I have been wanting to learn how to make katxupa for so long and now I finally did! I got to learn it from a beautiful strong women, who learned it from het mom and now made her business out of it. It was confronting to see how the people live and struggle compared to the western world but it also had it’s beauty.

The bom dia sunrise was a really nice way to wake up my body and mind. The treatment I got afterwards was nurturing and refreshing. We had a delicious brunch at an amazing family and to close off the beautiful morning, I got to pick a small gift..

As a frequent traveller to Cape Verde, I love Katxupa. So with great excitement I started this experience and it truly was amazing! Judith knows a lot about the history of Cape Verde and as this is a typical traditional Cape Verdean dish, it has a lot of history in it. So while slowly cooking the Katxupa, she will teach and tell you a lot. The cooking itself I actually found very relaxing, as you focus for a couple of hours only on your cooking. The best ingredients are love and attention and that is exactly what you get out of it!

What a great experience this was! The Terra Terra Tours guides picked us up in the early afternoon. First we made a stop at a shop where artists display and sell their handmade souvenirs. Here I bought some really nice African jewelry. After a short walk we arrived at the Sucupira market: A semi-covered market with a mix of locals and Africans. Even before we went to the market we first had a delicious dinner at a tent on the Sucupira. A small bar / restaurant of 2 sisters who can cook very well. After dinner we first visited a workshop behind the Sucupira. Here you will find an artist on almost every corner: from a carpenter who makes special cupboards to artists who make handmade souvenirs. Finally, we visited the Sucupira market. I was amazed .... what an amazing experience! So many colors, smells and sounds. So much to see: different African sellers with many different products: handmade furniture, jewelry, clothing, spices .... you name it and it's there! It is quite big ... I was happy that I was with Judith and Jair. They know a lot about the products sold there, know a lot of sellers and know the way with their eyes closed. The Sucupira market was a great ending to my holiday in Santiago.

Wherever I travel, one of my goals is to walk local neighborhoods and see how communities express themselves through street art. After not having much luck on my own, I was recommended Terra Terra Tours and I regret not knowing them from the start of my Cape Verde Experience. Judith and Jair took me under their wing and showed me this incredible neighborhood in Praia called Achade Grande Frente. The art was incredible and the sunset was stunning but it was the energy and spirit of these two that made the day magical. It felt like old friends meeting up and seeing each other's new lives and I learned so much in such a quick time. I highly highly recommend Terra Terra Tours for their knowledge of all things Cape Verde, their access to the world outside typical tourist paths, and their kindeness, generosity, and friendship.

Today a great trip to the local market in Praia! The Sukupira Experience! You will find almost EVERYTHING on the market! From cashew nuts, clothing, seats ... name it, you find it, it's a mix of local and African (Senegalese, Nigerea, Guinée Conakry) products! A must-visit! Especially glad that I did this with Terra Terra Tours because it really is a labyrinth in this market! In addition, I felt super safe, everyone knew Judith and Jair, I was not pulled, not called , if I was interested in something specific I also paid the usual price. After the market we went for lunch in a small bistro run by a Senegalese lady, and no problem for a vegetarian like me, nice local, no tourists, and most important… Really delicious !!! 🙂

At primary school you run your lungs out to run as many laps as possible and collect as much sponsor money as possible. Well I was never a winner in that, but all the little bit will help. Whether you always get a course about charity at school and communication with videos is even better. But had it really happened with the money that was collected? Today I had a tour with terra terra tours at a worldwide major project and well known to most people: SOS children's villages. In Cape Verde there are two complete villages on Santiago and on São Vicente there is a small day center. Jair, whom I have known for about three weeks, grew up in the SOS children's village and showed us around. We looked at the house where he had lived from 8 to 18 years. There are ten of these types of houses in Riberão Chiqueiro and on average 8 children live with one person "Mãe" (the mother who lives in the house 24/7) and various Tia's during the day (aunts who help with the household). Jair showed his room and the bed where he slept and there was also the place where he told his personal story. "He told us how it transformed his life from streetkid to a conscious man with life goals. I asked about the contrast of the boys he grew up with in the same neighborhood - very hard and focused on facts: eight died and many are stuck in the He was very proud to tell his story and that in the beginning he didn't want to go at all, but that afterwards he was so grateful for everything.Now he is a great example for the children who now live in the village and the community around the SOS children's village. His caretakers from that time are also very proud to see him like that ". Today another day with a lot of awareness about my life in Europe and the lives here in Cape Verde.

