Cape Verde consists of 10 different islands, from which 9 are inhabited. A common saying among the islands is 10 islands, 10 faces, meaning that each Cape Verde island has its own identity.

The most famous and most visited islands of Cape Verde are Sal and Boa Vista. Both islands are perfect for a beach holiday. Families, couples, and solo travelers. On these two islands you have the possibility to fly with Tui Fly directly from Germany, England, France, and Holland to enjoy vacation days in luxury hotels with all inclusive.

Sal and Boa Vista belonge to the Barlavento (windward) islands group. The islands are the most eastern located, and closest to the African mainland, so they have long and giant white sand beaches and perfect sand dunes, strong winds in winter and big waves ideal for kite and windsurf.

When traveling to Sal and Boa Vista, you’ll definitely have a great time, but you’ll probably not experience the ‘real culture’ of Cape Verde. The famous islands are focused on tourism, and thus the cultural experiences are also focused on tourism on both islands. 

The islands of Santo Antão, Santiago, São Nicolau and Fogo are the most mountainous and therefore a good option for lovers of hiking or trekking.

The islands of Maio, Brava and São Nicolau are the most isolated in terms of maritime and air transport, which constitutes some difficulty in organizing a short trip, these islands due to few access of visitors are the calmest and most authentic.

Cape Verde is a group of sub-tropical and volcanic islands in the Atlantic Ocean, with a beautiful weather all year round. The former Portuguese colony is situated about 460 kilometers off the coast of Senegal (Africa). Fly only 2 more hours to the south from the Canaries and there is the Cape Verde archipelago. It’s about 6 hours flying from London, Paris, or Amsterdam. From Lisbon, it’s roughly 4 hours. There are also direct flights from east coast USA. From Boston, it takes about 7½ hours to get to Cape Verde.

Cape Verde is a tropical destination with a rainy season from July to October. That typically doesn’t mean it rains all the time, but you could be quite unlucky with the weather if you visit during this time. The best time to visit Cape Verde is usually considered from November to April. It’s dry and sunny during this time, making it a perfect winter escape from Europe or North America. In February the temperatures are mostly in the 25 to 30 Celsius range. But at times it could easily be 5 degrees lower, depending on the location. The towns are mostly on the coast where it can be breezy, while areas further inland can be much more sunny and dry. Bring sunblock and sunglasses, but equally a jumper. It rains from August to October. During the winter, storms blowing from the Sahara sometimes cloud the sky; however, sunny days are the norm year round.

Water

As a travel agent I see often europeans bringing water from home, it is not necessary, in Cape verde you find mineral water in every supermarket with good quality and good prices, normally 1/2 litres costs 1 euro. 

Tips: Avoid consuming water from the mains, even to brush your teeth it is better to buy a bottle of water in the supermarket.

Fogo Wine

Fogo is a very fertile island, not only coffee but also wine is produced. In 1870,  the Frenchman Montrond settled on Fogo and began cultivating grapes. Thanks to the volcanic soil, the dry climate and sophisticated wine techniques, Fogo produces high quality wine. Both red, white and rosé wines. The Fogo wine is available everywhere under the wine label “Chã”.

Caipirinha

The Cape Verde caipirinha is a Brazilian-inspired, cocktail made with Cape Verde grogue, sugar syrup, a mix of fresh fruit and ice. There is also an alcohol-free variant with, for example, Ginger Ale as a replacement for the rum grogue. A delicious refreshing drink for the beach.

Grogue

Made from sugarcane, Grogue is regarded as the national drink of the people of Cape Verde. It’s an alcoholic (45%) beverage and is used in the making of a cocktail known as Ponche. The national liquor of Cape Verde is grogue. It is a distilled sugar cane and has an alcohol percentage of over 40%. The tradition of making and consuming this rum is deeply rooted in Cape Verde culture. Grogue is often produced by farmers and is a drink that is drunk on a variety of occasions. Just like rum, you have brown and white grogue. The brown grogue is slightly smoother and has been ripened for some time. This older rum can best be drunk pure. The white grogue is bright in color and younger. The young grogue is the ideal base for a cocktail mix.

