One thing you can’t avoid noticing when you visit Sal Island, Cabo Verde is the large number of stray dogs. I was wary of them at first but soon saw how friendly they were. They mostly sleep in the sun all day with the occasional barking party at night. Here are some of our favourites.
Start & Finish: Electrica Electric Bikes, Pier Street, Santa Maria, Cabo Verde
Distance: 20 km (12.4miles)
Elevation change: +/- 142m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: None
Cafes on route: Many in Santa Maria Centre, plus Cafe at Mitu & Djo Kite Surf School Kitebeach (9km in) and Ponta Preta Cafe or Bo Beach Bar (16km in)
Map: Free leaflet with a map available at Electrica Bikes. See image
Links: Cabo Verde, Sal, Santa Maria, Ponta da Fragata
The Electric Bike tour is a highlight of a stay in Santa Maria on Sal Island in Cabo Verde. You can either take a half-day guided tour or rent the bikes for a full or half day. We opted for the half day rental without the guided tour and roughly followed the map on the leaflet provided at the bike shop. The half day is enough unless you want to explore the north of the island.
Navigation via the small map on the leaflet was fairly straightforward. Roads and tracks are not well signed so we took a couple of wrong-turns before finding our route again. The GPX file linked above is a good option if you want to be more confident that you’re on the right track.
From Electrica Electric Bikes on Pier Street head toward the beach then take the street on the left closest to the ocean. Follow this in a easterly direction, taking the first street on the left and then the first on the right to join Rua 15 Agosto. When you reach the Angulu Beach bar on the right you’ll have left the paved streets and will now be on sandy dirt track. Here’s a good point to turn on the electric assist if you’ve not done so already.
From here continue along the track closest to the sea for ~3 km km until you reach the edge of the Nature Reserve. Along the way you can stop to see the Shell Cemetary, Ponte Leme Rock Pier and a decaying memorial stone on Praia de Igrejinha. The Costa da Fragata Nature Reserve is the furthest point you can go by bike. Follow the track away from the beach to the north easterly point of the town, re entering it one of the parallel roads running to the north-west. These roads are not named on the map so unless you’re using a GPS, keep to the most northerly residential road.
Continue down the road for approx 700m and take a right onto the road that lead you out of town in a northerly direction to the kite beach. Stop along the way for some great photos of the salt beds. The café at the kite beach is a good place to stop for a coffee and a rest. It took us around an hour and a quarter to get to this point.
When leaving the kite beach café, take a right onto the road, continue past another café then take a smaller track on the left. Follow this for 1.7 km, past the sewerage works until you meet the main north/south highway at a roundabout. Despite being the main island road it’s not very busy and we were able to safely cross it during a very large gap in traffic. Take the 2nd exit and follow the main track as it curves in a south-westerly direction to Cabocan
The track to Cabocan follows flat sandy ground that’s empty apart from stones marking out future roads and hotel developments. Join the main north/south road, then take a track down the north side of the Melia Dunas Beach Resort to a promenade by the beach. Continue heading south until you reach the end of the promenade. The leaflet from the bike company made it look like they continued along the beach but it was very sandy so we took the track on the south side of the Melia Tortuga Beach resort to rejoin the main road. From here we continued south until the end of the developments and took a track across the sand to Ponta Preta.
Ponta Preta is another good place to stop as there’s 2 bars on the beach. We stopped for lunch at the bar called Ponta Preta. This is another popular kite and windsurfing spot. Don’t stay too long though as you’ll need 30 minutes to get back to the bike shop from here.
When leaving Ponta Preta take the track south as it curves around the turtle hatchery beach. Head for the far corner of the closest resort to the beach and take the promenade as far as you can. When you run out of promenade head toward the main road that runs behind the big resorts. On the north-west side of the Hilton you can take a side road to the main beach promenade. Take a left on the promenade and follow it back to Pier Road and the bike shop where you started.
We made full use of our 4 hour / half day rental, retuning the bikes within 2 minutes of our allotted time. This included a short break at the kite beach for a coffee and 30 minutes for lunch on Ponta Preta. It was a great first experience for us of riding electric bikes. I won’t be giving up my mountain bike anytime soon, but this one was fit for purpose for the trip. It would have been doable on a normal mountain bike with a light frame too but this was a far more relaxing way to get through the sand and rocks to see the main sights of the southern end of the island.
