The island of Santo Antão is a few times the size of São Vicente. Where life on the island of São Vicente is very much focused in and around Mindelo, things on Santo Antão are way more distributed. Santo Antão has two larger cities, both in the same part of the island.
These cities are Porto Novo and Ribeira Grande. Unlike on the other side, in the city of Mindelo, you won't see the city buses here. Mindelo is larger than both cities combined. That is why public transportation on Santo Antão is all done by Hiace, also known as an Aluguer (or Collectivo).
The city of Porto Novo functions as a hub for the island. Most activity is based around the schedules of different ferries coming in from Mindelo. From the harbour of Porto Novo, drivers take locals and visitors to places across the entire island.
You can choose to take the new coastal road in the direction of Paúl, Ribeira Grande and Ponta do Sol. Or you can enjoy the very beautiful old mountain road that will take you to Cova, Espongeiro and Corda, from where you can head out to Delgadim and (walk) all the way down to Ribeira Grande.
Finally, drivers are also waiting to take you to the less populated part of the island. Destinations here include Alto Mira and the amazing Tarrafal de Monte Trigo.
Hours
Drivers of Hiace/Aluguer transport have a schedule that is based on the ferry time table with arrivals from Mindelo. Most drivers, wherever they're coming from, try to be at the harbour of Porto Novo in time for departure and arrival of the ferry. This way, they can both drop off people who need to travel, and take people from Porto Novo to the other parts of the island.
People arriving in Porto Novo from Mindelo will have no trouble finding a ride. The drivers always stand outside the ferry terminal trying to find people they can take to their destination. Confirm with the driver that you have the right Hiace/Aluguer, and make sure you know your price.
This means that you might have some trouble finding public transportation in the earliest hours of the morning and especially late in the afternoon and evenings. Drivers of a Hiace/Aluguer are always willing to take you somewhere as private transportation, but this also means a higher price for your ride.
Definitely something to take into account when you're making a plan. Private transportation has very different rates, which you might be able to discuss before getting in the car.
An Example
Say you're going to be on the 10:00 ferry from Porto Novo to Mindelo, on a Sunday morning. You are staying in Ponta do Sol. Can you count on a Hiace to take you to the harbour?
Yes, you can. The drivers from Ponta do Sol will start driving between 7:00 and 7:30 in order to be in Porto Novo on time. These drivers are not only looking to take people with them who need to be in the city or at the harbour, they will also try to bring back as many people as possible.
You can use the same example for a Tuesday afternoon. Or a Friday morning. The same goes for the drive from Porto Novo to Paúl, Ribeira Grande and Ponta dol Sol (among many other places).
Prices
The current price for one way from Porto Novo to Ponta do Sol is CVE 500 per person. It's a 40 minute drive, along the beautiful coast.
If you need to go to Paúl (Pombas) or Ribeira Grande, you'll pay less. This is a shorter drive. Getting from Porto Novo to Paúl takes a little less than half an hour.
A drive from Paúl to Ribeira Grande costs CVE 100, and to get from Ribeira Grande to Ponta do Sol costs another CVE 50.
Driving up to the Cova crater and all the way to Corda will cost between CVE 300 and 400.
Read more about Santo Antão here:
This post was written by: Freddy Gomes. For more about me please visit our about page.