Foto: The Fogo volcano (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Cape_Verde - The silhouette of the volcano is already visible. Behind the mountain, the first sunlight is appearing. The sun’s rays are already reaching the tops of the surrounding mountains. We follow the road along the volcano and then turn onto a path beside a field. We walk steadily uphill. The lava fields here are from older eruptions. There’s no lava from the last two eruptions here, says Eurico. The last eruption in this area was in 1951. In total, since Cape Verde has been inhabited, there have been 27 major eruptions. According to Eurico, it’s safe to walk here. “We are in contact with the Spanish seismological service,” he says. The magma field is connected to the volcanoes of the Canary Islands. After about an hour of walking, we reach the base of the volcano. The path becomes steeper right away. Eurico walks ahead, setting a calm pace. He clearly knows the best way to climb the volcano. At this pace, it’s manageable. I have to be careful not to slip on the loose volcanic gravel. Just to be safe, I take out my trekking poles. They provide extra stability, which helps a lot—though when scrambling over rocks, the poles can get in the way. We take regular breaks. Above and below us, we see other groups climbing. It’s not very crowded on the volcano slope. I estimate there are at most fifteen tourists with guides on the mountain. Only Herman, a Dutchman who is also staying at our lodge, is climbing solo. Rather him than me. As we climb higher, we get views of the valley behind us. The villages and lava flows from various eruptions are visible. The color reveals the age of the lava. On the right, clouds hang low. We’re walking above the clouds. Over the coastal strip and sea, the sky is overcast. A thick cloud blanket lies over the landscape. We continue climbing in the shade of the mountain. Only as we ascend further, the sun begins to appear. We left early specifically to avoid the heat—and that worked well. At one of the final stops, Eurico points to the summit. “That’s our goal for today,” he says.
Video
Parque Natural do Fogo
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