Brava, the smallest inhabited island
At 62.5 km², Brava is the smallest inhabited island of Cape Verde, but also the greenest. Practically the whole island is a stratovolcano, in the lee of the huge neighbouring Fogo.
Key facts
Before you go.
- Starting point
- Ferry from São Filipe, on Fogo islandFogo (Wikivoyage)
- GPS coordinates
- 14.86667, -24.70000Brava, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
Good to know
Three things to remember.
The town of Nova Sintra was founded inland around 1700 to escape pirate attacks.
Brava, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)North American whaling ships stocked up in the harbours of Fajã de Água and Furna.
Brava, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)Many sailors from Brava settled around the Massachusetts whaling port of New Bedford.
Brava, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
Plan the trip
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Keep exploring
Cape Verde
Hiking on Santo Antão
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
- Brava, Cape Verde (Wikipedia)
At 62.5 km2 (24.1 sq mi), it is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago, but at the same time the greenest. […] Frequent pirate attacks forced the population towards the interior of the island, where the town Nova Sintra was founded around 1700. […] They used the harbours of Brava (Fajã de Água and Furna) to stock up on supplies and drinking water. They hired men from Brava as sailors, and several of these men from Brava settled around the Massachusetts whaling port of New Bedford. […] Practically the whole island is a stratovolcano. It lies in the lee of the enormous Fogo volcano. (coordinates 14.86667, -24.7)
- Fogo (Wikivoyage)
There is a ferry from Praia to São Filipe and from Sao Filipe to Brava island.
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.