EN3-FG05, also known as EN3-FG5 and EN3-5, some signs posts as N3-5 or N3-FG05, the second part is of the Island of Fogo, highway name: Caminho de Fonte Aleixo e Achada Furna (Fonte Aleixo-Achada Furna Road), south of Achada Furna, remainder: Caminho de Pico e Caldeiras (Pico and Chã das Caldeiras) is one of the main roads of the island behind EN2-FG01 and EN3-FG02 (Lomba-Cova Figueira and runs primarily south-north). It not just carries tourist and passenger traffic but carries primarily agricultural goods mainly to other parts of the island such as Chã das Caldeiras wine and other fruits. The northernmost portion was devastated by the recent eruption in November and December 2014, it was also partly devastated near Chã das Caldeiras during the April 1995 eruption. The national route is being the highest in Cape Verde running at about 1,600 meters elevation, other routes running at higher elevations in the nation are Porto Novo-Tarrafal de Monte Trigo Road and Estrada da Corda (Porto Novo-Corda-Ribeira Grande), both located on the island of Santo Antão. The route starts at Fonte Aleixo and finishes at Bangaeira in Chã das Caldeiras. Its total length is 25 km, before the 2014-15 eruption, it was 19.8 km long.
Route
The highway starts at the junction with Fogo Circular Road (EN1-ST01) in Fonte Aleixo at about 500 meters above sea level, a stretch that remains to be paved with cobblestone and its lanes are narrow. For a few hundred meters, it forms a joint with the road (EN3-FG01) connecting Cova Figueira and Lomba and runs into the center of Achada Furna at 850 meters above sea level. From that portion up to Cabeça Fundão at Bordeira, the road are paved with asphalt, first paved in the early 2000s and being the fewest on the island, the Circular Road and parts of the Cova Figueira-Lomba road are also paved with asphalt. A stretch of highway has zig-zag and winding curves heading uphill and into 1,000 meters above sea level. It runs within several hills of volcanic origin along with a forested one that features a caldeira. At that location, it offers panoramic views of Monte Fogo and also the southern portion of the island and rarely offers views of the nearby island of Brava. It slightly runs east before it runs north in Cabeça Fundão, also at that location, the paved section ends and the remainder are baved in local basalt. At 1,600 meters elevation, it runs in the eastern rim of Bordeira and curves to the west then north then west which encircles the west of the caldeira and Pico da Caldeira for about 10–15 km and enters the country's largest caldera (Portuguese: Caldeira do Fogo). A part of the road runs near the old stretch of the road.
After entering the caldeira it curves to the west and then north, it enters several hills made out of previous eruptions on the mountain. Just north of the crater rim known as Bordeira, the entry sign into Fogo Natural Park is posted. Until 2014, a stretch of highway was cobblestoned. After the last lava flow on December 2015, only the south portion remains. The highway is once again unpaved with dirt and runs on the rim of Bordeira for the rest of the length up to Portela and Bangaeira where much of the buldings were destroyed and some of its plants.
Before the 2014 eruption, the lava flow covered the road up to over 1 km southeast of Monte Beco totalling over 4 km, the highway once curved left then right just next to Pico Pequeno and a slight small curves were followed for the rest of the length, inbetween are a few earlier small volcanic craters where lava once flowed. The highway once entered Chã das Caldeiras and the subdivision of Portela, the village center and curved right. The highway forms a terminus, once at that different location.
History
About the mid to late 16th century, a small road was founded. Uncertain that the road was largely abandoned during the 1680 eruption. Recorded history had after Chã das Caldeiras was founded in 1870 by the Count of Montrond to grow wine grapes, the foundation date of Cabeça Fundão is unknown. The remaining stretch of the dirt road was completed just north of Achada Furna. The eruption of June 1951 nearly reached the road at the terminus in Bangaeira and by Bordeira near Cabeça Fundão. Its road was first paved around the 1960s, in the early 2000s, the stretch from Achada Furna to Cabeça Fundão became paved with asphalt. A stretch of roads in the upper portion were devastated by two recent eruptions. The first lava flow was in April 1995 which ruined a stretch south of Portela for 1 km and another was from November 2014 to December 2015.
In the first days of eruption on November 29, lava reached the road near Pico Pequeno, lava flow was 15 meters an hour (320 meters a day) for a few days. A day later, most of the southern stretch of highway was covered in lava except for a portion due west of Pico Pequeno. On December 4, it reached a stretch near the village center at Portela, on December 8, it reached the terminus at Bangaeira. On December 12, the remaining stretch south of Portela was covered in lava. During the eruption, the highway into the caldera was closed and remained for several months after the last lava flow until the route marking was relocated on the foot of Bordeira. In mid-December, the road would not be harmed by more lava flows. Further lava flows buried more of the road in areas of previous lava flows as it went west of Pico Pequeno for a few days in December 19. Lava flows later decreased and became less active and on February 8, it was finished. Lava covered up to around 10 meters within Pico Pequeno, 4 meters in Portela and 1–2 meters at Bangaeira. Also it covered around 5 km of the road.
Minibus line
On the section inside Achada Furna, Aluguer buses connects Achada Furna but not on a fixed schedule during 6 days of the week but not on holidays, it once had a line that connected with Chã das Caldeiras, after the 2014-15 eruption, that line became eliminated.
Landmarks and features
In Chã das Caldeiras before the 2014 eruption, the road ran alongside the village school and the vineyard factory and offices. Notable architecture such as neoclassical and some funco hut-style houses were alongside the road in Portela and Bangaeira.