Nova Sintra sits high in the middle of Brava, about 500 metres up, and it's often cool and misty. It's a small town of gardens, laid out around Praça Eugénio Tavares, a leafy square with a bandstand. Tavares wrote many of Cabo Verde's best-loved mornas, and his old house in town is now a small museum. The island is steep and green by Cabo Verde standards, rising to Monte Fontainhas at 976 metres. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many of Brava's men signed on to American whaling ships, and families still have close ties to New England.
Walking and swimming
Brava is a walking island, and old paths link Nova Sintra with villages across the hills. A popular hike drops from the heights to Fajã d'Água, a village of banana and papaya plots on the north-west coast, where American whaling ships once landed. From there, a walking track climbs to the pilgrimage church of Nossa Senhora do Monte in the middle of the island. About a kilometre south of the village, a natural rock pool makes a good wild swim when the sea is calm.
Booking on adventuro
You reach Brava on the ferry from São Filipe on Fogo, about an hour across the channel, landing at the small harbour of Furna. It sails a few times a week when the sea allows, so leave a spare day either side. Use the Book here tab to see live dates for guided walks on Brava.