Vorig jaar in de zomer besloot ik op vakantie te gaan naar Cabo om daar 2 eilanden te bezoeken São Nicolau en Santiago. Ik ken Judith al jaren en ze praat altijd over Cabo en hoe geweldig het daar is, niks is minder waar van al haar verhalen. Cabo moet je ervaren met de locals en dat is precies waar Terra Terra veel aandacht aan besteed. In die anderhalve week dat ik in Santiago was heb ik Cabo dus ook op een unieke manier mogen ervaren. Ik heb plekken gezien waar ik het gevoel had dat er weing mensen kwamen, ik heb geslapen bij locals op de meest uiteenlopende locaties, gegeten bij locals thuis en mogen genieten van de verborgen locale restaurantjes met heerlijke gerechten waar je alleen komt als je de mensen kent. Elke dag was weer een verassing. Ik liet me meenemen in het avontuur van Terra Terra, ze waren nog druk bezig om diverse tours en experiences compleet te maken. Ik wens jullie alle succes en ik heb het zo goed ervaren dat ik zeker nog een keer ga terugkomen! E: Last year in the summer I decided to go on holiday to Cabo to visit 2 islands São Nicolau and Santiago. I have known Judith for years and she always talks about Cabo and how wonderful it is there, nothing is less true of all her stories. You have to experience Cabo with the locals and that is exactly what Terra Terra pays a lot of attention to. In the week and a half that I was in Santiago, I was able to experience Cabo in a unique way. I have seen places where I felt that there were not many people, I slept with locals at the most diverse locations, ate at locals home and were allowed to enjoy the hidden local restaurants with delicious dishes where you only come if you know the people . Every day was a surprise. I let myself be included in the Terra Terra adventure, they were still busy completing various tours and experiences. I wish you all the best and I have experienced it so well that I will definitely come back again!

During my holidays in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, I met Juju who proposed to me and my friend the Terra Terra Tour. After a first evaluation of the tour we were immediately interested in his proposal because on the island of Santiago there are some areas that are not recommended to visit alone (especially if you are in two girls who do not know the local language as I and my friend). The Terra Terra Terra Tour was really very interesting and enriched me a lot. The tour lasted all day including the meals and this is an aspect that I really liked because we had the opportunity to eat with the locals people and then see the houses here live and what really consists of their food. The tour has enriched me a lot because I would never have had the chance to see some aspects of the island and thanks to the guide of Juju, Gelson and Jair I could really see the way of life of the people. Cape Verde is Africa and there are also poor people but it is really very kind and selfless. During the whole day I felt safe also thanks to the two guys (Gelson and Jair) who accompanied us for the duration of our tour. My expectations on the tour were to discover new aspects of the island and I was very pleased that Juju asked us again what we had already seen to show us things that we had not seen before. My friend and I opted for the one-day tour because we had other plans for the other days of our holidays but after this experience I would like to do the tour that includes two days with the overnight in a place "less touristy".

The street art tour was a stunning walk through the streets of a rough neighborhood in development. Beautiful grafitti that is easy to photograph while we were watching the sun set. The walk finished with a BBQ at Gelson's house (member of the crew) and his children and wife made us feel super welcome! We enjoyed the lovely food on their rooftop terrace and watched Praia turn into a city that does'nt sleep. Would do it again next visit!