Chã das Caldeiras
Cape Verde · Fogo · 1600 m
Description
Chã das Caldeiras is a village inside an active volcanic crater, a plain of black lava at sixteen hundred metres ringed by a thousand metre caldera wall with the cone of Pico do Fogo rising from the middle. Eruptions have buried the settlement twice in living memory, most recently under lava that swallowed the visitor centre and the wine cooperative, and the villagers rebuilt on top of it both times. Vines, coffee and apple trees grow in the ash. The climb to the summit takes about three hours up and forty minutes down through scree. Accommodation is simple and the village has no mains power.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – May
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Pico do Fogo summit climb
- Lava field over the buried village
- Crater vineyards and the wine cooperative
- Caldera wall and the Bordeira rim
- Scree run down from the summit
- Manecom coffee grown in the ash
- Village guesthouses on the lava
- Night sky over the caldera
- Monte Losna and the crater floor walks