Santo Antão day trip from São Vicente: island by car with ferry

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/30

Duration7h–11h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN · PT +2

PickupAt your hotel

Mountain passes, crater views, fishing villages and two rum distilleries in one day

A full-day guided car tour of Santo Antão departing from São Vicente, with roundtrip ferry crossing, local guide in four languages, private transport and grogue distillery entry included. The tour climbs through traditional farming communities, stops at high-altitude viewpoints and coastal villages, and includes a lunch break and rum tasting. Choose ferry tickets from São Vicente or start in Porto Novo if you're already on the island.

7h–11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Full-day Santo Antão island tour

Pick up at accommodation in Mindelo
Transfer to São Vicente harbor
Ferry ride to Santo Antão island
Ascend mountains via old cobblestone road
Pass traditional communities and farms
Stop at Pico d Cruz viewpoint
Visit Cova crater viewpoint
Drive through Delgadin mountain crossing
Stop for lunch in Povacao city
Visit Ribeira de Torre valley
Explore fishing village of Ponta do Sol
Visit rum distillery and taste Grogue
Visit Paúl municipality and Saint Anthony statue
Return to Porto Novo via coastal road
Board afternoon ferry to São Vicente
Transfer to accommodation in Mindelo

The Experience

The ferry crossing from Mindelo takes up to an hour each way, and the boat ride itself is part of the day — you can stand on deck to watch for dolphins, pilot whales and flying fish, or stay inside on comfortable seating. On the water you'll pass Ilhéu dos Pássaros, a lighthouse perched on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Once you land at Porto Novo, your local guide meets you and the car tour begins.

The route climbs through the mountains on an old cobblestone road, passing small communities with traditional thatched-roof homes and farmers working the land. You'll stop at Pico da Cruz, a viewpoint above the clouds surrounded by green pine and eucalyptus forest where you can see the valley of Paúl spread below. At Cova, you stand above a crater with views into the farming community that sustains itself in the mist. Delgadin is a narrow mountaintop crossing between two major valleys — it's famous for photographs. The drive then descends to Povoação, a colorful city in Ribeira Grande with colonial and modern homes and street art, where you stop for lunch.

The afternoon takes you through Ribeira de Torre, one of the island's greenest valleys where bananas, mangos, sugar cane and breadfruit grow, and past a large pool used by locals for swimming. You reach Ponta do Sol, a fishing village where you can watch the daily catch arrive at the old port called Boca de Pistola. Here you visit a grogue distillery and taste the local rum. The route continues to Paúl, where a grand Saint Anthony statue overlooks the village of Eito and another grogue distillery offers a second tasting. The return to Porto Novo follows the new coastal road through mountain tunnels, passing the Farol de Fontes Pereira de Melo lighthouse before you board the afternoon ferry back to São Vicente.

What’s included

Private car transport throughout the day.
pickup and drop-off at your accommodation in Mindelo (or meeting point in Porto Novo).
roundtrip ferry tickets from São Vicente (if you choose that option).
entry to both grogue distilleries.
local professional guide.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Green Line Tours Cabo Verde

Is this one for you?Book this if you're arriving in São Vicente and want a full island experience without arranging the ferry yourself — the guide handles the crossing, the timing and the stops, so you move through the mountains and villages without building the day piece by piece.