1. Overall impression
2. Gastronomy
3. Santo Antão
3a. Paul
3b. Pombas
3c. Ribeira Grande
3d. Ponta do Sol
3e. Fontainhas
3f. Cruzinha
3g. Monte Trigo
3h. Tarafal
3i. Porto Novo
4. Sâo Vicente
4a. Mindelo
5. Sal
6. Hiking routes
7. Random
Cape Verde is an island nation in the Atlantic Ocean, about 600 kilometres west of the African coast.
The country consists of ten main islands, each with its own distinct character. African roots blend with European and Caribbean influences in both history and everyday life. The landscapes vary widely: green mountains and deep valleys, bare rock formations, dry desert areas and long sandy beaches – where strong waves should always be treated with respect. What all the islands share is the climate: sunshine and warm temperatures throughout the year.
Music is a natural part of everyday life. Morna, made internationally known by Cesária Évora, is heard everywhere, alongside rhythms played on homemade instruments. The annual carnival is the country’s main cultural event and an important social gathering.
Living standards are modest, but daily life is shaped more by simplicity than by real hardship. Life is lived at an unhurried pace, with strong hospitality and an easy acceptance of how things unfold. Time is flexible, and “no stress” is more than just a phrase, it is a lifestyle.
The approach to rules and systems is relaxed – and, surprisingly, it works well.
Cape Verde is considered one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries, possibly helped by the fact that the islands lack valuable natural resources that attract outside interests.
Local food is simple and filling, based on fish, maize and beans. The national dish, cachupa, is slow-cooked and reflects the country’s rhythm and character.
We visited three islands: two months on Santo Antão, the greenest and most mountainous, with shorter stays on the cultural island of São Vicente and the more tourist-oriented island of Sal.
To keep things fair, we only name the places we had positive experiences at and avoid calling out any bad ones. Here are some o
* Cape Verde was uninhabited when Portuguese explorers arrived in the mid-15th century. The islands quickly became an important trading hub between Europe, Africa and the Americas, especially during the transatlantic slave trade. The population developed from both European and African roots, which still shape the country’s culture today.
* Cape Verde remained a Portuguese colony until 1975, when it gained independence. Since then, it has become one of Africa’s most stable and democratic countries.
* The population is approximately 530,000, with around 170,000 living in the capital, Praia.
* The main religion is Catholicism, although there are also Protestant churches and smaller religious communities. Faith plays a role in everyday life but is generally practised in an informal way.
* The official language is Portuguese, used in schools, administration and the media. In daily life, most people speak Cape Verdean Creole, which exists in several local varieties.
*The currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), which is pegged to the euro. Cash machines are available in most larger towns and at the airports.
*Tourists usually do not need a visa, but must register their arrival and pay an entry fee via
https://www.ease.gov.cv/
f the spots we personally visited and enjoyed:
Baku clearly wants to be seen as a gastronomic hotspot, and many (often sponsored) bloggers rave about fantastic fine dining experiences and impressive local cuisine. This wasn’t our experience.
We visited several decent restaurants, but nothing blew us away. The food was generally fine but not particularly memorable. Several bloggers (often sponsored) praise the local culinary scene as exceptional—something we didn’t quite agree with.
We found the food to be mostly average, lacking real standout flavor experiences. Perhaps we were a bit spoiled after visiting Georgia, where especially the white wines had impressed us repeatedly. In Baku, despite good intentions and friendly service almost everywhere—except for one notably rude restaurateur—the culinary experience was more modest.
Cape Verde’s cuisine is simple, filling and closely connected to the islands’ natural conditions and everyday life. Fish and seafood play a central role, supported by maize, beans, root vegetables and produce from local fields.
The national dish, cachupa, is a good example. It consists of maize, five types of beans, vegetables, fish or/and meat, and is slow cooked for several hours. There are many variations, and it is eaten both as an everyday meal and on special occasions. Leftovers are often drained and used the next day as cachupa refogada, fried with egg or sausage and commonly served for breakfast.
