Description
“TERRA TERRA” CULTURAL EXPERIENCES
Art Gallery Visit and Meet and Greet (Praia and possibly Mindelo depending on dates) – Meet with one of CV’s most renown fine artists and get to know their story and some of their work as you chat over wine and cheese.
Dance Lesson (Praia, Sao Vicente & Sal) – Learn the traditional dances of Cabo Verde, sensual kizomba…or both!
Dance Lesson and Coutyard Session (Praia) – Take an outdoor lesson on the traditional dances of Cabo Verde, sensual kizomba…or both! Then immediately after, practice your new moves during a private dance party with specially invited local guests, a DJ and open bar.
Traditional Dances of Sao Nicolau Presentation (Sao Nicolau) – Learn how to dance the mazurka and contradance (for larger groups)
Presentation of the Batuko (Santiago Island) – Watch and be mesmerized by the once forbidden batuko, one of the country’s most African-influenced dances marked by call and response singing over three rhythms and undulating hips.
Street Art Tour (Praia, Santiago; Mindelo, Sao Vicente; San Filipe, Fogo) – Drive and stroll through various neighborhoods known for their vibrant murals. In Praia, this includes an art alley and rainbow-painted stairwell made for selfies.
Grogue Making then Tasting (Santiago, Santo Antao) – Visit a family owned grogue factory to see how this sugar cane rum has been made for several hundred years, then sample grogue of various hues and ages under the shade of a tree said to be over 500 years old.
Herbal Gathering and Lesson on Natural Remedies of CV (Orgaos, Santiago) – Walk through a hilly area in the countryside learning how to pick the correct herbs for particular ailments, then how to properly dry and preserve the herbs that will later be sold at a local mercado.
Plant to Plate Visit (Santa Cruz, Santiago) – Spend time at a family farm, pick your own produce off the branch, then wait as it is prepared in your traditional lunch served in the shade of a banana grove.
Pottery and Lunch (Santiago) – Get your hands dirty making pottery in this close knit community with a rich past known for its women who made and sold their ceramic pots at a premium in Praia, empowering them financially and granting them their choice of local men. Includes traditional lunch under a tree.
FOOD EXPERIENCES
Praia Street Food Tour – Visit two to three spots known for their local cuisine including fried morreia (eel) and mon d’vaca (cow foot soup), all while taking in the everyday life in different typical neighborhoods. Ideal for adventurous travelers and eaters!
Fogo Wine Tasting Tour – Visit a few vineyards and taste test their wines created from grapes cultivated in the vitamin-rich lava soil of this volcanic island.
Tapas Tour of Praia – Take a tour ideal for the foodie in you featuring delicious pint sized plates from a few of Praia’s upscale eateries.
Traditional CV Cooking Lesson (Praia) – Learn how to make a traditional dish such as the national dish, cachupa, modje from Sao Nicolau or mansa d’midjo (called totoco in Brava), then enjoy the spoils of your labor with a wine from Fogo or a CV styled caipirinha.
Private Home-Cooked Dinner with Live Music Serenade (Praia, 4 or more) – Enjoy home-cooked cachupa, the national dish, drinks, live music and fellowship at the home of A Vontade owner, Joli.
Break Bread with CV Legends – Enjoy a traditional meal and convo with local personalities like Lulucha of Achada famous for playing a major part in her neighborhood’s Tabanka tradition and for her cuscus and freskhinha d’ abacate (avocado popsicles).
Traditional sweets cooking lesson (Brava) – Sit with Senhora Lena as she teaches you how to make rapuzado, a traditional candy made only in Brava.
NIGHT LIFE
Party Night Out with an A Vontade Host (available in Santiago and Sao Vicente)
CV Bar Crawl with an A Vontade Host (available Thursdays-Saturdays in Praia) — 3 hours, 3 locations, 3 or more drinks
Live Lounge Music Hopping with an A Vontade Host (available nights in Mindelo, Sao Vicente) — 3 hours, 2-3 locations with one drink per stop
Sip and Stroke Session with a Renowned Artist of CV (Praia, possibly Mindelo depending on dates)
Grogue, Ponche and Paint! – Enjoy the CV version of Sip ‘n Stroke Sesh with one of Cabo Verde’s most celebrated artists and drinks made of locally sourced sugar cane rum.
ADVENTURES
Mountain Biking (Santo Antao)
Mountain Hiking (Santiago, Sao Nicolau, Santo Antao, Brava, Fogo)
Live Volcano Climbing (Fogo)
ATV Quad Biking (Sal, Maio)
Stand Up Paddling (Sal)
Surfing (Sal, Boa Vista)
Snorkeling (Sal, Boa Vista)
Kite Surfing (Sal, Boa Vista)
Flyboarding (Sal)
Sailing (Sal, coming soon to Sao Vicente)
Horseback Riding (Sal, Boa Vista)
Spear Fishing (Maio, Sal)
Big Game Fishing (Fogo, Maio, Sal)
Yachting (Sal)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Vacation Photo Session (Praia, Sao Vicente, Sal) – Capture the memories of your CV trip and the glow of your new tan with a professional photo shoot with beautiful Cabo Verde as the backdrop.
Volunteer – Let us link you to vetted organizations and projects that fit your interest.
