Santiago day trip from Praia: Tarrafal prison and market

Market, mountain forest, a colonial-era prison museum, and a bay swim in one day

A full-day guided tour of Santiago island departing from Praia covers the trading hub of Assomada, Serra Malagueta Park with its eucalyptus forest, the Tarrafal concentration camp museum, and free time to swim in Tarrafal Bay. The tour includes lunch at a local restaurant, museum entry, and a stop at Rabelados village to learn about its unique colonial-era traditions. A live guide speaks English, Portuguese or French.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Santiago Island highlights

• Visit Assomada market
• Drive through Serra Malagueta Park
• Tour Tarrafal concentration camp museum
• Lunch at typical restaurant in Tarrafal
• Swim in Tarrafal Bay
• Visit Rabelados village and learn culture

The experience

The day starts 60km from Praia at Assomada, an important trading point where the famous market opens on Wednesdays and Saturdays. From there the route climbs through Serra Malagueta Park, where eucalyptus trees, acacias and endemic plants line the drive: a natural stopping point for photographs before the landscape opens toward the coast. The journey takes roughly eight hours total, with the guide handling all logistics from pickup onward.

Tarrafal is a fishing village built around a former concentration camp, now a museum, where you walk through the site and its history before heading to the bay for lunch at a typical restaurant. After eating, you're free to swim in the water, which is ringed by palm trees and counts among Cape Verde's most well-known beaches. The return route passes small bays, groves and black-sand beaches, stopping at Rabelados village: a community that resisted colonial authority and the church, and still maintains distinct traditions visible in their paintings and daily life.

A live guide in English, Portuguese or French leads the tour and handles driving. For groups smaller than three people, the guide also drives. Lunch and museum entry are included. You'll need to arrange any drinks separately.

What’s included

• Lunch at a typical restaurant in Tarrafal.
• entrance to the Tarrafal concentration camp museum.
• pickup from your hotel in Praia.
• a live guide in English, Portuguese or French.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 11 · max 8 per booking

Live guideEnglish, French and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 12 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by ATLANTUR, viagens e turismo,Lda

Is this one for you?The tour runs eight hours with walking at several stops and a swim opportunity in the bay, so it suits travelers comfortable with a full day of travel and moderate activity. The fixed itinerary means you see four distinct places (market, forest, museum, village) in one outing, which is what makes the contrast between them the point of the day.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Tarrafal concentration camp museum like?

Tarrafal is a former concentration camp now open as a museum where you walk through the site and learn its history as part of the tour. It sits in the fishing village of Tarrafal, overlooking the bay.

Can I swim during this tour?

Yes. After lunch in Tarrafal, you have free time to swim in Tarrafal Bay, which is surrounded by palm trees and is one of Cape Verde's most famous beaches.

What is Assomada market like, and when is it open?

Assomada is an important trading point 60km from Praia with a famous, typical market that opens on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The tour visits it early in the day.

What will I see driving through Serra Malagueta Park?

Serra Malagueta Park is covered in eucalyptus forest, different kinds of acacias and other endemic plants: a landscape worth photographing before the route descends toward the coast.

What is Rabelados village?

Rabelados is a community that rebelled against colonial authority and the church and keeps unique traditions distinct from the rest of the island. The tour stops there on the return to see their paintings and learn about their culture.