Things to do in Cape Verde

Cape Verde is an Atlantic archipelago of ten main islands, about 570 kilometres off Senegal. Officially the country is Cabo Verde. Nine islands are inhabited, and they differ far more than the map suggests.

Which island is which

• São Vicente. Mindelo, the port town, is Cesária Évora's hometown and a music town. Monte Verde rises to 774 metres, and the extinct Viana volcano can be walked in a morning. The beaches at Baía das Gatas and São Pedro are a short drive from Mindelo.
• Santo Antão. An hour by ferry from Mindelo, and the green island: terraced valleys, the Cova crater, and coastal walks from Ponta do Sol to Fontainhas and Cruzinha.
• Sal and Boa Vista. The flat, dry beach islands, with the big resorts and the wind sports. They are separate trips from the two above.
• Santiago and Fogo. Praia, the capital, is on Santiago, near Cidade Velha, a World Heritage site since 2009. Pico do Fogo on Fogo reaches 2,829 metres and last erupted in 2014 and 2015.

How a trip is built

Tours in Cape Verde run mostly from Mindelo, the base for both northern islands. Santo Antão is a long day trip by ferry, about eleven hours. A night or two there is the alternative.

• Cruise stops. Half-day and full-day shore excursions meet ships at the Porto Grande gate in Mindelo.
• Longer routes. Eight-day self-guided routes link Mindelo with Ribeira Grande, Ponta do Sol and the Paúl valley.

Practical

• Weather. It is dry and warm all year. Daytime highs run about 24C in February and near 30C in September. Nearly all the rain falls between August and October, and São Vicente gets well under 200 mm a year.
• Wind and dust. The trade winds blow hardest in winter, and Saharan dust can haze the sky from December to March.
• Ferry. The crossing to Porto Novo takes about an hour. It can be cancelled in rough seas, so keep a spare day before any flight.
• Coast paths. On Santo Antão's north coast the waves and currents are dangerous, and there is no swimming.
• Money. The escudo is pegged to the euro. Cards work in Mindelo; villages want cash.