were shown various plants, including their green beans, Charlotte being the ship's expert on plants

We had wine tasting and lunch at the winery in the crater. Run by a married couple, they had done wonders in rebuilding the winery after the last eruption. There have been numerous eruptions in the crater - namely the one of 1951, 1995 and the latest, of November 2014. We bought a wooden carving of an African lady there.We had a talk from the Owner and sampled the wines. Then sat down to a good lunch; a fish carpaggio, chicken or fish with yummy beans and vegetables and a good dessert

Then take a panoramic drive to and through Sao Filipe before making the return trip back to the ship.