Explore Cape Verde

Car rental in Ribeira Grande, Santo Antão

Ribeira Grande, known locally as Povoacao, is the largest town in northern Santo Antao. It lies at the end of the old cobbled road that drops down from Cova de Paul on the north coast of the island, by the mouth of the river that gives it its name. It keeps a colonial feel, with white red-roofed houses pinned to the slope, a central square and the parish church. A few kilometres east lie Vila das Pombas, at the start of the Paul valley, and Ponta do Sol, the northernmost village in the archipelago. With a rental car, Ribeira Grande works as a hiking base — the iconic trail down from Cova de Paul ends here — and for visiting grogue distilleries, banana and sugarcane plots, and the north-coast viewpoints. The northern coastal road on to Janela and Cruzinha has very winding stretches.