This is an authorized adaptation in English of a post in French by @marc-allaria: LA LONGUE ROUTE DE MAESHA • Santa Luzia

^{As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in this post.}

All photographs by @marc-allaria

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MAESHA'S LONG ROAD

CABO VERDE
-SANTA LUZIA-

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Aerial View of Santa Luzia

Tourism is growing, and unfortunately, many places are damaged by careless tourists. Many natural sites that were still isolated, when they become tourist attractions, their original values are completely denatured.
Traveling with a sailboat, you dream of finding still virgin sites all over the world. Unfortunately, you are often disappointed by what you find. However, you need to persevere and to keep hoping for a better world. And sometimes you find a magic place that remotivates you once more.

Ilhéu Branco

Between the two islands of São Nicolau and São Vicente, there are three islets: Ilhéu Raso, Ilhéu Branco and Ilhéu Santa Luzia. From time to time, those islets are visited by local fishermen, but there are almost no tourists. When you are traveling on our own sailing boat, you can take the time to access these places and to stay as long as you want, instead of just making a barbecue, drink some beers and take some pictures, often leaving your garbage on the site.

Santa Luzia is really dry

Santa Luzia is the quieter of these three islets. There is maybe one fishing embarcation a week coming here. The landscape is hostile, dry, and full of rocks, but it also includes long sand dunes and some of the best white sand beaches in the world. There is not much to do here, except fishing and look at the landscape.

Free in Santa Luzia

Because of the possibility of bad tourists that would not respect the site, Santa Luzia has been made a natural reserve and it is forbidden to go there, to fish there, and to dive there. Unfortunately, for a freedom-lover that would appreciate such a place and take care of it, this is not good. Society wants to control everything, even places where it is not present.

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Anyway, even if deep down we know that this freedom is illusory, it feels great to still feel free in such places

Santa Luzia landscape

Santa Luzia summit

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