Travel tips for visiting Cape Verde
Cape Verde is an underrated holiday destination. I find it perfect for winter sun when all of Europe is freezing and you need a bit of sunshine. For travel tips for visiting Cape Verde, keep reading.
Since I shared it on Instagram, some of the popular questions I received include “Where is Cape Verde”? “Is Cape Verde in Africa”? Cape Verde is on the African continent and is one of the most developed democracies on the continent. It is off the west coast and was uninhabited until it was colonised in the 15th century by Portugal. Cape Verde won independence in 1975 and its capital is Praia, which sits on the island of Santiago.
Cape Verde consists of 10 islands; 9 are inhabited and 1 is not. The inhabited islands are Sāo Vicente, Sāo Nicolau, Santo Antāo, Maio, Sal, Boa Vista, Santiago, Fogo and Brava. Santa Luzia is the only one that is not inhabited and is the smallest island. The most popular islands are Sal, Boa Vista and Santiago which is where the capital city, Praia is situated. All the islands are quite different from each other and the best way to experience them all is to island hop from one to the other.
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Travel tips for visiting Cape Verde: What to know before your visit
1. Cape Verde or Cabo Verde
It used to be Cape Verde until 2013 when their delegation informed the UN that the official name was henceforth, Republic of Cabo Verde; in short, Cabo Verde. Although Cape Verde is still widely used (and everyone I asked didn’t seem to mind), Cabo Verde is actually its official name.
2. Visa Requirements
Before visiting Cape Verde, you need to check if an entry visa is required. Most European countries, Canada, US and countries in the ECOWAS do not need a visa for short stay visits to Cape Verde. However, check your government website for any update information. For UK citizens, all the information is on gov.uk as always.
Your passport should have at least 6 months after the arrival date, in order to enter Cape Verde.
3. Airport Tax
Before we were due to fly, I received a message alerting me to the airport tax which you can pay online We were unable to do this so we ended up paying the €31 each when we got to Cape Verde. Adanna, who was 21 months old at the time of travel, did not need to pay the tax. Although the website advised we could pay with cash, the officials confirmed it was card only so this is important to note. Also note that if you have booked the trip as a package holiday, you may not need to pay this fee.
4. Flight to Cape Verde
TUI is the only airline that currently flies directly from the UK to Sal and Boa Vista. It is a comfortable flight but it is no doubt, a budget airline. This meant that we had to buy everything on the flight as no refreshments were offered. I’ll be honest, this was surprising to me considering the flight time of about 6 hours. We flew from and back to London Gatwick.
5. Language is spoken in Cape Verde
The official language in Cape Verde is Portuguese; however, Cape Verdean Creole or Kriolu is used for everyday conversation. In hotels and some tourist locations, especially in Sal and Boa Vista, you will hear English being spoken.
6. Cape Verdean Currency
The currency in Cape Verde is Escudos. In Sal and Boa Vista, euros are accepted. The official exchange rate can differ but when using it as day-to-day tender, €1 was the equivalent of 1 Portuguese escudo*. I was able to use my Starling bank master card in most shops and ATMs; most souvenir shops will ask for cash only.
7. The best time to visit Cape Verde
November to June are the best months to visit Cape Verde as it is dry season. July to October are the rainy months. Cape Verde gets very windy between November and March. We visited in January and it was between 22 to 25 degrees celsius with sun . The evenings were windy so a light sweater or jacket will suffice once temperatures start to fall in the evenings.
8. Plugs used in Cape Verde
The typical European 2 pin plug is what is used in Cape Verde.
9. Vaccination before visiting Cape Verde
There is no specific vaccination required if travelling from the UK. However, as with most West African countries, if you are travelling from certain parts, a yellow fever vaccination might be required. For information on vaccination, the factsheet gives a snapshot of requirements.
10. Dressing – How to dress in Cape Verde
When thinking of what to wear in Cape Verde, casual clothes are more popular. There is no restriction to dressing in Cape Verde. It can get really hot and humid so breathable clothes are required. Although there is no requirement for modest dressing, the local culture should be respected especially if one is away from the tourist resorts.
If staying in a resort, you can wear whatever as resorts are fully catered to tourists. A light jumper or jacket is required for evenings especially between November and March.
Comfortable shoes are essential as there is a lot of walking if you mean to sightsee. Sunscreen is very important as well. I am never without my factor 50 especially on my face.
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Travel tips for visiting Cape Verde: What to pack
- Sunscreen
- Beach shoes
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A light jumper or jacket or scarf for the evenings
Travel tips for visiting Cape Verde: How to get around Sal, Cape Verde
By Bus – Sal has a bus system, which the locals swear is reliable; however we never used this. It goes from Santa Maria to Espargos, and Espargos to Palmeira.
