What it is
A near-circular island that is essentially one volcano. Pico do Fogo is the highest point in Cape Verde. Chã das Caldeiras is a plain inside the old caldera wall, farmed and inhabited. São Filipe, on the west coast, is the island town, with cobbled streets and colonial-era houses above a black beach.
Why go
You climb it. The ascent of the cone takes roughly three to four hours up on loose ground and about an hour to come down through the scree, and is done with a guide from Chã. The 2014-15 eruption buried much of the village under lava, and people have rebuilt on top of the flow, which you walk across to get anywhere. Wine and coffee are grown in the caldera and sold in São Filipe.
When to go
October to June. Start the climb before dawn; the cone is exposed and there is no shade on it. Guides are arranged in Chã das Caldeiras and going without one is not advisable on the upper slopes. Accommodation in the caldera is simple guesthouses, cold at night at 1,700 metres.
Most people stay 2-3 nights.