We made it into Tarrafal – the last stop for this trip – late at night. After a late breakfast I moved out to explore town, check out the coastline and beaches – and basically took things easy.

With less than 20000 inhabitants town is fairly straightforward with a nice central square (complete with church), many shops and restaurants and a central market. There is also a nice stretch of “actual” beach (so, not rock or gravel) and a sort of promenade along a more rocky stretch. The town leaves an odd feeling, there obviously is some development ongoing – but then, there are plenty of undeveloped plots, many construction sites (often without sign of work continuing) and even ruins. The promenade feels specifically weird – nice, brand new, complete with plenty of space for pedestrians, benches, photo spots and a two-lane bike path – but nothing around … no shops, hotels, restaurants, or other businesses – just patches of waste land.

While there was not too much to do here, it was nice to finally get a break after the activity of the previous days. We left town (with some stomach turmoil) in the evening for the two-hour drive to the airport and a middle-of-the-night flight out of Praia.

Overall this has been a great and active trip – with focus on hiking, being outdoor and just enjoying the different environments on the various islands and during the hikes – all in perfect and reliable weather conditions (sun, wind, no rain) … making Cabo Verde a great destination for a sun break during the European winter.