This is an authorized adaptation in English of a post in French by @marc-allaria: LA LONGUE ROUTE DE MAESHA... Randonnées à Sao Nicolau

^{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
-HICKING TRAILS IN SAO NICOLAU-

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Marc Allaria, on his sailing boat "Maesha" has been in the Cabo Verde Archipelago for many months.

After two months spent between the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, he was wondering if there were any trees growing in Cabo Verde! There were rocks, sand, and from time to time an acacia, but nothing more. It was a surprise then to discover the third island on the Maesha road, São Nicolau, which is completely different from the first two.

A little greenery!

You could see the change of scenery at sea from far away. As there are mountains on this island, you start to discover it more than 25 miles from the coast. The highest point is over 1000m in altitude. And although there are plenty of rocks in the south of the island, the summits and valleys are full of greenery. Of course, this has nothing to do with the Amazon rainforest, but that it feels good to see a little green in the landscape!

Heights seen from the mooring

You can moor in Tarrafal, at the foot of the island's highest mountain, Monte Gordo, 1304m high. In front of the stem of Maesha, you could see a wall! While this can comfortably protect from the wind, it also creates gusty conditions depending on the temperature gradients and associated air movements. So, from time to time, you will get gusts of 20 to 30kts on smooth water. Quite atypical.

A lonely baobab

Tarrafal is where the Aluguer (collective taxis) brings you to the starting point of the hikes. Mango trees, papaya trees, banana trees, vegetable gardens, what a contrast with the settings that I have been able to visit so far! Finally an undergrowth, greenery! But you will quickly forget the joy of the scenery once you start to hike the slope of the trails. The valleys are narrow, the paths descend as steeply as they go up. When you think you are alone at the end of the world, a group of children with satchels on their backs tells you that to go to school, every day they have to travel four hours of this path. The schools of life are decidedly very different depending on your location in the world.

The road to school

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Many paths here are paved here. The paved network is incredible for car or cattle traffic in the mountains. The raw material is abundant in this volcanic landscape. But what work and what pain, to cut these millions of paving stones, to transport them, and to add them one by one to obtain this edifying result. A heritage now protected giving access to a multitude of vertiginous and indescribable scenery.

A Dantesque construction!

Isolated house

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