The Islands
According to legend, when God was satisfied with Creation He brushed His hands together and the crumbs that fell unnoticed from His fingers into the sea formed the Cape Verde Islands.
Not with standing legend, the volcanic Cape Verde Islands began their slow formation some fifteen million years ago, as volcanoes erupted from the ocean bed creating a new archipelago over countless millennia.
Opinions differ as to when man first appeared on this tropical scene and some say it was the Phoenicians sailing from their ancient port on the site of today's Cadiz.
Borne by the Trade Winds
The Cape Verde Islands lie at that magical point in the Atlantic where the north-east and south-west trade winds converge and sailors have found a safe haven on their shores since Portuguese navigators and other New World discoverers came this way in the fifteenth century. Many historians believe the islands were discovered by the Venetian, Alvise Cadamosto, who sighted them for the first time in 1456, just before he had seen the Southern Cross stars illuminating the skies.
The islands became strategically important for the Portuguese and Spanish en route to and from the New World, while slave traders soon realised the potential of its location some three hundred miles off the African coast of Senegal. By the seventeenth century, all the seafaring nations of Europe were plying the Atlantic seaways and with trade and riches came piracy and smuggling adding romance to the islands.
Legendary seafarer Sir Francis Drake made landfall on the isle of Santiago in 1578 and in 1832 the Beagle dropped anchor in Praia and naturalist, Charles Darwin, came ashore only to be fascinated by the island's unique flora and fauna. He wrote: "It has been for me a glorious day, like giving to a blind man eyes, he is overwhelmed with what he sees and cannot justly comprehend it".
The islands are divided into the Barlavento (windward) and Sotavento (leeward) groupings. The windward islands, located to the north, are Sal, Boa Vista, Sao Nicolau, Santa Luzia, Sao Vicente and Santo Antao. The leeward islands are Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava.
An international airport makes Sal one of the major gateways to the Cape Verde islands; plus the abundance of magnificent white sand beaches and guaranteed sun has turned Sal into a major tourist destination.
Ideal for sun worshippers who head for the resort hotels springing up along the coast between the airport and Santa Maria.
One's first impression of Santa Maria is liken to happening upon a beach fringed wild west town painted in pastel. Pretty single storey houses washed in pink, pale blue, yellow and faded terracotta. Poke your head through a doorway and your more than likely to find a bar, gift shop or store.
Arguably Sal is the most cosmopolitan island in the archipelago as nightlife abounds, with a choice of bars, clubs and restaurants. Freshly caught fish is always on the menu - tuna steaks, lobster, and swordfish - cooked to a local recipe.
Places to visit include the Pedro Lume salt mines - dramatically contained inside the vast Caldeira of a long extinct volcano - the saliency level is on a par with the Dead Sea and is well worth experiencing for a weightless float.
The extensive white sanded beaches characterise the island of Sal. This rapidly developing island offers a varied range of hotels. 18 km south of the airport, the town and tourist resort of Santa Maria offers 8 km of white sanded beach and crystal clear waters. Excellent conditions for many water sports. Windsurfing, fishing and diving are available.
An abundance of bars and restaurants playing live Cape Verdian music. The town of Espargos is located adjacent to the international airport and is the administrative centre of the island, offering shops, bars and restaurants.
The island of Sal, the flattest island of the archipelago, takes it's name from the now inactive salt mines. Worth a visit is the half natural, half man made salt pond of Pedro Lume. Palmeira, located on the west coast of Sal is the island's main port, used for fishing activity and for unloading imported products. Tourism on the island is continuing to expand. Development projects are taking place in an attempt to open up tourism on the other beaches of the island of Sal.
Sal is not the place for the mountain walker or those who enjoy verdant scenery. Accommodation is diverse and ranges from the family pension providing bed and breakfast to the all inclusive resort hotel. Car, jeep and beach buggy hire is available.
Cape Verde's largest island and home to the capital Praia - distinctly African, noisy, crowded and bustling - great for music.
Cidade Velha lies about 10kms from Praia. Once the illustrious Portuguese capital of Cape Verde, with a grand cathedral and a magnificent fort.
Cidade Velha's fortunes were built on the slave trade between African and Europeans. For over 200 years merchant galleons visited Santiago to barter and buy manpower imported from West Africa. Captain Cook, Sir Francis Drake and Vasco de Gama also docked in Cidade on their voyages of discovery. Archaeologists are currently exploring a 14th century Jesuit college, further evidence of Cidade's rich history and historical importance.
