Getting around Cape Verde: flights, ferries, aluguers and cars

Cape Verde is ten islands with no bridges and no railway. Distances are short in kilometres but slow in practice: island roads are cobbled or unpaved, and the sea between islands is often rough. The table below is the whole decision in one view.

First, choose your island groups. Sal and Boa Vista sit in the east and are the beach islands. Santiago, Fogo, São Vicente, Santo Antão and São Nicolau sit in the west and are the walking and town islands. The two groups are linked by air, not by a short ferry, so mixing them costs you a flight and half a day each way.

Second, lock the long legs. Inter-island flights run on a thin schedule, often one or two rotations a day on a given route, and delays and cancellations are common. Confirm the day before, and never put an inter-island flight or ferry on the same day as your flight home. Ferries are the reliable link between São Vicente and Santo Antão, and a slower, less frequent option elsewhere; rough seas cancel sailings.

Third, plan the last mile on the island. Aluguers are how islanders travel: shared minibuses and pick-up trucks that leave when full, mostly in the early morning, with few runs in the afternoon. Taxis cover towns and can be hired for a full island day. A hire car makes sense on Santiago, Sal and Boa Vista, where you can reach beaches and trailheads on your own schedule; on Santo Antão and Fogo the mountain paths are the point, and you walk.

Fourth, build in slack. A morning ferry plus an afternoon flight is a plan that breaks. A morning ferry plus a night in the next town is a plan that holds.

Agree every taxi fare before you get in; meters are not the norm outside the resorts. On aluguers, ask a local or your guesthouse what the current fare is, since it changes by route and by island.

Hire-car insurance often excludes off-road driving, and much of Santiago and Boa Vista is unpaved. Check the policy wording before you take a 4x4 onto a dirt track, and expect cobbled mountain roads, livestock and unlit bends.

Walking on Santo Antão and Fogo means steep, exposed paths and strong sun. Start early, carry water, and hire a guide for the long routes; a guide is €30–60 a day and doubles as your transport fixer.

Mobile data helps when you need to rebook a flight at short notice. Sort a local SIM or eSIM before you arrive, and keep the airline's counter number saved.

Travel insurance that covers trip interruption is worth having here: a cancelled inter-island flight can strand you for a day, and the airline may not cover your onward costs.