Christianity is the largest religion in Cape Verde, with Roman Catholics having the most adherents. Different sources give varying estimates on the relative sizes of various Christian denominations. More than 93% of the population of Cape Verde is Christian, with almost 77% being Roman Catholic, according to an informal poll taken by local churches. About 5% of the population is Protestant. The largest Protestant denomination is the Church of the Nazarene. Other groups include the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Assemblies of God, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the New Apostolic Church and various other Pentecostal and evangelical groups

There is a small Baháʼí Faith community and a small Muslim community. The number of atheists is estimated at less than 1 percent of the population.

The local currency is Escudo. You can’t get it outside of Cape Verde. You’re also officially not allowed to take escudo notes out of the country. This can be converted to Euros 100ecv=110.256 Euros, you find more infos on Convert.
There are ATMs on the islands where you can take the local currency out using your bank- or credit card (visa and Mastercard). If you’re going to a place that’s not a major city or reasonably sized town, it’s possible there
won’t be a bank ATM. It’s worth having some cash with you for these situations. Only some businesses accept card payments. On the islands of Sal and Boavista you can pay with euro everywhere.

What is TSA?

A new Airport Security Tax (TSA) was created and implemented by the Government of Cape Verde and this airport tax has a cost of around 1.36 euros per passenger on domestic flights and 30.83 euros per passenger on international flights charged through from the pre-registration web platform up to 5 days before your trip, if you couldn´t pay this fee up to 5 days before the deadline, you can pay it upon arrival in each one of Capeverdean international airport, and of course instead of just showing your passport and leave the airport, you will have to wait in a long queue at the airport to pay the TSA.

Tips: If you haven’t paid your fee, be the first one off the flight to avoid the long queue.

Who should pay TSA?

All foreign citizens who disembark in Cape Verde or are traveling between the islands, and Cape Verdeans traveling between islands will have to pay the new fee.

Who is exempt from paying the TSA?

• Cape Verdean passport holders;
• Children under two years of age passengers who, including on official missions;
• Disembark on aircraft in the private service of the State of Cape Verde or a foreign State;
• Passengers on aircraft that land “by reason of forced return to the airport, justified by technical or meteorological reasons, or other force majeure, duly proven;
• Passengers in transit at Cape Verdean airports.

Which documents do I need?

• Passport valid for at least six (6) months during your stay in Cape Verde.
• Flight Ticket for your trip.

How to Pay TSA?

For passengers who intend to pay the TSA there is a national website of the Government of Cape Verde where you can register insurance and pay this amount.

Regularly scheduled direct flights can be found from Lisbon (TAP) Buy Tickets,
Seasonal holiday flights with companies such as TUI Buy Online and Transavia Buy online also fly from numerous locations, including the UK.

TUI Norway online booking  TUI Finland online booking TUI Swedish online booking TUI Dennmark online booking

These flights mainly go to the resort hotel islands of Sal and Boa Vista. 
but specially the best option from europe is to fly with TAP from Lisbon to the main islands with international airport (Praia, Sao Vicente, Sal and Boavista). From there, you can take a domestic flight to other islands.

Traveling between the Cape Verde islands is limited to, two options. Travel by plane (Airline BestFly Cabo Verde) or by ferry. Ferry connections between the islands are not very reliable, often they’re delayed or canceled. Traveling by plane is the fastest and most reliable option to travel between the Cape Verde Islands. 

Domestic air travel in Cape Verde is managed by the company TICV (Bestfly Cabo verde). These flights you can book direct with the company, but in case you want to cancel or change your program you might not have your money back.

These flights don’t leave daily, and sometimes it’s not possible to go with a direct flight from one island to another.

The islands of Maio and Sao Nicolau have ony 2-3 fligths a week during the season.

Brava and Santo Antao you can only reach by Ferry. 

The other common form of transportation between the Cape Verde Islands is traveling by ferry, but it is not the most reliable way of transportation. 

