Pico do Fogo

First things first: Even if you are an experienced mountaineer get a local guide!!! Not only are they a delight to have for extra information about the volcano and the life with it, the trail is hard to find and diverting from it can put groups that walk behind you at risk! We climbed up with Maurizio - and just meeting him was a highlight. You can always get in touch with the guides through Mustafa at Casa Marisa.

Now, we are not hikers and we are only moderately fit, but we made it to the crater and back to Casa Marisa in 10hrs. You should be aware that the trail features some pretty scary parts (especially for people who are scared of heights). I only made it thanks to Maurizio. Also remember that the humidity of the air is very low - so pack enough water! If you do keep going you are rewarded with an experience you will never forget. The view (we had a perfectly clear day) was amazing, you can see the smoke coming from the crater and the hot air being emitted through some holes by the side. Going down make sure you take the path through the ash - it’s like a moon walk (careful: slippery at the bottom). You also have the best view of all the different lava fields and the other craters. On your way you can marvel at the wild plants and the fruit plantations.

Even though going up was a highlight you should still visit Cha das Caldeiras of you don’t want to or cannot make it up the volcano. Just being in this place...

Fogo is an active stratovulcano that erupted as recently as 2014. The views are amazing but it's true that getting to top will require some effort. Fogo will test your endurance ;) I didnt have a guide - and at least once I came to a dead end and had to backtrack. Apart from random boulders that sometimes come down with massive speed I dont think there are many risks involved. You might also see some smoke /...

This is not the volcano. A long time ago, This volcano was 10x as high. It was so high and so steep it collapsed. The amount of material dumped into the ocean made a tsunami 200 ft tall. You can see the crater and you can see where parts of the island collapsed. I find it really neat that the magma has already made a new mini volcano...