Start & Finish: Visitor Centre, Salinas de Pedra de Lume
Distance: 4.3 km (1.9 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 35m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: None
Cafes on route: Cafe at the Visitor Centre
Links: Cabo Verde, Sal, Pedra de Lume, Pedra de Lume Salt Mine
Visiting the Salinas (Salt Mine) at Pedra de Lume is a highlight of any day-trip around Sal Island in Cabo Verde. Most visitors to the island will be staying in or around Santa Maria and island day-trip excursions are easily found. We wanted a more private tour so we hired an English speaking taxi driver for the day for 60 Euros. For 2 people that’s not much more than the cost of joining a group tour. The roads to the Salt Mine are very poor and I wouldn’t recommend driving there yourself.
The Salt Mines are in the Pedra de Lume crater which is an extinct volcano. The salt evaporation ponds were built over a natural salt lake that formed through infiltration of water from the sea. The floor of the crater is below the sea level and is the lowest point in Cape Verde.
On the approach road to the Salinas you’ll pass Pedra de Lume village on the coast. There’s not been active salt extraction since the 1990s but you can still see the decaying buildings and equipment. The boat graveyard has the remains of the vessels that exported the salt out of the island. From the coast you can trace the route of the salt to the crater via the line of towers that carried the salt via cables.
There’s a small car park on the outside of the crater where you can access the interior via a tunnel. On the other side, at a lower level, is the Visitor Centre. Here you can find a café, shop, toilets and showers. Many groups visit to float in the salt pools. I was in 2 minds about doing it and probably would have if I hadn’t already has the salt floating experience in the Dead Sea in Israel. It was cold and windy when we were there so we opted for a circular walk of the crater instead.
The crater is around 900 m in radius and there’s a walking path of approx 3km around the salt flats on the base. From the Visitor Centre it’s best to start in an anti-clockwise direction. This north-easterly side has the clearest path and best signage. Although the path on the first half is very clear, the benches have seen better days. Some are intact, others somewhat dilapidated, and there’s information boards without information. When you get to the half-way point, just beyond the track from the Visitor Centre that bisects the salt flats, the perimeter path is much less clear. You can’t get lost though, just look out for the next bench (or remains of) and stay close to the outer edge of the ponds until your return to the start.
After the circuit we also walked half-way along the central path to get a closer look at the salt-flats. Our total walk in the crater, including the out and back from the car-park was around 5km.
Shark Bay - very close to Pedra de Lume
Port of Palmeira - a good place for lunch
The idea for our Mount Toubkal trip came about 6 months earlier when Timi was making plans for my 40th birthday. Rather than having a big party I wanted to do something special together and Timi found an escorted trip run by Audley, the travel agency we’d used for our honeymoon. From the start I knew that it would be a special trip, not just because it would be a great adventure, but because we would be doing it together. Timi had got more into trekking in the last couple of years but this would be a huge step. At 4,167m, 3 times higher than the UK’s tallest peak, this would be a serious mountain.
Date: May 4th 2015
Start: Kasbah du Toubkal, Imlil, 42152, Morocco
Finish: Refuge Toubkal Les Mouflons
Distance: 10.4 km (6.5 miles)
Elevation change: +1,317m / -20m. Net +1,297m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Other Routes Touched (Walk): None
Our trek to the highest point in North Africa started from Kasbah du Toubkal in Imlil, the mountain’s trailhead village. We met our guide Mo at 09:00 on the morning of the trek. Mo introduced us to the team who would be accompanying us up the mountain. This included 5 mules and 4 muleteers who would carry our bags, the food and the overnight camp. Mo plus 1 mule, who we named Terry, and his muleteer walked with us whilst the rest went ahead.
The first day of the trek followed a river up the valley towards Basecamp. We had walked the first hour of it the previous day on an acclimatization hike to Aroumd, the village where the road ends. It was a nice warm day and we walked the 10k in shorts and t-shirts.
We got to know our guide Mo well over the course of the trip. Mo is short for Mohammed which is an Arabic name although he’s actually a Berber. Mo explained that the Berbers are the original inhabitants of much of North Africa and their culture has evolved with the various occupiers over the centuries. Their original name is Amazigh but when the Romans invaded they named them Berbers (“Barbarians”) due to their different language and customs. This naming is linked to the Bavarians in Southern Germany whom the Romans regarded similarly.
