Why Cape Verde
Ten volcanic islands off Senegal, and they are not alike. Sal and Boa Vista, flat and desert, hold the beaches and the resort hotels. Santo Antão is green and jagged, and offers the archipelago's finest hiking. São Vicente has Mindelo, the cultural and musical city. Fogo is an active volcano of two thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine metres whose crater is climbed.
The archipelago is Sahelian: it rains very little, the wind is constant, and Sal is a kitesurfing spot with a year-round reputation.
November to June: dry, between twenty-four and twenty-eight degrees, permanent trade wind. From July to October it is hotter and what little rain there is falls.
Entry and stay
Requirements depend on nationality. Check yours with the local authorities before booking.
No duration is quoted here, for want of an official source verified at the time of writing — 22 September 2026.
One point applies to many travellers: Cape Verde levies an arrival tax per passenger, separate from any visa, generally paid online before departure. The arrangements change; check with the Cape Verdean authorities.
Getting around
No island is linked to another by road. Everything goes by domestic flight or by ferry.
Sea links mainly connect São Vicente to Santo Antão — an hour, several sailings a day — and a few other pairs of islands, with uneven reliability and sometimes heavy seas.
On the islands, aluguers, shared minibuses, leave when full. A hire car is useful on Santo Antão and Fogo.
Money
The Cape Verdean escudo, pegged to the euro at a fixed rate, which makes arithmetic simple. Euros are often accepted in tourist areas.
Cash dominates outside Sal and Boa Vista. Cash machines are present in the main towns and rare elsewhere.
Health
No vaccination generally required from Europe; yellow fever may be asked for depending on where you travel from. Malaria is very limited, mainly on Santiago.
Serious facilities are in Praia and Mindelo. From a small island, the question is evacuation.
Before you go
The Corda road on Santo Antão is an old hand-laid cobbled road crossing the mountains: it is one of the most spectacular drives in West Africa, and it is done by aluguer.
Morna and coladeira are not hotel folklore: Mindelo is a living music town, and its evenings start late.
Fresh water is scarce across the archipelago and largely desalinated. Restrictions exist and accommodation says so.