Grilled fish, tuna, lobster and octopus are typical along the coast, while meat dishes such as goat and pork are more common in the mountain areas. The food is rarely heavily spiced, but it is flavourful and satisfying.
Meals are social and informal, and the cuisine reflects the country’s pace of life: simple, unhurried and based on what is available.
Tip: Do not dismiss restaurants just because they look modest or different from what you may expect in Western Europe. Many are simply furnished, and some operate from private homes.
See our restaurant recommendations for each town and area.
Getting around on land
Transport in Cape Verde is simple, practical and suited to the size of the islands and their infrastructure. The most common form of transport is the aluguer – a minibus or pickup truck that operates as both public and private transport.
Public aluguers run fixed routes between towns and villages – look for the destination signs in the windscreen. They usually depart when the vehicle is full and do not follow strict timetables. They are inexpensive, but can be slow and crowded, especially on popular routes. In return, they offer a genuine local experience. It is useful to carry small change.
Private aluguers can be hired for individual trips. You pay for the whole vehicle and choose your own route and departure time. This is a more flexible option, especially for hiking trips, airport transfers or destinations with limited public transport. They often wait at transport hubs and will approach travellers directly. There is no need to worry – this is normal practice, and you can accept or deny if it suits your plans.
Taxis are mainly found in larger towns such as Praia, Mindelo and Santa Maria. They are relatively inexpensive, but rarely use meters, so the price should be agreed in advance. Taxis are commonly used for short journeys, airport transfers and evening travel.
Santo Antão is the most mountainous and by far the greenest island in Cape Verde. The landscape is shaped by steep slopes, deep valleys and narrow paths connecting small villages scattered among terraced fields of sugar cane, bananas, papaya, avocado, herbs and coffee. Fishing and farming remain central to life for the island’s approximately 45,000 inhabitants.
It should be said clearly: if hiking is not for you, there is little reason to come here. This is not a beach island with resorts and sun loungers. Santo Antão is known for its hiking routes and offers some of the finest on the islands and in the world. With relatively few visitors, we often had the trails almost to ourselves. At times, hours – and occasionally days – passed without meeting other hikers, especially in the western part of the island, which is drier than the east but no less interesting.
The terrain changes constantly, from dry coastal areas to green mountain regions with mist and cooler air. The routes include steep stairways and narrow paths, and it is not always obvious how the trail continues around the next corner or higher up – but it does.
Santo Antão is a place to move slowly, look far ahead and feel the island under your feet – both in a practical and a deeper sense.
Paul is the name of a region in the eastern part of the island, although this can be confusing, as many people also refer to the town of Pombas simply as Paul. You quickly get used to it, and at least the town does lie in the Paul region – by the sea – while our village, Chã de João Vaz, is located six kilometres inland, up in the mountains to the south-west.
The journey there follows steep, cobbled roads with views over green plateaus, palm trees and clusters of well-kept houses – a remarkably scenic route through the landscape. Jacob’s mother visited us for a week, she is 77, and said it was one of the highlights in her life.
In our small village of Chã de João Vaz, with well under a hundred residents, there were no fewer than three small grocery shops – open as needed and with a selection that encourages a simple way of living. You buy what is available on the day: a single roll of toilet paper, thirty eggs, loose beans, small pots of yoghurt, and similar basics.
Just a few houses away, however, we found an excellent lunch restaurant with its own garden. As we became more familiar with the area, we were able to arrange regular deliveries of mixed fruit and vegetables from the garden at very low cost.
Shops with a slightly wider range of goods can be found in Pombas.
The route from Pombas through Chã de João Vaz and on towards the summit at Cova Crater is popular with international hikers, without ever feeling overcrowded.
Where we stayed
We found our place through Airbnb – a real gem called La Kasita.
It is an apartment with three bedrooms in Chã de João Vaz, with an open (windowless) kitchen overlooking the valley. Simple, but very well suited to our needs, as we were working digitally on many of the days. The location was ideal: about six kilometres from the town of Pombas, close to both short and long hiking routes. The road, however, is steep in both directions.