A circular tour of the island can be completed in a day, although two is recommended to take everything in, the centre of Santiago is fertile and farming is evident, bananas, papaya and maize thrive here.
There are also some excellent botanical gardens and a bustling African market. On the north coast the pretty fishing village of Tarrafal is well worth a visit. Here the villagers crowd round fishing boats, bartering for the best of the catch - one senses little has changed for centuries.
The remainder of the coast is rugged with occasional sandy beaches.
Cidade Velha - the old city of Praia
Located 15 km from the city of Praia, Cidade Velha was the home of the port where many slaves were traded along with other goods. With cobbled, narrow walkways and stone family cottages this scenic area is overshadowed by the remains of the old fortress and the former Cathedral. The S. Filipe fortress was built at the end of the 15th century and from here there are exceptional views over Cidade Velha and the coastline. It is also worth visiting the local Catholic Church and taking a peaceful walk to admire the hillside vegetation. The grogue making equipment commands a photograph! Returning back to Praia, an informal visit to the first University of the Cape Verde Islands may be interesting.
National Maritime Museum Cabo Verde
Located in Praia, this museum of marine archaeology houses a display of treasure retrieved from the various shipwrecks around the archipelago of the Cape Verde Islands. Well worth a visit.
Address : Rua da Alfandega 3, Cha de Areia, Praia.
Island Tour
A visit to the island of Santiago should include a trip by aluguer or jeep across the extensive mountain ranges to the small town of Vila do Tarrafal. En-route it is worth visiting the small market town of Assomada. The brightly coloured market has a traditional African atmosphere. Return via the coastal road giving you an opportunity to view the volcanic coastal scenery.
The closest island to the African coast, unspoilt beaches make Boavista a sunbathers paradise. Santa Monica in particular is spectacular, over 5km of powder soft white sand, massaged by rolling surf, fringing a turquoise ocean - pure bliss. A virgin seascape. Enjoy it now, for the qualities appreciated by discerning holiday makers.
In contrast, Boavista's interior is a barren, volcanic rock strewn furnace, rusty in colour due to the iron rich stone. Mind you, there is a quiet beauty in this bleak lunar landscape, punctuated by the dramatic extremes of leafy green palm filled oasis. Consequently, an overland alugar trek is a must.
Guests stay in Sal Rei, sleepy by day, more lively by night when the locals stroll the streets chatting, meeting and playing before going on to the "dance til dawn" disco. Most weekends a local band will strike-up. Quite often the main square echoes with Cape Verde rhythums. Close your eyes to listen - you will be musically transported between Rio and Africa.
Extensive, unspoiled white sanded beaches and blue oceans. Parts of the island's landscape form a series of desert sand dunes. The climate is influenced by the hot dry winds from the Sahara. Boavista offers excellent conditions for all watersports including sailing, diving, surfing, fishing, sea canoeing and cycling. Better known as Santa Monica, Curralinho beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Cape Verde and certainly the archipelago's largest. The peaceful port town of Sal Rei is the capital ofBoavista Beach this slowly developing island. At present, there is limited accommodation on the island of Boavista, therefore it is advisable to book well in advance.
Mindelo, the capital of Sao Vicente is a cultural centre. Many artists, intellectuals and musicians have made Mindelo their home including the world renowned Cesaria Evora. Historically, Mindelo's port was important as a coaling station for trans-Atlantic steamers that re-fuelled with coal mined in Wales - many World War sailors owe their lives to finding refuge on Sao Vicente. Recently on the island was a major global link as a vital telegraph station. Sao Vicente has spectacular beaches, professionals rate Sao Pedro as one of the world's best for speed wind surfing.
The most cultural and cosmopolitan island of the archipelago. The great names of Cape Verdian music, including Cesaria Evaron, come from the island of Sao Vicente. Despite heavy erosion, the landscape still shows evidence of past volcanic activity. The port city of Mindelo is the capital of Sao Vicente. As you wander around Mindelo you may spot the influences of the British. The former coaling station and the English cemetery have been subject of ongoing development. Many English names can be found in the resting places in Mindelo. Many a cultured centre with a community of intellectuals, artists and musicians. Mindelo offers and intensive nightlife. The carnival in Mindelo (usually held around Ash Wednesday) is Cape Verde's liveliest, absorbing the influences of the Brazilians carnival. In addition, the traditional festival of Baia das Gatas held for three days and three nights (usually during August) has become a reputable, international music event. Baia das Gatas has the safest beach of Sao Vicente. A lagoon separated naturally separated naturally from the ocean by volcanic formation to form a swimming pool. The beach of Sao Pedro is long and spectacular and, in the opinion of professionals, is one of the finest places in the world for speed wind surfing.
