Santo Antao: Boca de Pistola

Santo Antao: Canal de Sao Vicente

Santo Antao: Cruzinha

Santo Antao: Fontainhas

Santo Antao: Ponta do Sol Wall

Santo Antao: Tarrafal de Monte Trigo

Santo Antao's cuisine is the most agricultural in Cape Verde, with the island's green valleys producing vegetables, fruits, and coffee that feature prominently in local dishes. The mountain villages serve hearty traditional meals using locally grown ingredients, while coastal restaurants specialize in fresh fish and seafood. The island is famous for producing the finest grogue, Cape Verde's sugarcane spirit, which is distilled in small mills throughout the valleys. Coffee from Santo Antao is also highly regarded.

Hotel Ponta do Sol

Casa Mar e Sol

Aldeia Manga

Santo Antao Lodge

Santo Antao is Cape Verde's most dramatic diving destination, featuring sheer volcanic walls that plunge from the surface into deep Atlantic waters, endemic species found nowhere else in the archipelago, and some of the most spectacular coastal scenery in all of Macaronesia. The island's rugged terrain, with its towering mountain peaks and deep green valleys, continues underwater with equally dramatic topography including vertical walls, deep gullies, and pinnacles rising from the ocean floor. Ponta do Sol Wall offers world-class wall diving where the island's volcanic cliffs continue unbroken beneath the surface, creating a vertical landscape encrusted with colorful sponges, gorgonian fans, and endemic invertebrate species. The Canal de Sao Vicente, shared with the neighboring island, provides deep pelagic diving where oceanic currents bring tuna, wahoo, and large shark species close to the walls. Boca de Pistola offers thrilling drift diving along the island's exposed northern coastline, while Fontaínhas and Cruzinha provide more sheltered diving in small volcanic bays with diverse reef communities. Tarrafal de Monte Trigo on the remote southern coast is accessible only by boat and rewards the journey with pristine wall diving in one of Cape Verde's most isolated settings. Most diving is accessed via day trips from Sao Vicente, as Santo Antao has limited dive infrastructure of its own.

Santo Antão

Santo Antão is accessible via domestic flights from Sal or Boa Vista international airports, or by inter-island ferry services. The island's dive sites are reached by boat from the main harbour, with most sites within thirty to sixty minutes of the departure point. Multiple dive operators run daily trips during the diving season, and the compact island size makes all sites easily accessible. The tropical climate ensures warm temperatures year-round with the best diving conditions from May through November when winds subside and visibility peaks.

Where to Stay in Santo Antão

Accommodation Overview

Recommended Areas

Ponta do Sol

Porto Novo

Ribeira Grande

Featured Hotels & Resorts

Hotel Ponta do Sol

Casa Mar e Sol

Aldeia Manga

Santo Antao Lodge