Another good option is Château Georgette, where we ate several times. It offers a more comfortable standard for the area and is also close to hiking routes. We would have chosen it for a stay of two or three nights.
If you are looking for other places to stay in the area, you can find a good overview on Booking.com.
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
🚂 Worth a visit
🚂 🚂 Really good
🚂 🚂 🚂 One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure)
🚂 🚂 🚂 🚂 Above and beyond
🚂 🚂 🚂 🚂 🚂 Truly exceptional
The main town in the municipality of Paul, where the river meets the Atlantic Ocean. It serves as the local administrative centre and a transport hub for the area. With only around 1,300 residents, the town is small, but it has a handful of shops and restaurants and is the place where travellers change transport to head either up into the valley or further along the coast.
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
The second-largest town on the island, with around 8,000 residents, and the administrative centre of Santo Antão. It is located a short drive from Pombas by the coast.
This is where you will find the widest – though still limited – selection of shops and small supermarkets, centred around a pleasant main square.
The town also serves as the main transport base for trips into the surrounding valleys and mountain areas.
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
A coastal town with around 2,500 residents on the north-eastern tip of the island. Historically one of Santo Antão’s most important ports, it is now mainly focused on fishing. It is a quiet local community with limited tourism and a base for one of the island’s most sought-after coastal hiking routes to Cruzinha.
It is clear that the town was more prosperous in the days when it still had an airport. Take a walk along the former airstrip, which was closed in the 1990s after an accident, and enjoy the dramatic sunset.
Accommodation
Booking.com
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
A small mountain village on the hiking route along the north coast between Ponta do Sol and Cruzinha.
It is known for its dramatic setting, one of the world’s most striking views, and its brightly coloured houses. Around 1,000 residents make a living from farming and fishing.
A small coastal town on the north-western side of the island – not a classic tourist destination, but a practical and peaceful stop for hikers.
The town has only a few hundred residents and relies mainly on fishing and hikers.
Simple accommodation and small restaurants are available.
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
An isolated coastal village on the western side of the island, with no road access. It can only be reached on foot via mountain paths or by boat.
We regretted not staying overnight here after a day’s hike from Chã de Feijoal. The village is extremely charming and peaceful, with only a few hundred residents, yet it still has small shops, a church and a school. We even met a teacher in the mountains who walked to work every day from another town.
We hired a fishing boat to take us on to Tarafal, where we had booked our accommodation.
A coastal town with a few thousand residents on the north-western side of the island. It attracts a fair number of visitors, as it is one of the few places on Santo Antão with a (real) beach. The beach is pleasant, but the waves can be strong.
It is a friendly town with a good selection of restaurants, beautiful views and several accommodation options.
A hiking route from here leads to Monte Trigo.
–
Accommodation
* Kaza Ladera – booking.com
A hostel-style hotel with a good breakfast and an excellent view. Rooms have private bathrooms and toilets.
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
The island’s largest town on the south coast and its main gateway. This is where the ferries from São Vicente arrive, and where most of the island’s transport and supply of goods pass through.
The surroundings are dry and open, with views of both the ocean and the interior mountain areas. From here, the main road leads up through the highlands towards Ribeira Grande and the northern valleys.
Life here is busier than in the island’s smaller towns, but still manageable and relaxed. Fishing, trade and transport shape daily life for around 10,000 people, and many tourists use Porto Novo as a transit point when travelling further around the island.
Accommodation
* Residencial Pôr de Sol, booking.com
A decent place in the town centre.
The island closest to Santo Antão, with ferry connections between the two and an international airport.
It differs markedly from its neighbour, with a dry and open landscape shaped by low mountains, rocky plains and a long coastline overlooking the Atlantic.
The island’s harbour was once an important stop for international shipping, which gave São Vicente a more cosmopolitan character than many of the other islands, with strong European and international influences.
