Skip to content
Voykit

Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

country

Cape VerdeCabo Verde

Pick two islands, not five: Sal or Boa Vista for beaches (3–4 nights) plus Santo Antão (via São Vicente) or Santiago for hiking and towns (3–4 nights); inter-island ferries and flights are infrequent and weather-dependent.

Not field-verified

Cape Verde is ten islands in the Atlantic, and trips break on the links between them: ferries can be cancelled by rough seas and inter-island flights are limited. The beach islands (Sal, Boa Vista) and the hiking islands (Santo Antão, Fogo) are very different. The rules that apply everywhere: keep to two islands for a first trip, allow a buffer day before your flight home, and confirm each ferry or flight the day before.

All regions, cities and parks in Cape Verde (Atlas) →

Regions

Sal and Boa Vistaplanned

Beach and kitesurf islands with the main resort areas

3–5 nights

São Vicente and Santo Antãoplanned

Mindelo's music and cafés; mountain hiking on Santo Antão by ferry

3–5 nights

Santiagoplanned

Praia, Cidade Velha (UNESCO) and the island interior

2–3 nights

Fogoplanned

Volcano hike and wine villages in the crater

2 nights

Arrive

SID

Amílcar Cabral International (Sal)

Main entry for Sal's beaches; about 20 min to Santa Maria

BVC

Aristides Pereira International (Boa Vista)

Beach resorts on Boa Vista

RAI

Nelson Mandela International (Praia)

Capital; for Santiago and Fogo

VXE

Cesária Évora (São Vicente)

For Mindelo and the ferry to Santo Antão

Time math

5 days
Sal or Boa Vista 5
7 days
Sal 3 + fly to São Vicente, ferry to Santo Antão 4
10 days
Sal 3 + São Vicente 2 + Santo Antão 3 + Santiago 2

Country rules

Inherited by every page below
  • Check entry rules and any pre-arrival registration for your passport on official Cape Verde government sources before you fly.
  • Confirm ferries and inter-island flights the day before; sea conditions and schedules change at short notice.

Etiquette

  • Portuguese is official and Kriolu is spoken everywhere; a greeting in Portuguese helps.
  • Island life runs slowly; allow time for service and transport.
  • Ask before photographing people.
Carnival (February or March)
Mindelo's carnival fills São Vicente; book flights and rooms early.
Rainy season (about Aug–Oct)
Occasional heavy rain on the mountain islands and rough seas for ferries.

Money & passes

Cash necessity: 3/5

  • Currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), pegged to the euro; euros are sometimes accepted in tourist areas, often at a poor rate.
  • Cards work at resorts and larger restaurants; carry cash for aluguers (shared minibuses), small shops and the smaller islands.

Before you fly: eSIM before you fly · Visas and entry

Safety

  • Petty theft happens in Praia and Mindelo and on quiet beaches; do not leave bags unattended.
  • Sea: strong currents and waves on many beaches; swim only where it is known to be safe.
  • Hiking on Santo Antão and Fogo: start early, carry water, and use a guide on unfamiliar trails.
  • Emergency numbers vary and may not always connect: save your hotel's, driver's and insurer's numbers, and check your government's advice page.
  • Health: see a travel clinic well before you fly about vaccinations and malaria prevention, and check whether a yellow-fever vaccination certificate is required for your passport and route, including transits.

Cape Verde is an Atlantic stop between Europe and West Africa; Dakar is the nearest mainland connection.

Open Africa

Sources