Sao Nicolau

 

On Sao Nicolau you will find lush valleys where people grow corn, sugar canes, bananas and papaya. Since Sao Nicoau is a quite high island with ragged mountains and deep valleys you will have unparallelled views all the time as the slowly makes its way through the landscape.

The landscape of Sao Nicolau bears the mark of a past intense, volcanic activity. The rugged features will enchant walkers looking for real contact with nature. It is the quietest island of the archipelago with small, traditional, rural communities dotted around the coastline. Vila de Ribeira Brava, the capital town of the island, is located in a deep valley with an empty river bed flanked by two mountain ranges reaching a height of 1,312m. The harbour town of Tarrafal, is located next to the black sanded beach. The bay of Tarrafal is rich in high quality fish, sustenance for the islanders. It also attracts leisure fishing enthusiasts, particularly those seeking the much sought after Blue Marlin.

The Dutchman Henny Kusters lives in Tarrafal. He is a living encyclopedia and arranges jeep roundtrips on the island with himself as driver and an inspired guide. He has a VHF i his house and can be called "Henny, Henny, Henny, this is yacht xxx, over" etc. on channel 15 or sometimes on channel 77. Henny will take you to the little village Ribeira Plata (Silver river) on the northern side of the island. The road does not go all the way, so you must walk a narrow trail the last kilometer. Here the people live off what nature, fields, chicken and goats produce, as people have lived for hundreds of years.

Tarrafal is the only useful harbour on Sao Nicolau. Tarrafal is called a town but has little to offer a visitor. The harbour makes the town important though.