When the Arabs invaded in the 7th Century it brought a new language, religion and customs. The French occupation from the 1920s then introduced a third language. Although Mo considers himself to be a Muslim, he prefers to follow the spirit of the faith rather than practice it strictly. In talking to Mo it was clear that he had strong values around people and being honest. These are particularly good virtues to have when you trust your life to someone up a very high mountain.
About every kilometre there was a small Berber-run shop selling food, drink and souvenirs to the passing trekkers. We stopped at one of these for lunch which was a very large meal of meatballs, pasta and salad. We chatted to a young guy from Chicago whom we had seen a few times on the way. He was on his own with just one porter to carry his bags. His plan was to walk up to the summit then parachute down whilst filming it on his Go-Pro. His trip was a complete contrast to ours as he seemed to have just turned up without much of a plan, least of all about how his descent would go.
At one stop on route Mo pointed out that many of the mules supporting other groups were heavily overloaded. The 5 mules that carried our gear may sound a lot, but the camping and cooking equipment and the clothing for the trip soon adds up. 2 people’s gear split between 5 mules is a safe weight per animal. Many groups were going up with mules carrying twice our amount. It wasn’t nice to see, especially when we saw one fall over on a tricky corner due to the weight of his load.
As we approached our camp for the night we were reaching the snowline and the free-flowing rivers and waterfalls were turning to snow and ice. Camp was a flat(ish) area next to the river, just short of Basecamp. When we arrived we rested by the river whilst the muleteers set up camp and prepared the evening meal.
Camp was 5 tents, 1 for us, 1 for Mo, a toilet tent plus a dining tent and a kitchen tent. The 4 muleteers would sleep in the dining & kitchen tents once we’d gone to bed. After another big meal we retired to our own tent for a few hours of restless sleep before the big summit day. The nice surprise of the night was the birthday present that Timi had brought with her and showed me that evening. It was a 15 minute video she had made of birthday wishes from my friends. It was a lovely thought and was really funny.It also made the remoteness of the location feel much closer to home.
Date: May 5th 2015
Start: Refuge Toubkal Les Mouflons
Finish: Kasbah du Toubkal, Imlil, 42152, Morocco
Distance: 17.9 km (11.1 miles)
Elevation change: +1,020m / -2,331 m. Net -1,331m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Other Routes Touched (Walk): None
Day 2 started with a 04:00 alarm call and a dark stumble to the dining tent for breakfast. After getting kitted up and with head-torches on we started the ascent at 05:00. In 45 minutes we reached Basecamp, otherwise known as the Neltner Refuge. This is the part where the trail takes a sharp and steep turn to the left away from the river. We stopped for a while to strap crampons to our boots before tackling the snowy slope.
The first section from the Refuge was a hard slog up a kilometre of a steep snowy climb. We were still warming up and waking up and the dark didn’t help either. By the end of this part our energy levels were pretty low. This was the point that was the hardest for Timi and she was questioning whether she could complete the whole climb. A rest on a rock, some water and a bag of Haribo did the trick and we continued again for the next section.
The ascent flattened out a bit and we took another hour to reach the top of the snow and ice. Now we could take our crampons off and walk the rest of the way on rock. This was also the point where the views became stunning as we could now see over the other side of the mountain across the High Atlas and beyond to the Sahara. In the distance we could see the parachute guy who we met the previous day slowly walking down. Obviously the parachute jump didn’t seem like such a good idea from the top.
After another 30 minutes we could finally see the metal pyramid that marked the summit. Toubkal is positioned within a range of other peaks and there’s many twists and turns before you get to the top, so the summit is hidden for most of the trip. Suddenly we could see it, still a long way off but it was a morale booster as we knew we would make it.
The final section was steep and rocky and required careful footwork. There was a particularly scary 10 metre section that was a thin ledge of snow and ice over a sheer drop. Crossing it meant stepping into the compacted footprints in the snow left by the previous walkers. A slip would have been disastrous.
Finally we reached the Summit and entered into quite a party atmosphere of celebrating trekkers. It was really emotional for Timi as the 4 hours of focus and determination gave way to the huge sense of pride and achievement of getting there.
We took some time at the top to take photos, take in the view, rest and have lunch. From the Northern side of the plateau we could see all the way down to the start and end point at Imlil. It was a very long way in the distance and a daunting prospect as we would have to get all the way back down there before the evening.
