Cape Verde
Travel Guide > Africa > Cape Verde
In this Article
- Introduction
- Brief History
- Geography
- Regions/Islands
- Cities
- Sights and Activities
- Events and Festivals
- Weather
- Getting there
- Getting around
- Red Tape
- Money
- Work
- Study
- Language
- Eat
- Sleep
- Drink
- Health
- Safety
- Keep Connected
Quick Facts
[edit]
- Capital
- Praia
- Population
- 405,000
- Government
- Republic
- Religions
- Christianity (Catholic, Protestant)
- Languages
- Portuguese, Kabuverdianu
- Calling Code
- +238
- Nationality
- Cape Verdean
- Local name
- Cabo Verde
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Introduction
In the days of slave trading, Cape Verde received its first occupants: West African slaves brought over to do the Portugese colonists' dirty work. It also became a significant strategical stopping-point for America-bound slave ships from West Africa. Though the slave trade has long since come to an end, Cape Verde remains an important midway port. An increasing number of tourists, however, are discovering the joys that Cape Verde itself offers.
Cape Verdeans are descendant of Portuguese and African lines and both cultures infuse the islands' lively but relaxed way of life. The balance between late-night parties at the bars and clubs in Mindelo, and the day time activities of hiking or diving to enjoy Cape Verde's natural beauty is what makes the archipelago such an enthralling destination.
Brief History
Geography
Regions/Islands
Cape Verde consists of 10 islands and a handful of small islets.
The northern island group (Barlavento) consists of the following islands.
- Santo Antão
- São Vicente
- Santa Luzia
- São Nicolau
- Sal
- Boa Vista
The southern island group (Sotavento) is made up of the remaining isalnds.
- Maio
- Santiago
- Fogo
- Brava
Cities
- Praia is the capital located on the island of Santiago
- Mindelo
- Cidade Velha (Ribeira Grande)
- Espargos
Sights and Activities
Mountains and Beaches
The main reason for visiting Cape Verde is to see the spectacular natural scenery:
- White sand beaches on the island of Sal.
- Imposing volcanic peaks on Sao Nicolau and Fogo. Fogo is the highest point at over 2800 meters above sea level. The last eruption of this volcano dates back to 1995 but you have to be really unlucky to witness another one while ascending to the top, possible in several hours. Bring a guide!
- Verdant hillside and jungle on Santiago.
Watersports
Conditions in Cape Verde are excellent for a variety of watersports, particularly Sailing and Windsurfing. Most watersports activities are based on the island of Sal.
Portuguese Architecture
A Portuguese colony for nearly 500 years, the islands are home to a number of significant historic sites. These are in clearest evidence at the Cidade Velha, a site which is on the Unesco World Heritage List and located on the island of Santiago, where some 17th Century buildings remain. From here you can go up a steep hill to Fortaleza Real de São Filipe.
Other sights and activities
- Brava Island - good island for hiking and beaches on the west side of the island. Densely populated but pure Cape Verde!
- Mindelo
Weather
Cape Verde has a very pleasant climate, with warm and sunny conditions year round. It's mostly dry throughout the year as well, except for the short August to October 'rainy' season. Note that much of the islands, especially the flatter ones like Sal, can be a little windy, but that's good for watersports. Temperatures are mainly in the 25 to 30 degrees Celcius range during the day and nights are warm with 19 to 23 degrees. May to November is slightly warmer than the December to March period.
Getting there
Plane
TACV Cabo Verde Airlines is the national airline of Cape Verde and is based at Amílcar Cabral International Airport (SID) at the island of Sal and at Praia International Airport (RAI) near the capital Praia on Santiago Island. Banjul, Boston, Dakar, Fortaleza, Lisbon and London are served from Praia. From Sal, there are considerably more cities in Europe served with several dozens of airlines. Destinations include London, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Paris, Amsterdam, Milan, Rome and Helsinki.
By Train
By Car
By Bus
By Boat
Getting around
Plane
TACV Cabo Verde Airlines provides flights between the islands like Mindelo and Sal. Brava has no services though.
By Train
By Car
The best islands to rent a car are Santiago, Boa Vista and Fogo as they are a bit larger. Still, it can also be pleasant on the other smaller islands if you want to be independent. As some roads might be a bit bumpy, a 4wd is recommended, but an ordinary saloon car is possible as well. Both international as well as local agencies have rental cars.
By Bus
The only public transport is by so-called aluguers which basically are minibuses where you can hop on or off wherever you like. Taxis are only good value within the main cities and towns and between airports and your place to stay.
By Boat
With such an extensive system of internal flights (although a bit pricy), taking a boat is only for the enthusiasts.
Although if you want to go to Brava you will need to get a ferry, which takes about 3 hours from Fogo. STM Lines and the Moura Company are the main carriers. For detailed information about routes and schedules you can check this website.
Red Tape
Money
Work
Study
Eat
Sleep
Drink
Health
Safety
This is version 7. Last edited at 14:30 on Jul 25, 08 by Utrecht (+2689). 7 articles link to this page.
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Community Activity
Cape Verde Accommodation
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Cape Verde Travel Sites
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Cabo Verde
Not the prettiest site on the net, but one of the few useful ones we could find devoted to Cape Verde. -
Cape Verde Property World
Though buying property in Cape Verde is probably beyond most of us, this site does offer nice descriptions of the various islands and towns in Cape Verde. -
Dragoeiro
Named after the dragon tree which grows only on Cape Verde, this is the site of a Norwegian researcher, whose special interest in the island has made for an excellent resource for any traveller.
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