Tarrafal bay, in the north of Santiago
A fishing port in the north of Santiago island, Tarrafal lies on its bay at the foot of the 643 m Monte Graciosa. Its sand beach is good for swimming, and the nearby coast for surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- Praia: about 2 hours by road from the airport, 3.5 hours by aluguerTarrafal (Wikivoyage)
- GPS coordinates
- 15.27800, -23.75200Tarrafal, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
There are several Tarrafals in Cape Verde (on Santiago, São Nicolau and Santo Antão): check your hotel’s island.
Tarrafal (Wikivoyage)Serra Malagueta park is on the way; agencies offer guided walks down to Tarrafal, 6 to 8 hours.
Tarrafal (Wikivoyage)South of the town, the former camp for political prisoners (1936–1974) now houses a museum.
Tarrafal, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
Plan the trip
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Keep exploring
Cape Verde
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Cape Verde’s second island at 785 km², Santo Antão is volcanic and very mountainous, with two high plateaus and steep valleys.
The Fogo volcano
An active stratovolcano, Pico do Fogo rises to 2,829 m; its latest eruptions were in 1951, 1995 and 2014.
Cidade Velha, Cape Verde’s first town
Founded in 1462 by Portuguese traders, Cidade Velha is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital, the first European colonial settlement in the tropics.
Sources · 2 pages consulted, with the exact sentence used
- Tarrafal, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
Tarrafal […] is a city in the northern part of the island of Santiago […] It is a fishing port situated on the northwestern coast. […] The city is situated by the Baía de Tarrafal, at the foot of 643 m high Monte Graciosa. […] Between 1936 and 1974, political prisoners were held at the Tarrafal camp, south of the city. […] which now houses a museum. (coordinates 15.278, -23.752)
- Tarrafal (Wikivoyage)
This is a small fishing town with a port and a beautiful sand beach that is good for swimming. The nearby coast is also good for surfing, windsurfing, and kite surfing. […] there is more than one "Tarrafal" in Cape Verde: one on the island of São Nicolau, and two on the island of Santo Antão […] The aluguers from Praia generally take 3½ hours […] but the drive is only around 2 hours from Praia airport. […] nearby Serra Malagueta Park is easy to visit […] Some tourist agencies offer guided walks from that park down to Tarrafal, taking 6-8 hours depending on the route.
Opening hours, prices and access conditions change: check them with the official source before you go. Viafro publishes no price without a source and a date.