Cruz do Cônsul, na base do Monte Angra.
The Pedestrian Route between Baía do Inferno and Monte Angra traverses part of the island of Santiago, in Cabo Verde, and provides all hikers the opportunity to discover singular landscapes and wildlife, as well as friendly and welcoming locals.
The trail is some 28 kilometers long and is divided into four sections. It connects the fishing villages of Porto Mosquito and Porto Rincão, between which it penetrates inland up to the mountain village of Entre Picos de Reda.
It reaches a maximum altitude of 650 meters at Monte Angra, which invariably affords visitors with unforgettable views. From the mountaintop one can observe the cones of extinct volcanoes and, on clear days, the island of Fogo can be seen towering out of the vast Atlantic Ocean.
The trail also traverses the imposing canyons of Ribeira de Santa Clara and Ribeira de Angra, where the brute force of nature is evident, even if it is only occasionally that waters course violently through the rocky ravines.
Sea and land birds, spiders, butterflies, dragonflies and other insects are among the highlights of the fauna to be found in Baía do Inferno and Monte Angra. The local flora is no less captivating, with a number of Cabo Verde’s endemic species easily able to be observed.
All of this can be found on a hiking trail that runs along old foot paths, some of which have been recently improved in order to be able to be used by all manner of visitors. The difficulty level is low to moderate throughout the entire route, and with a local guide or the help of new technologies, the Baía do Inferno and Monte Angra hiking trail is guaranteed to be a fantastic experience!

SECTION 2 - FROM RIBEIRA DE ANGRA TO ENTRE PICOS DE REDA
Section 2 begins alongside one of the rims of the Ribeira de Angra canyon.
Before beginning your hike toward Entre Pico de Reda though, make sure to go down to the sea to discover Angra port!
After that, when you begin your approximately 6.7 kilometer hike, you’ll make your way up to an altitude of 580 meters. Despite this rise, however, the hike is relatively easy, as the slopes are rarely steep, and the entire foot path was recently renovated by the population of Entre Picos de Reda with the support of the NGO Lantuna.
During most of the walk up, the trail runs along the outer edge of Achada Calapez, providing breathtaking views of Ribeira de Angra canyon you will definitely want to stop and photograph...




O troço final da Rib.ª de Angra e, ao fundo, o Porto de Angra.
SECTION 3 - FROM ENTRE PICOS DE REDA TO RIBEIRA DE SANTA CLARA
Section 3 is truly the icing on the cake of the entire hiking trail. The cake is Monte Angra mountain, while the icing is the hikers ;-) ...
Leaving the tiny village of Entre Picos de Reda behind, hikers will begin an easy descent toward the coast during which they will pass through various different ecosystems. At the beginning of this section is a vast field of endemic Cabo Verdean acacias (Acacia caboverdeana) which then opens onto a nearly flat plateau where the trees continue to be found, albeit in sparser numbers.
4.7 kilometers after Entre Picos de Reda, everything suddenly changes - the ascent to the top of Monte Angra begins, and the hike inevitably gets more challenging. But the scenery more than makes up for the physical effort! The path runs close to the increasingly imposing cliffs, and a geodetic plaque marks the summit of Monte Angra mountain.
Hikers now begin another descent, first on a steeper trail whose slope eases off before once again becoming even steeper until it arrives at the streambed of Ribeira de Santa Clara, where the 9.5 kilometers of Section 3 comes to an end.
Before this, a slight detour the left will easily take hikers to the top of the cliff overlooking the stunning canyon of Ribeira de Santa Clara, a landscape that, once again, is almost impossible to resist photographing.
Trilho no Sector 2 e paisagens envolventes...




Vértice Geodésico do Monte Angra.
Parte NW da Baía do Inferno vista do Monte Angra.
Cratera de vulcão adormecido vista do Monte Angra.
Aranha (Argiope lobata fêmea).
Troço final da Rib.ª de St.ª Clara e, ao fundo, Entre Picos de Reda.
SECTION 4 - FROM RIBEIRA DE SANTA CLARA TO PORTO MOSQUITO
Section 4 is the least difficult of all. Easily accessible on any 4x4 vehicle, this section follows the dirt road that connects Ribeira de Santa Clara – notably the gardens grown in the valley floor – to the village of Porto Mosquito and to Cidade Velha and, further on, to the capital city, Praia.
As such, this section is not in any way challenging for any hikers, despite its
5 kilometer length. Even so, the landscapes hugging the coastline right over the ocean provide an up-close vantage point for viewing the normally plentiful seabirds and the activities of the fishermen of Porto Mosquito, a village famous for its well-kept and beautifully painted boats, in which a bright red nearly always predominates.

A ilha do Fogo, que por vezes se avista da Baía do Inferno!
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
ENTRE PICOS DE REDA
A small store selling basic goods can be found in Entre Picos de Reda (15,05005ºN 23,70305ºW). There are also a number of private homes that can serve lunch, but this must be reserved one or two days ahead. If you wish to reserve a lunch, the best idea is to contact the Community Association for the Development of Entre Picos de Reda (Associação Comunitária para o Desenvolvimento de Entre Picos de Reda) at +238 999 6201 and speak with Mr. Vitor Gonçalves to work out the necessary details.
Entre Picos de Reda is also home to a number of informal nature guides who can accompany you along both Section 2 and Section 3. Contact Dr. João Mascarenhas (+238 5268022), the coordinator of the Hiking Trail nature guides, or contact one of the guides directly (Mika - 9278003; Maice - 9396826; Feliz - 9305351) to make you experience on the Baía de Inferno and Monte Angra Hiking Trail even more memorable!
Concepção e textos: Nuno de Santos Loureiro
Fotografias: Nuno de Santos Loureiro e Ana Veiga
Tradução: Jeff
Revisão mais recente: 24 de Janeiro de 2021