As we ate lunch and looked across to the other Mountains, Mo told us stories of helicopter crashes in the area. I’m not sure if it was the best time for such stories, but they were interesting nonetheless. One crash happened only a few months ago when a helicopter was called out to rescue a distressed trekker and it hit the side of the mountain. Mo also told us of another story going back to the 1980s of an American Military helicopter crashing into the mountain during the winter. It was carrying weapons and money and was only found the following spring. The story is that the locals “retrieved” the contents and although the government got the weapons, the money was never seen again. There’s a rumour that the money found in the crash was used to fund the renovation of the Neltner Refuge. The descent was significantly easier and started off well. We were nervous about going back over the scary icy section but Mo took us a different way that avoided it. After about 20 minutes Timi was feeling pain in her knee. Mo had a knee support handy which helped a lot but it was still a worry as there was a lot of down still to go.
We reached the snowline again and Mo decided that we didn’t need to put the crampons back on. I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea as the first section was steep and I’m a bit nervous of slippery descents. Mo helped us down the tricky bits until it flattened out. Then came the fun part. Previous trekkers had created toboggan runs in the snow that were easy to follow. All we had to do was sit down in them, put our feet up and let gravity do the rest. We were able to take these runs down all the way to the Refuge. It was fun and exhilarating and was a great way to get down without putting pressure on Timi’s knee. We made the total descent to the Refuge in just over an hour, a quarter of the time it took to walk up.
After a late lunch at our camp it was time to walk back to the Kasbah. Timi swapped walking for mule riding and she and Terry (the Mule) headed down the rocky path with Mo and the muleteer in front and me behind. The mules are amazing in how they can negotiate the uneven, often steep, trails with a fully laden pack. At a fast pace we were back down in 3 hours, arriving back at the Kasbah just before 19:00.
The rest of the evening was short. Despite being hungry and less than 100m from the dining room, we couldn’t find the energy to walk anymore and went straight to bed. All-in-all, a long, challenging, exhausting, exciting, fun and inspirational day.
Reflecting back on the trip a few weeks later, it was exactly the right way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Getting older doesn’t bother me as long as I’ve made the most of the time that I’ve had so before. So far I’ve loved all of it.
Date: February 8th 2013
Start: Parking at end of dirt road, Lemosho Glades, ~2,230m elevation
Finish: Lemosho Forest Camp, Mti Mkubwa, ~2,650m elevation
Distance: 4.7 km (2.9 miles)
Elevation change: +422m / -5m. Net +418m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Northern Circuit
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 9th 2013
Start: Lemosho Forest Camp, Mti Mkubwa, ~2,650m elevation
Finish: Shira One Camp, ~3,500m elevation
Distance: 9 km (5.6 miles)
Elevation change: +890m / -83m. Net +807m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Northern Circuit
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 10th 2013
Start: Shira One Camp, ~3,500m elevation
Finish: Shira Hut, ~3,840m elevation
Distance: 7.4 km (4.6 miles)
Elevation change: +386m / -3m. Net +383m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Northern Circuit, Shira Route
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 11th 2013
Start: Shira Hut, ~3,840m elevation
Finish: Barranco Camp, ~3,900m elevation
Distance: 9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: +732m / -651m. Net -81m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Machame Route,
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 12th 2013
Start: Barranco Camp, ~3,900m elevation
Finish: Karanga Camp, ~4,000m elevation
Distance: 4.9 km (3.0 miles)
Elevation change: +335m / -279m. Net +56m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Umbwe Route, Machame Route,
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 13th 2013
Start: Karanga Camp, ~4,000m elevation
Finish: Barafu Camp, ~4,600m elevation
Distance: 3.8 km (2.4 miles)
Elevation change: +593m / -0m. Net +593m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Umbwe, Machame, Mweka
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 14th 2013
Start: Barafu Camp, ~4,600m elevation
Finish: Millenium Camp, ~3,800m elevation
Distance: 13.6 km (8.5miles)
Elevation change: +1,217m / -2,062m. Net -845m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Umbwe, Machame, Mweka, Northern Circuit, Rongai, Marangu
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Date: February 15th 2013
Start: Millenium Camp, ~3,800m elevation
Finish: Mweka, ~1,650m elevation
Distance: 11.5 km (7.1 miles)
Elevation change: +0m / -2,142m. Net -2,142m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Mweka
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): None
Each colour represents 1 day from North-West (red) to South-East (blue)
Photos by Richard Gower, Brian Gatt, Simon Livings, Lisa Zardoni, Anna Mansley and Kevin Doble
