Expert island hopping in Cape Verde

It was February 2015 when I first set foot on Santiago, the main island of Cape Verde. I was lucky enough to take part in a social investment programme my company organises. As part of that, I was going to spend a week with a Cape Verdean organisation looking after protected areas. That trip, and a subsequent personal trip later in the year, went by much too quickly. Ever since I’ve had that nagging feeling of “unfinished business” whenever Cape Verde came up in conversation. Therefore in roughly a month’s time, I’ll be on the plane once again for more island hopping in Cape Verde!

As I’m finalising preparations, this is the perfect time for a little throwback to my previous experiences in Cape Verde. I will share my top tips for expert island hopping in Cape Verde: what to do and how to get around. Also check out my previous blog post about Cape Verde, where I have included lots of tips on where to stay and how to get around.

Expert island hopping in Cape Verde

If you like to travel on spec and don’t plan anything ahead, perhaps Cape Verde is NOT for you. The islands are served by either a ferry or plane, but services are limited. If you don’t plan your island hopping in Cape Verde in advance, you will most likely miss out on the real beauty of the country. This is because planes fill up and ferries only go back and forth once or twice per week. When making the plans, leave some contingency prior to any international flights, because weather conditions often affect domestic transport.

Cape Verde is one country, but each of the islands has got unique features that make them all worth visiting. After my September trip, I will hopefully be able to say that I set foot on all Cape Verdean islands that are accessible to the public. Some smaller, not inhabited islands are protected areas and not accessible.

Tour of the Cape Verde archipelago

Here is a quick tour of all the Cape Verde islands I have visited so far, in order of my personal preference.

Fogo island – a very active volcano

The island with the most unique features is probably Fogo (meaning “fire” in Portuguese). The island is volcanic and the volcano (Pico do Fogo) is still VERY active. The most recent eruption in 2015 wiped away quite a few houses and settlements. Sadly, it also destroyed a large part of the islands vineyard.

A plane from the capital goes to Fogo daily and a cargo boat, which also take passengers, docks more or less weekly. Spending three or four days on Fogo is ideal. A tour of the island by car, with various stops, takes a full day. It is a relaxed way of finding your bearings. It also offers the opportunity to stop for a swim in one of the bays such as Salinas. Furthermore, the ascent of the Pico do Fogo is a must. Options for walks on the crater rim and around the coast are plenty. They include good opportunities to practice your spree running too! For most walks a guide is essential. We planned all activities on the island via our guesthouse, the lovely Casa Colonial.

São Nicolau island – a hikers’ paradise

I’m absolutely addicted to long mountain hikes and Cape Verde is perfect for this. There are opportunities for good hikes on most islands, but São Nicolau was my favourite. A plane serves the island two times a week and on an irregular basis by a boat, meaning it is a bit more off the beaten track. We found nice guesthouse in Ribeira Brava that we used as our base and spent 5 days on the island. This meant we could get the best hikes in (notably Monte Gordo, the highest peak of the island). We also had time for a drive across the island to the nearly-deserted village of Carraçal. Once a thriving fishermen community and the base of Cape Verdean tuna trade, you can now see the ruins of the old tuna canning factory.

Santo Antão island – more hiking

Santo Antão is one of the more touristy islands of the archipelago. “Touristy” is a relative notion in Cape Verde and Santo Antão was still very quiet. A ferry service operates twice a day. The crossing from nearby Mindelo on São Vicente, which has an international airport, is under an hour. The ferry arrives in Porto Novo, but the main place for lodging is Ponta do Sol, at the other side of the island. Aluguers (shared taxis) will be waiting at the port when the ferries arrive and it is easy to find a ride.

We spent two nights in Ponta do Sol and did a couple of nice coastal hikes. Our B&B came with few services, but in town we easily found places for dinner and a shopkeeper willing to sell us a packed lunch. Later we moved to Ribeira de Paúl, closer to Porto Novo, for another two days and more hikes. For accommodation we chose the remote Casa das Ilhas which truly invites to unwind.

Santiago island – a variety of things to see

Santiago is the main island where the capital, Praia, is located and this means is quite a bit more developed an inhabited than most of the other islands. It is a good base for island hopping, as the connections are relatively good. It also gives the relative guarantee of a decent internet connection, hot shower and the opportunity to charge your electronic devices. If you plan to spend time in the capital, check out my blog post covering what to do in 48 hours in Praia.

It is also a lot more. Santiago is the only island where it makes sense to rent a car. If you want to visit all corners of the island and get to remote trailheads, aluguers are not really an option. The traffic is relatively civilised and we felt comfortable parking the car and leaving it behind in most places. A must-do is a visit to Tarrafal. The town isn’t much, but at its outskirts you can visit Cape Verde’s infamous “campo da morte lenta” or camp of the slow death, a prison camp dating from the 1930s. Political prisoners under the Salazar regime were shipped from Portugal and imprisoned in Tarrafal. In the 1940s the camp was extended in line with the models of Nazi concentration camps. Take a few hours for the visit and learn about a sad part of Cape Verde’s history.

Don’t miss out on a visit to UNESCO listed Cidade Velha “the old town” just outside Praia. This was the first town in Cape Verde, dating from the 15^th century. It is also considered the first European settlement in the tropics.

Maio island – the country’s hidden gem 

This little island is very much undiscovered and some will say it doesn’t have a lot to offer compared to some of its brothers and sisters. Unlike the other islands I’ve described so far, Maio is flat. A great way to get around is therefore cycling the cobbled streets. A number of parts of the island are declared protected areas and make for great walks in the dunes. Maio is served by a plane two times per week. A boat calls at the island on an irregular basis.

For accommodation, I spent one night in a hotel in Vila do Maio, but mostly opted for homestays. This is a unique way to experience local life and engage with the people. My friend and I stayed with different families (houses are small and don’t really cater for multiple guests) and took part in the family life.

Brava island – the garden of Cape Verde

This is addition after my September 2018 trip to Cape Verde, as it would be rude not to mention Brava. Visitors often combine this small, charming island with Fogo. The scenery is lush and green and covered with colourful plants, hence the nickname “the garden of Cape Verde”. The main town of the island, Sintra, is undoubtedly the prettiest town of Cape Verde. Well-maintained colonial housed line the streets and the style is quite different from other towns.

You can read all about what to do and where to stay in my post about visiting Fogo and Brava.

What about the remaining islands?

I’ve not covered Sal, Boa Vista and São Vicente in detail, because I spent very little time there when island hopping in Cape Verde. Sal and Boa Vista are where most tourists on package holidays go. To be honest, if you are looking for a nice beach to lay on – don’t go there. Both islands are flat, meaning the wind is blowing strong all day. There are few places where it is safe to swim. Also remember you are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean in a country that doesn’t have a great safety record when it comes to equipment and boats.

I would like to see more of São Vicente, where I spent just one day on a layover to Santo Antão. It’s not as wild as some of the other island, but there a couple of national parks and pretty beaches.