Fogo takes its name from the word fire in Creole and is an island of scenic opposites.
For example, there's the faded grandeur of Sao Fillipe, a gracious town with pretty squares and wide avenues. Boulevards of classic colonial homes, built by wealthy farm owners using materials imported from as far away as Portugal and West Africa. Wander down to the seaward facing promenade and you're met with an eye-catching reminder of Fogo's dramatic birth - a vista of white surf frothing onto a volcanic black sand beach. This monochrome scene is in complete contrast with the colourful pastel painted town.
And the extremes grow even greater as you drive inland. First climbing slowly through fertile rolling countryside. As the terrain steepens the road snakes, hairpin bends taking you on a fairground ride towards one of the wonders of cape verde - if not the world - the massive grey volcanic cone of Pico de Fogo.
Few scenes are as awesome as the first sighting of the Pico, located in a giant Caldeira floor being littered with craters from previous eruptions. A guide will trek you to the point of the 1995 eruption so you can feel the furnace hot heat still venting from the centre of the earth. Unbelievably, the descendents of an eccentric French duke still live, farm and produce wine in this volatile landscape.
Descend the volcano and journey to the North West of the island and yet again the scenery changes, this time to verdant hillsides of coffee, banana and orange plantations.
The original 'Mother' island, with its own unique character and people. Fogo is a volcano which has become an island, the summit reaching 3,000 m in height. The ground, as one ascends, begins to be formed of black stones and the hot climate lasts all year long, making this island the hottest of the entire archipelago. From the summit, there is a fantastic view of the many lava formations from past eruptions. The landscape of Fogo shows considerable contrasts between the dry and arid zones of the south and the northern parts of the island, humid and amazingly fertile. Sao Filipe, the capital, is built on a cliff and the architecture reflects it's colonial past. At the foot of the town stretch the black sandy beaches. To the north of Sao Filipe is Salina de Sao Jorge offering a natural swimming pool protected by black reefs. An area of beauty and contrast. It is worth taking the three hour journey from the town of Sao Filipe to the village of Chas das Caldeiras located in the crater of the volcano.
If you want to get away from it all, Maio is for you - a peaceful almost forgotten flat island with deserted white sand beaches. Even the gracious capital Vila Do Maio with it's huge white baroque church is a sleepy town, where only the occasional donkey hee-hawing breaks the silence. Morro is so sleepy that even the donkeys can't be bothered to hee-haw - but the pastel painted houses and coconut palms make it worthy of a stroll.
A white sanded island, Maio is tranquil and almost forgotten. One of the flattest islands of the archipelago with vast, deserted beaches. Due to the influence of wind erosion , the island shows very little evidence of its volcanic past. The diversity of this island offers desert-like landscapes, small oases and many unspoiled beaches. Excellent opportunities available for walking the sand dunes, which is almost a therapy. Almost all the entire coastline has fine beaches for sunbathing and enjoying the water in complete isolation. These are the beaches which are generally chosen by sea turtles for laying their eggs. Vila do Maio, the capital, runs alongside one of the longest beaches of the archipelago. It is a small town with a traditional central church. Located approximately 3 miles from Vila do Maio is the small town of Morro. Morro is a small town with one main street, worthy of a stroll, and is surrounded by coconut palms.
The ferry passage from Mindelo to Santo Antao takes barely an hour - in calm sea this is a placid voyage. However, in a choppy ocean the ship heaves from side to side causing passengers to hug a handrail for support - a bracing voyage and an exciting prelude to the magnificent first sighting of Santo Antao.
On docking, a veritable cornucopia of life avalanches onto the jetty, a noisy, hustle-bustle of people and belongings in search of relatives, friends or transport. Most tourists hail an Alugar for the unmissable drive over Santo Antao's rugged spine to Ribeira Grande in the north.
Arguably, one of the great road journeys of the world the route is miraculous, built from volcanic stones, hand-hewn then individually laid to create a 26km long mosaic. This grey ribbon-like road twists and turns over volcanic ridges and across deep gorges. So great is the climb that the scenery, flora and even climate change. From arid coastal desert to cool misty hillsides, draped in eucalyptus and pine forests - with breathtaking views in every direction.
