Cape Verde

Cape Verde’s climate is temperate, with a warm, dry summer. Precipitation is meagre and falls between June and February, peaking in September.

Some islands see almost no rain: these are Sal, Boavista and Maio. The islands with most rainfall are Santiago, Fogo and Santo Antao.

The national holiday is 5 July, Independence Day.

Visit Cabo Verde website

Citizens of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Hong Kong, Liberia, Macau, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Timor-Leste and Togo do not require a visa to enter Cape Verde.

European Union citizens are also visa exempt, but have to pay an entry fee of approximately €30. Pre-registration is possible at the EASE website of the Cabo Verde government for a faster entry through automated passport control (at least in the Nelson Mandela airport in Praia of Santiago as of July 2022).

Everybody else may obtain a visa on arrival at a cost of around €30. The waiting queues for this option may be longer than for pre-registered visitors.

Cape Verde has four international airports:

Amílcar Cabral International Airport on Sal Island (IATA SID).

Nelson Mandela International Airport in Praia on Santiago (Cape Verde) (IATA RAI).

Aristides Pereira International Airport on Boa Vista (Cape Verde) (IATA BVC)

Cesária Évora Airport on São Vicente (IATA VXE)

These airports provide connections to Europe, Africa and the Americas. Not all the connections are visible to travel booking websites, it is usually worth checking with a travel agent.

Cape Verde is serviced through two types of flight connections: scheduled flights and charter flights (mostly reserved for all-inclusive vacations to the islands of Sal and Boa Vista (Cape Verde). There are regular flights from Amsterdam Schiphol, Lisbon (daily), Madrid Barajas, Milan, Munich Airport, and Oporto.

Some specific connections to Cabo Verde are:

Cabo Verde Airlines. fly from Lisbon and Providence (updated Aug 2022)

TAP Portugal. fly from Lisbon (updated Aug 2022)

Royal Air Maroc. Fly from Casablanca (updated Aug 2022)

Thomson Holidays. You can fly direct to Santa Maria on Sal from London Gatwick, Glasgow and Manchester Airport on Astraeus and also with Thomson Holidays from Birmingham, Manchester and Gatwick. (updated Aug 2022)

There are regular weekly flights from Fortaleza (Brazil).

West Africa is also served.

There are only infrequent, expensive connections to the mainland by ship. On the other hand the islands are commonly visited by yachts crossing the Atlantic (see Hitchhiking boats).

As of July 2022, Best Fly Cabo Verde airlines has regular flights between the majority of the islands. Booking is possible through the website or local tourist agencies. Payments can be made via Credit Card when selecting the vinti4 payment options.

Tickets may be sold out days or weeks ahead - especially if there are more potential passengers when the ferry service is interrupted. Consider booking early, especially for critical connections. In case of emergency, some spaces of no-show passengers may be available. Go to the airport in the morning to be put on the waiting list to have the chance to gain such a space.

If you can afford to wait until you arrive, domestic tickets are cheaper if purchased in Cape Verde.

There are several fare categories as listed on the airline website. Flights can be rebooked for $2,000 (escudos) in some of the fare categories as listed on the tariff conditions in the website.

Cabo Verde Express

There are ferry services between the islands. As of July 2022, all ferries are operated by CV Interilhas. Schedules and ticket booking possibilities are available on the website. According to Cabo Verdean locals, ferries seem to have reliability issues so it is advisable to check the website before departure and to have a backup plan. For the journey, the sea conditions may cause sea sickness so it is advisable to take the same precautions as on any ferry journey.

Nice, new taxis are available in the major cities and are not metered.

Shared transportation called Aluguers are available on each island. These are usually either Toyota Hilux open-back pickup trucks with bench seats and sunroof or 15-passenger Toyota Hiace vans. Aluguer rates are fixed. The rates are displayed in a few, but not all alugers. Short distances may be as inexpensive as 50 (escudos) while longer distances may cost as much as 600. Aluguers depart from central stations in larger cities and run along major roads. They stop for passengers along the road. A request to disembark is made by telling "Para!" to the conductor.

Cape Verde's road network is underdeveloped in places, and roads are often unpaved, especially on the smaller islands. The main roads are asphalted. Road lighting is poor, so particular care must be taken when driving in the dark. The local traffic culture is unruly by western standards. Traffic speeds can be high. Drunk driving is common.

The official currency of Cape Verde is the escudo, denoted by the symbol "" (a cifrão, a symbol similar to the dollar sign, but with two vertical strokes instead of one) after the amount. Its ISO code is CVE. The currency is fixed against the euro at 110 per euro.

Coins in Cape Verde are issued in denominations of 1-, 5-, 10-, 20-, 50-, 100-, 200-, 250 and 500 escudos. Banknotes in Cape Verde are issued in denominations of 200-, 500-, 1,000-, 2,000 and 5,000 escudos.

In the resort islands of Sal and Boa Vista, euros are commonly accepted, although you might receive change in escudos.

Money can be changed from all major currencies at the international airports at Sal and Praia. Bank branches at larger towns will also change money. Larger towns also have ATMs that will take Visa, MasterCard and Maestro.

High-end hotels will accept credit/debit cards. Other hotels will expect cash although many mid-range ones will accept euros at a reasonably exchange rate (slightly worse than the banks). For everything else, expect to pay in escudos.

Since most goods are imported, the cost of living is moderate to high. On the island resorts of Boa Vista and Sal, the cost of living can often be compared to their Caribbean counterparts. The island of Santiago is reasonably the least expensive.

Tap water may be contaminated due to incorrect storage (e.g. in containers on the roofs of buildings). Take the same precautions as in other regions with varying water quality. In case of doubt, bottled water is available in stores between $70 for a 1.5-l bottle to $400 for 10-l canisters.

Imported juices and soft drinks are available in these stores as well.

Local beer is a lager to drink ice cold, its name is Strela.

Red, white and rosé wines are grown and made in Fogo, e.g. under the Chã brand.

International beers and other drinks are available. These are imported from Portugal and other countries.

There is mobile phone coverage in all cities and most towns. As of July 2022, 4G coverage is common in some populated areas such as Santiago and Fogo. Check with your provider as to the roaming costs. Alternatively, local prepaid SIM cards branded CVMovel and Unitel T+ (Tmais) are available widespread. As of July 2022, these can be charged with around $1000 for approximately 7 GB of data, unlimited calls into the same provider network and 15 minutes of calls into the other provider. Ask the personnel to activate the SIM card for you and to activate the prepaid tariffs.