The short life of the “waterfalls” is an attraction during the rainy season

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The short life of the “waterfalls” is an attraction during the rainy season
The short life of the “waterfalls” is an attraction during the rainy season

Africa-Press – Cape verde. A sign hanging from a tree on the side of the road indicates the exit to Cachoeira Maravilha, in the Picos area, inland on the island of Santiago, a seasonal oasis to make you forget the drought.

It is a waterfall that only exists in years when there is enough rain, as happened in 2023 and as is happening now, to compensate for what happened before: a drought that lasted almost five years.

Cape Verde is an arid archipelago, some islands are even desert, but Santiago is one of those where there are mountains with springs that renew themselves in years when there is a rainy season (between July and October).

Anilton Fortes, 39 years old, left his car on the dirt road and is alone, with his eyes closed and wearing swimming trunks, under the water that falls at Cachoeira Maravilha, nestled in a verdant valley, which in a few months will be back to its arid colors.

But for now, the landscape is lush and all you can hear is the water falling and the birds singing, in a setting that, every year, makes Anilton “anxious” for the rainy season, so he can enjoy “the luxury of having a waterfall”.

In the morning, at the right time, it’s like having a private waterfall in the middle of nature, like now, where there’s no one else around.

“Every year I look for a different waterfall. This is the first time I’ve been to this one”, he tells Lusa, explaining that, after the exploration, it will be a new place for family gatherings.

“We have a two-month window to enjoy it. It’s very short and this year [the rain] came later. The waterfall should last until December. If there’s no more rain, it’s over”, he says, although it’s true that rainfall after October is rare.

Anilton enjoys a “private” waterfall, but as the day progresses, in Longueira, São Lourenço dos Órgãos, there is another, busier waterfall: there are island residents picnicking under the trees, tourists equipped for hiking and foreign workers enjoying a day off.

All the cars managed to make it up the dirt road to the viewpoint and – even more challenging – some made the descent to the water on foot, on slippery clay.

“This place is very cool, green and peaceful, I came to enjoy my free day”, explains Nikola Marousova, a 19-year-old Czech hairdresser in Praia – shocked to learn that the scene only lasts a few months.

Éder Mendonça, 21, balances on the rocks on the bank of the stream, next to the waterfall: “There have been drier years, but last year was good and this year is even better. If it continues like this, it will be great”.

In an arid country, there is an attraction for the ephemeral waterfalls, whenever the weather allows them to flow each year, between September and October.

“Here, when there is no water, this is not Cape Verde, it is Cabo Castanho”, explains Nilton Borges, 43 years old, a guide on ecotourism trails since 2007, as an alternative to sun and beach tourism.

“The water runs directly from the mountains, crystal clear and fresh. These waters, for me, are sacred. And rare, because we don’t always have them and there have been years without water”, he describes, stopping next to the Longueira waterfall, during a walk with foreign tourists.

And agriculture, “is it guaranteed”, he asks, looking at the sky, with clouds forming and forecasts pointing to more rain in the coming days.

“After the waterfall, the water goes to the dam, for agriculture and to feed wells”, explains Horácio Brito, 54, pointing down the slope, indicating the “sacred” route from the top of the mountain to the sea.

It will be possible to plant “a lot of things”, from potatoes and cassava to the essential corn, so “cachupa will not be lacking. Nor will xerém”, recipes based on corn, part of Cape Verdean gastronomic culture and a reflection of the climate and landscape.

Horácio Brito has two children in mind, the two sons he takes to play at Cachoeira Maravilha, “every day, after school” – every day, “as long as there is water”, he corrects, optimistic, hoping to have waterfalls by December or, perhaps, January.

Sunset is approaching, but in the north of the island of Santiago the sky is already overcast over the Main Dam, a reservoir that is filled, with the spillways giving rise to a new waterfall over the wall – in a closed valley surrounded by the imposing mountains of the Serra Malagueta, which rise steeply towards the sky.

This is another place of worship and leisure while the waters last, but not today.

It is starting to drip, there is a storm on the way and all that can be seen now are farmers tidying up their gardens: they will return tomorrow, like waterfall lovers, to take advantage of the gift of rain.

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