The best ferry possibilities are:

Praia to Maio wich takes only 2h and you can take 3 times a week. Sometimes it is possible to go in the morning and return afternoon. 

Sao Vicente to Santo Antao wich takes 1h and it goes every morning and return in the afternoon. The ferry connection in Cape verde.

Important to know

• The flight times between islands vary between 20 minutes and an hour.
• At all airports you will go through x-ray control, liquids or sharp, dangerous materials are strictly controlled.
• The free baggage weight is 23 kg per person and distance.
• Hand luggage must not exceed 45 x 35 x 24 cm and weight no more than 6 kilograms.v
• liquids are not allowed in the hand luggage and no sharp objects as well.
• Special luggage must be registered with the airline prior to arrival.
• Make sure you are on time, because you do not want to miss your domestic flight.
• You can check in with domestic flights in Cape Verde up to 2 hour in advance.
• The check-in counter closes 1h before departure.
• Airline BestFly Cabo Verde is a professional organization with modern aircraft.

Anyway if you are looking for a fast and safe flight booking just let us know!!

Visa

If you have a European passport, you can enter Cape Verde as a visitor for up to 30 days without a visa.

Passport

Before you travel to Cape Verde make sure Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Cape Verde.

Airport tax (TSA)

Up to 5 days before you start your travel Cape Verde, you must complete a Traveller Pre-registration form and, if taking international flight, you have to pay the airport security tax (TSA). This does not apply to children aged 1 and under or those who are resident in Cape Verde.

For further information about the online form, find this information leaflet.

If you are planning with another purpose and not for  tourism, or want to stay longer than 90 days in Cape verde, you should check the entry requirements with the nearest Cape Verde Embassy .

in general the islands of cape verde are considered a safe travel destination, offering peace of mind and security for its visitors, if you are traveling to the big cities like Praia or Mindelo, as in all parts of the world you have to take some precautions and care for rare cases of street robberies and robberies in areas that are rarely visited.
just avoid walking through local neighborhoods without roofs and without traffic of people

Tips: 

• Avoid dark places with poor lighting;
• Avoid displaying belongings such as jewelry or large cameras;
• Avoid offering gifts to street children;

But the rest of the city is peaceful, most travelers enjoy their holidays as safely as possible. The country has never had an act of terrorism like in other African countries, there are no records of wars or coups d’état in none of the capeverean islands.

In Cape Verde, the health system has developed a lot lately, but there are still some limitations. In every city in the country it is possible to find medical facilities and some pharmacies available. There are hospitals in Praia and Mindelo with better qualified medical facilities than in other islands. 

In every cities you find private and specialized medical assistance services for foreigners or tourists, these already with a more advanced system and a little similar to the treatment in Europe and with multilingual health personnel.

Santa Maria, Sal

Clinitur 

Boavista / Praia

Medicalia

Mindelo, São Vicente

Medicentro

As of July 2012, a telemedicine program, funded by the Republic of Slovenia through the ITF Enhancing Human Security and implemented by the US-based NGO International Virtual e-Hospital, is building a hospital-based telemedicine network to All country. Since January 2014, all of the country’s inhabited islands have been connected through an integrated telemedicine network, representing the first case in Africa of such an approach to telemedicine.

Illnesses Variants in Cape Verde

Malaria

The last record of malaria was in 2017 with few cases of death across the country, so malaria exists in Cape Verde, although not to the extent found in continental Africa. The risk of contracting malaria is mainly limited to the island of Santiago, with a greater risk in the rainy season, which runs from July to December. Throughout the year it is possible to feel mosquitoes at night in some lodgings, but these mosquitoes do not cause malaria.

HIV/AIDS

In Cape Verde, the HIV rate is at a relatively low prevalence rate.

Diarrhoea

It is very common for Europeans to get diarrhoea or stomach problems from ingesting some food or even because of the heat and hot weather, but don’t worry, this will pass in 2 or 3 days.

Tips:

• Avoid eating foods with peels or raw foods without being cookedº
• Avoid drinking tap water.
• Avoid closed and hot environments in summer months.