The Ultimate Relaxation Spot on Santiago Island, Cabo Verde
Last updated: 15 August 2023
This post will guide you on how to spend a relaxing weekend in the north of the island of Santiago, Cabo Verde with the best things to do, including a visit to Ribeira da Prata and Piscina Natural de Cuba, and how to get there.
Located in the north of the island, just below Tarrafal, you will find the town of Ribeira da Prata. Silverbeach, made up of black sand, is the ideal spot for locals to relax on the weekend. You can spend as much time as you would like and have a chill day by the beach. What you can enjoy here is the different color of sand it hosts compared to the rest of the island. Dark, black sand between your feet makes this place feel like you left the island momentarily. There is also a little sanctuary for turtles and during the season (nesting season July – October and hatching season August – September), you may be lucky enough to see them hatch and find their way to the ocean.
You can combine this with heading further south to explore the coastline and end up in the Piscina Natural de Cuba. Here you will find incredible rock formations and nestled between them, some naturals pools to take a dip in. I recommend going early in the morning for two reasons:
1) to beat the crowd, usually of locals that flock over and make a day out of it and,
2) to avoid long hours under the sun as there is hardly any shade in sight.
You might be able to seek refuge along the rock formations depending on the time of day and the way the sun is hitting (or of course if it is cloudy), but after midday, there will be limited shade for your things to stay out of direct sunlight as well as yourself. This is another relaxing spot to be for a couple of hours as you refresh yourself in the pools.
Something to keep in mind is that there are quite a few sea urchins in these waters so it is important to be aware of your surroundings and to be careful when moving around as the rocks can also be quite slippery. Something that you may end up seeing while you are here that is both fascinating and lowkey anxiety inducing is seeing Cabo Verdean children jump from the highest rock and into the water. The pools are not very deep and that is why the anxiety kicks in. But they really jump with no fear, only joy and I think because they have been doing this their whole lives, they are able to do it to perfection each time.
GETTING TO RIBEIRA DA PRATA
Driving from Tarrafal, it can be reached within 15 minutes. You can also take a hialux from Tarrafal and it will cost you about CVE 100-150 (~€1) each way. In order to spot the right vehicle, a hialux is a pick-up truck where you ride in the back, often with a roof to protect you from weather-related conditions.
LIKKLE TRAVEL TOOLS
📱 e-SIM (digital SIM cards) for over 200 countries and/or regions with Airalo (check your phone compatibility to use e-SIMs).
🏥 stay protected with travel medical insurance. I recommend using SafetyWing.
🛎️ book your stay with Booking.com.
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