Location of Casa Pé di Polon holiday home
Our holiday home, Casa Pé di Polon, is located in the centre of Santiago Island in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde has 10 islands. Santiago is the largest of them all and home to half of the nation's population. In Santiago you find a mixture of Cape Verdean culture, beautiful mountains and nice beaches.
Leitãozinho, the village where our holiday house is located, is part of Picos in the middle of the island. It lies in a beautiful valley surrounded by stunning mountains (see picture underneath). Therefore it is the ideal home base for a walking holiday. In 2022 we started tracking every hike we make in the area we with Komoot. Go to our profile on Komoot and find the hikes we have done so far.
The main road that connects Praia, Assomada and Tarrafal, is only half an hour walking distance from our place or 10 minutes by car. So you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the Cape Verdean countryside in a small local community and find yourself in a very central position to discover the rest of the island.
Because of the rural location, the nearest shops, restaurants or bars are approximately half an hour by foot or 10 minutes by car. Our housekeeper, Lina, who is living just next door, can however prepare typical Cape Verdean dishes to be served in our house.
What do you find in the immediate surroundings of our holiday home?
Achada Igreja, the centre of Picos
Achada Igreja, the centre of Picos, is half an our by foot or 10 minutes by car from Casa Pé di Polon. It has a beautiful cobbled street on a hilltop where you have a stunning view over the area and the iconic mountain of Picos: Nguli lansa, Marquês de Pombal.
In Achade Igreja you can find some little shops where you can do basic groceries. There is also a cash dispenser/ATM, a place to buy little breads and often there are local ladies selling fresh vegetables, fruits or fish in the street. It is also the place where you can pick a minivan to travel to the other parts of the island.
Recently a new bar-restaurant opened in Achada Igreja, Pic'Art. It has nice food for a fair price and the staff is very friendly. It also has a little shop where you can find typical handicrafts like pottery and fabrics.
Assomada, city in the middle of Santiago, famous because of its traditional African market
The nearest city is Assomada, about 10 minutes driving from Achada Igreja. The highlight of Assomada is the market where you can find all local products. The market is open every day of the week, but on Wednesdays and Saturdays it is much larger since those are the market days. You will find a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and fish, local specialties like hibiscus tea or coco sweets, clothes and souvenirs.
In Assomada you can also find some good restaurants and bars. We always enjoy having a meal at Asa Branca where you can choose between very typical Cape Verdean dishes like sopa de mão de vaca or more international dishes like a hamburger with fries, all delicious.
Since Assomada is one of the bigger cities of the island, there are also a couple of bank offices, a post office, two bakeries and some supermarkets.
Boa Entrada where you find the largest baobab of Cape Verde
The valley of Boa Entrada is certainly worth visiting. You can reach it by car or choose to make a hike downhill from Assomada. The 25 m-high kapok tree, Ceiba pentandra, that grows in the valley bottom, is the largest baobab of the country and is really impressive. The area of Boa Entrada is intensively used for agriculture and therefore very green in almost every time of the year. You will find a lot of mango trees and sugar cane, but also banana, papaya, avocado and other tropical fruits. The sugar cane is used to make the local beverage, grogue, a sort of rum.
Other Santiago Island higlights
Of course it is impossible to discuss all the possible things to see and do on Santiago island, but we will try to give you an overview of the highlights.
Praia, Cape Verde's capital
Praia is the capital and the largest city of Cape Verde. The city is located on the southern coast of Santiago Island. The international airport Nelson Mandela, is located in the surroundings of the city. If you want to go to a restaurant or have a drink in bar, the old part of the city "Plateau" is the place to be. The local market, Sukupira, is certainly worth a visit and open every day, but extra large on Sundays. There are also two beautiful beaches in Praia, Prainha and Kebra Canela, where it is safe to swim and where you can have a meal or a drink with view on the ocean.
Cidade Velha, where the Portuguese came first ashore
Cidade velha, literally the old city, is where Cape Verdean society begun. When, in 1460, the Portuguese sailors at the service of the famous Henry the Navigator, discovered the islands of Cape Verde they were reported to have landed in Cidade Velha. Undisputed written and archaeological records indicate that the first human presence in Cape Verde took place in this very place.
Since 2009, Cidade Velha is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Some parts of the old city are still intact. Namely, the cathedral, the convent of Saint Francis (where Franciscan friars resided in the late 17th century), the royal fortress of São Filipe and the town's square/marketplace. Rua de Banana is reported to be the country's first street.
Serra Malagueta a National Parc with stunning mountainous landscapes
Serra Malagueta is one of the highest areas of the island (1064 m) and protected as the Serra Malagueta National Parc (Parque Natural de Serra Malagueta). It is a very beautiful area to hike with stunning views over the surrounding mountains, valleys and the Atlantic Ocean. On a clear day you can even see the vulcan island Fogo and the island Maio.
Tarrafal where the president used to have his private beach
The main reason to visit Tarrafal is its large sand beach. It used to be the presidential family's private beach. If you bring a snorkel, you can see a lot of fishes close to the beach. It is also possible to make a small boat trip to discover more sea life by the caves around the coastline.
Tarrafal has some nice restaurants around the coastline with an ocean view and a rather large market where you can buy fruits, vegetables and local products.
Another reason to come to Tarrafal is to visit the Portuguese Fascist regime's colonial prison: Campo de concentração de Tarrafal. This prison has recently been transformed in a resistance museum to honor the anti-fascist fighters who were imprisoned there.