From Ribeira Grande - a peaceful town with colonial houses - it's a short ride to Ponta do Sol a fine town with elegant buildings, beautiful church, restaurants and nightlife.
The landscape of Santo Antao is the most spectacular of all of the Cape Verde Islands. A stunning, extensive mountain range, with altitudes exceeding 1500m in several places, divides the island into two sections, one to the north and the other to the south. Limited flights are currently available to the island. The usual way is to reach the island by ferry from the port of Mindelo, located on the island of Sao Vicente. The journey taking approximately 1 hour. The first contact on the island is with the small port town of Porto Novo where the ferry docks. From here you take a local aluguer with driver to the towns of Ribeira Grande and Ponta do Sol. Vila de Ribeira Grande, usually known as Povoacao was founded in the 16th century. The town serves as a base for visitors to the island to go out walking and trekking to explore the two deep green valleys which flank Povoacao. Ponta do Sol is the administrative centre of the island and is located approximately 10 minutes by local aluguer from Ribeira Grande. A very peaceful town with some colonial buildings. The airport of Santo Antao is located in Ponta do Sol. The tropical vegetation in the valleys offers a sharp contrast to that of the rugged coastline, which is as a result of the diverse microclimates on this island. A walker's paradise. Located close to Janela is a large rock of historical interest. The inscriptions on this rock are significant, dating back to the 1400's, and question whether the Portuguese actually discovered the Cape Verde Islands. Be sure not to leave the island without tasting the grogue, the famous Cape Verdian rum, made from the sugar cane grown on the island, the coffee and the small, sweet bananas.
Visitors enjoy a dramatic curtain raiser to Sao Nicolau's breathtaking scenery en-route from the airport to Ribeira Brava, as the road edges a deep fertile valley before turning to reveal the pretty capital cascading down a mountainside.
Ribeira Brava's town square is an island of peace and antiquity, a catholic church on one side, old colonial administration buildings on the other three and a pretty garden in the centre.
Walk for ten minutes out of town, up a gorge and lush plantations - maize, banana and papaya surround you. Take a drive through the agricultural centre of the island and you'll pass delightful villages and busy farming communities working the fertile land.
Crossing the island you will pass fairytale dragon trees an endangered species and native to Sao Nicolau. Following the fertile uplands the landscape flattens, becoming arid as you reach Tarrafal lying on the coast with a black sand beach, the climate here is hotter, drier and the landscape volcanic.
The landscape of Sao Nicolau bears the mark of a past intense, volcanic activity. The rugged features will enchant both walkers and trekkers looking for real contact with nature. It is the quietest island of the archipelago with small, traditional, rural communities dotted around the coastline. Vila de Ribeira Brava, the capital town of the island, is located in a deep valley with an empty river bed flanked by two mountain ranges reaching a height of 1,312m. The harbour town of Tarrafal is located next to the black sanded beach. The bay of Tarrafal is rich in high quality fish, sustenance for the islanders. It also attracts leisure fishing enthusiasts, particularly those seeking the much sought after Blue Marlin.
The archipelagos smallest, wettest and greenest island - visited for its rich flora which is abundant due to the near permanent mist that creates a generally cool and quite humid climate. Reached by ferry from Fogo the island is less frequented by tourists.
The island of Brava is the wettest and greenest of the Cape Verde Islands, offering an abundance of flora and vegetation, making this the most attractive island of the archipelago. Enveloped in a near-permanent mist, the island's climate is quite humid and generally cool, with temperatures ranging between 16 and 25 degrees C. The island is reached by ferry from Fogo, only 20 km away. The mountainous landscape reaches a height of 976m. Brava is the smallest and most gentle of the islands and has retained it's tradition and charm. The town of Vila de Nova Sintra, situated at an altitude of 500m, is the capital of the island with many flower filled gardens. Faja d'Agua has the island's only beach. A small black, volcanic sand beach opening into a small bay. It is said that the minerals in the black sand go someway to ease the symptoms of arthritis. Furna is the main port, located approximately 3 km from Vila de Nova Sintra. This bustling port comes alive during ferry arrivals and departures. The aluguer journey from Furna to Vila de Nova Sintra takes in the spectacular mountain scenery and provides excellent opportunities for photography. Agriculture and fishing are the main activities on the island. The island is quite unique, it does not offer watersports or other beach activities and is less frequented by tourists.