By Taxi – Taxis are easily found and are distinct with their blue and yellow colour. They are decently priced; however, it is important to remember that if you have a few places to visit in a day, the cost adds up eventually. You can find them mainly around the resorts in Santa Maria and Espargos.
Group Tours – This is by far the most popular way to see as much as possible while on the island. TUI seems to be quite popular on the island and even in our hotel, they have a stand with their agents selling different day trip packages. Any hotel you are staying in will most likely have a desk where you can book these group trips.
By renting a car – A lot of people who visit Sal and aren’t staying in one of the resorts prefer to rent a car. This works out for ease of getting around the island especially if you have a day or two to explore it all. The easiest place to rent would be from the airport and you have the typical rental companies like Avis, Hertz, Enterprise etc.
Hiring a Driver in Sal, Cape Verde
This was our choice in getting around the island for 2 reasons; comfort and local culture experience. We were very particular to work with a local company so we hired a driver for the day to take us around the beautiful island. From our experience of hiring drivers when we travel, we always get a 2 for 1. You get a driver who knows the hidden gems and in the same person, is a local who is passionate about talking about their country. Sal is very small and a day is enough to see all of it.
We started our tour at about 10am and it lasted until 3.30pm. Although it was a really long day, we had the best time with Didy, our driver and stopped everywhere we were interested in. Travelling with a toddler to Cape Verde meant that we had to go a little slower so for some part of the trip, Mr E and I took turns getting out of the car to experience and explore while the other watched Adanna as she slept. This is why I will always hire a driver to chauffeur around.
Travel tips for visiting Cape Verde: FAQs
Is it worth visiting Pedra de Lume?
Yes. I think it is one of the most interesting places to see in Sal, Cape Verde. The fact that is it up for UNESCO heritage nomination tells you how epic it is. The history, scenery and being able to float make it an epic thing to do in Sal, Cape Verde.
How many days is enough for Cape Verde?
This really depends on if you will be island hopping. If you are staying on one island for example, 5 days are more than enough for a relaxing stay. You can easily see the whole of Sal in one day but to see it slowly, 2-3 days should be enough. However, it you are island hopping and would like to visit 3-5 islands in Cape Verde, I recommend 2 weeks minimum. Most people travel to Sal and Boa Vista for about a week.
Is Cape Verde child friendly?
This is one reason we booked Cape Verde because of how family friendly all the hotels I had researched were. We stayed in Melia Dunas Resort Beach & Spa, which was incredibly child friendly. From the child friendly menus to the baby pools and friendly staff, Sal, definitely is very child friendly.
Sal or Boa Vista?
I did a lot of research before visiting Sal and if I had more time I would have visited both. Sal is easier to fly into from the UK so that would be my choice of the two but from my research, Boa Vista is equally as stunning.
What is the best island to visit in Cape Verde?
Our lovely driver, Didy who is Cape Verdean from (Santo Antão) admitted that Sal has the prettiest beaches. He showed us photos from his own island and it looked so incredibly tropical and green. Much different from what Sal and Boa Vista look like. Santiago is another popular island especially for government officials as that is where the government sits, in Praia.
For a relaxed stay, Boa Vista and Sal will give the best vibes. For some adventure like hiking, Santo Antão, Santiago and São Vicente would be my pick.
The best island to visit in Cape Verde will depend on preference and having visited only Sal, that would be my recommendation.
Is Cape Verde expensive?
For an island and what you get from the trip, I don’t think it is particularly expensive. There are so many cheaper options in terms of decent accommodation and food is quite reasonably priced as well. In comparison to many of the popular islands around the world, I’d say that Cape Verde is not expensive.
Is Sal, Cape Verde safe?
There are areas where you are told to be vigilant as with any other place you travel to. However, crime rate in Cape Verde in general is relatively low. For any information on travel safety and security, the government website is my go to as it is updated regularly with any changes.
Travel Tips for visiting Cape Verde
Cape Verde is a lovely and family friendly holiday destination. I would totally recommend it for families especially with babies and toddlers. We found it a really easy trip where it was in equal parts exploring and in equal parts resting. It is a perfect destination for winter sun with great people, good food and breath taking scenery.
Would I go back? I think so. However, it would be to a different island as I would love to go to the greener islands like Santiago and maybe Boa Vista too. I also think that in Cape Verde, your money goes a long way. For an all inclusive, premium stay, it is possibly open of the cheapest we have experienced so far.
Cape Verde surprised me, in a good way. I am not sure what I expected but I got even much more and was very glad that we went and had the best time.
Bisous, Bugo x
*This exchange rate was valid as at January 2024.
