Walk west from the main square and the town drops away to a cliff path that follows the bluff above the sea. The path is rough in places and not signposted, but it's easy to navigate — just keep the ocean on your left. Below, the basalt drops straight down to the water; above, the houses of Sao Filipe crowd the edge of the cliff in a way that looks precarious but has evidently worked for several centuries.
On a clear morning, before the haze builds, Brava is visible across the channel: a green, mountainous island with no flat ground and no airport, accessible only by ferry. To the north, on days of exceptional clarity, you can see the bulk of Santiago. The light here in the late afternoon, when the sun is low over the Atlantic, is worth the walk alone. Bring water; there's no shade on the cliff path.