Ribeira Grande

Ribeira Grande, usually called Povoação locally, sits where two ravines meet at the sea on Santo Antão's northern coast, the town squeezed onto whatever flat ground the valley floor allows and climbing the sides where it does not. It is the main service town for the north of the island, the place buses and aluguers run from, and the base for walking the valleys inland. The old cobbled road from Porto Novo arrives over the mountains.

What you actually see

• The valley confluence - the town wedged where two ravines meet the sea.
• The cobbled mountain road - the old route in from Porto Novo across the island.
• The market - the town's produce market serving the northern valleys.
• The valley walks - routes inland from the town up both ravines.

When to go

November to June is the dry season. The town is the transport hub and busiest in the mornings. Rain in August and September can cut the roads.

Honest expectations

The town is workaday and there is little to see in it; it functions as a base. Accommodation is basic. The mountain road in is slow and winding.

Nearby

Ponta do Sol is north, and Vale do Paul is southeast.