Vale do Paul

The Paul valley runs from the Cova crater down to the sea at Vila das Pombas, and it is the green heart of Santo Antão: sugar cane, bananas, coffee, mangoes and yams grown on terraces cut into slopes so steep the fields are worked entirely by hand. The classic walk descends the whole valley in four to six hours, passing hamlets, irrigation channels and grogue distilleries along the way. The road down does it in an hour.

What you actually see

• The terraces - hand-worked fields cut into extremely steep slopes.
• The full descent - the walk from crater rim to sea in four to six hours.
• The irrigation channels - the levadas carrying water along the valley sides.
• The crops - cane, coffee, bananas and mangoes grown on the terraces.

When to go

November to June is the dry season and best for walking. Cloud sits on the upper valley most days. The lower valley is warm and humid.

Honest expectations

The descent is long and hard on the knees; going up is harder. Cobbled and dirt paths are slippery in the wet. Transport back from the bottom needs arranging.

Nearby

Cova de Paul is above, and Vila das Pombas is at the sea.