Cabo Verde travel guide

The people of Cabo Verde are a good reason to visit the country. They are generally very welcoming and kind to foreigners. Always happy to give you directions or have a chat with you and if you ask (sometimes they will even ask you), they will gladly pose for a picture.
Because of the former Portuguese colonisation, and the islands being a transit place for slaves during that time, most people are Creole, a mix between African and European. The commonly spoken language is Creole while the official language is Portuguese.
You will encounter several people speaking fluent English, Dutch or French because of the large amount of Cabo Verdeans working overseas.

Pico do Fogo (2928 m) is Cabo Verde's highest point and, essentially, a volcano inside a volcano. It's surrounded by a black, moonscape; that will take any first-time visitor by surprise. Perfectly cone-formed the volcano itself is possible to climb in about three hours, though it's advisable to take a guide as the ascent is steep and the best paths change sporadically. Returning down, however, will take about forty minutes as the descent is made by a sprint in a cloud of dust and ash, down through the loose volcanic gravel that covers much of the volcano. A magnificent and fearsome, the volcano last erupted in 2014, and the local community here is yet to recover. This will inevitably put a limit on any visitor’s enjoyment climbing the volcano. But don't let that put you off, the money generated by homestays, the vineyards that survived and the guided climbs goes a long way in the rebuilding of the community.

Ponta do Sol is a town at the Northern tip of Santo Antão island and a good base for doing day hikes on the island. It is a place that easily grows on you after staying a few days. Originally being a fishing village, tourism is modestly becoming an important part of the town. The small harbour is a lovely place where you can watch the fishermen skillfully manoeuvre their small boats through the rough waves into the relative safety of the harbour. You can watch the people weigh, sell and clean the catch of the day and then enjoy the good fish and seafood in one of the restaurants while watching the sun set.

The capital Praia is just an overgrown version of any other town in Cabo Verde. A beach, a harbour, and a cluster of mismatched concrete dwellings, all kept in the usual dull grey. Well, that is not totally true, Praia also has an Old Town, called the Plateau since it’s raised above the rest of the city. Here, the houses are a bit more cute and colourful, and there is a range of colonial buildings, like the court house and President Palace, which even has a splendid viewpoint behind it. The Old Town also has a shaded town square, a vegetable market and a pedestrian street, 5. De Julho, which is mostly famous for its range of restaurants. Since the people of Cabo Verde is very easygoing and calm, it should not come as a surprise that Praia is just the same.

Sal Rei town is the main place to stay on Boa Vista for independent travellers (and kite surfers). The town is a wonderful strange blend of traditional Cabo Verdean town mixed with half-built holiday complexes and even a shanty town in the perimeter. Though grey is the dominating colour (as with any Cabo Verdean town) there are a few colourful houses, including a handful of could-be colonial buildings. Though the small town beach is cute with the docking fishing boats, the famous Boa Vista beaches are south of town. Here you can walk for days and touch nothing but sand. It's also here you find the beach bars and wind and kite surfing schools.

Santa Maria is the tourist capital of Cabo Verde. Lots of hotel complexes with sunburned Europeans and even more construction sites with half-built resorts extending along the long sandy beach from Santa Maria town. The town itself is surprisingly nondescript outside the tourist zone, which consists of the tiny town square and the streets leading up to it. There is a small selection of bars, restaurants and shops - and to less appeal, a never-ending flow of West African touts. So yes, Santa Maria is as touristy as it can get, but it still provides what most people are coming for; namely sun, sand, and chilling at the beach – not to mention wind for the kite surfers.

A central ridge of mountains splits the island of Santo Antão in two. The Southern half is dry and arid but the Northern part gets more rain and has lovely green ribeiras (valleys) that are great for hiking. As most islands in Cabo Verde, Santo Antão is volcanic, so there are several old craters at the top of the mountains that are being used for agriculture. There is an abundance of fruit trees such as mango, papaya, banana and bread fruit.
Most tourists come to Santo Antão for hiking. Due to its proximity to São Vicente, which is only a short ferry ride, there is a lot more tourism than on São Nicolau but it is mainly still unspoiled.

Mountainous and dry is the best way to describe São Nicolau island. People struggle to get enough water to grow some crops. The island hardly gets rain so all water sources are dealt with carefully. Traditionally, people live off fishing and agriculture but since many Cabo Verdeans work overseas, people are doing pretty well. The island’s main towns are the island’s capital Ribeira Brava in the center and Tarrafal at the west coast.
There are plenty of great hikes to do, which are not too hard to navigate.
São Nicolau doesn’t get a lot of tourism and part of the great experience of being on this island are the chilled and extremely friendly people who will love to stop for a chat and smile for a picture.

70 km north of Praia, in a bay right where the sun sets, is one of Cabo Verde's most idyllic beaches. The sand is white and clean, and the backdrop is palm trees and towering cliffs. Best of all this beach offers some rare cultural excitement too. One half is reserved for the beach-goers, while the other is lined with small colourful fishing boats. The pace of life here is slow: laze about in the sand, take a dip and watch the fishing boats return with their catch. Repeat. Should the need for restarting the blood circulation arise, are there short, but fine, hikes in the hills surrounding the beach and it's even possible to do some diving here. Visit outside the weekends and you are likely to have it all to yourself.

With consistent wind year around, Cabo Verde has become a wind- and kitesurfing mecca. Though Sal island draws a bigger tourist and surfer crowd, less developed Boa Vista wins in terms of raw nature and long untouched beaches. Some of the good surf spots are easily accessible from the main settlements on both islands, while other spots need a bumpy drive in a 4x4 through rocky desert and sand dunes. There are surf schools on both islands and for the more experienced, breaking waves.