Today, the island is known for its music scene, creative life and urban atmosphere. Nearly 80,000 people live on São Vicente, around 70,000 of them in the main town, Mindelo.
Although the island is dry, it offers good beaches and open coastal areas where the sea plays a central role in both leisure and working life.
The island’s main town and Cape Verde’s second-largest city. It is built around a large harbour and serves as both a cultural and commercial centre.
The city is known for its music scene, cafés, colonial architecture and a lively yet manageable atmosphere. Here, urban life and local traditions meet at a pace that is more energetic than on many of the other islands – without ever feeling hectic. There is still a calm, relaxed approach to most things.
Getting from Santo Antão to São Vicente
There are two ferry companies operating between Porto Novo and Mindelo:
CV Interrilhas
and
Nos ferry
The crossing takes about one hour. Tickets can usually be bought online but are also available at the harbour offices in both towns. Credit cards are accepted.
Music plays a central role in everyday life, not only as entertainment but as part of local identity. The streets of Mindelo are often filled with sound from radios, bars and small live venues, where morna, coladeira and more recent genres exist side by side.
Many travel guides and online comments suggest that it is unsafe to walk around Mindelo after dark. This is an exaggeration. Yes, there are poor areas, beggars and people living on the margins – as in any city. The key is simply to stay aware of your surroundings and use common sense, while setting aside some Western habits for a while.
Accommodation
To avoid harming or calling out anyone, we only speak in general terms about our bad experiences. However, we do name and grade the better places—but only those we’ve personally visited.
Worth a visit Really good One of our favourites (which means we would return for sure) Above and beyond Truly exceptional
Music plays a central role in Cape Verdean culture and everyday life. The islands’ history of migration, seafaring and contact between continents has shaped a distinctive musical identity with several characteristic genres.
The most well-known is morna – a slow, melancholic style that reflects themes of longing, love and distance. Its calm, reflective mood has made it Cape Verde’s national music.
Was born in Mindelo on São Vicente and became world-famous for her interpretations of morna. Her voice was deep, restrained and full of emotion, making her a symbol of Cape Verdean sodade – a sense of longing and homesickness. She often performed barefoot, as a sign of her connection to ordinary people and a simple way of life.
Cesária Évora remains a national heroine. When she died, the country mourned, and her face can still be seen on house walls and murals across the islands.
Other important national music genres include:
Coladeira – a more rhythmic and livelier relative of morna, with faster tempo and often humorous or socially oriented lyrics. It is commonly played at celebrations and social gatherings.
Funaná – originating from the island of Santiago, this energetic style features accordion and strong rhythms. It has roots in rural working culture and is now part of both traditional and modern dance music.
Batuque – one of the oldest musical forms, based on singing, clapping and drumming. It has strong African roots and is often used at ceremonies and community events.
Every February, carnival is celebrated across the country. In the months leading up to it, drum rhythms can be heard daily in towns, villages and mountain areas, as both children and adults rehearse for local parades and for the major celebrations in Mindelo.
The Mindelo Carnival is the largest and most famous in Cape Verde. Thousands of participants and even more spectators fill the streets for several days of parades. Roads are closed, live television broadcasts take place, photographers are everywhere, and people often wait for hours to secure a good viewing spot. It is an experience not to be missed.
Inspired by the Brazilian carnival but with a distinct Cape Verdean character, the event features colourful parades, dancers, music groups and large floats prepared by local associations over many months. The music ranges from samba-influenced rhythms to coladeira, funaná and traditional drumming. The atmosphere is lively, inclusive and strongly community focused.
For the people of Mindelo, carnival is more than entertainment. It is a cultural event where creativity, friendly competition and local pride come together. Each group presents its own theme, costumes and music, with great attention to craftsmanship and detail.
Carnival brings the entire city together – participants and spectators alike – and clearly reflects Mindelo’s role as Cape Verde’s cultural centre.
One of the flattest and driest islands – and without doubt the most tourist-oriented.
The landscape is dominated by sand, rocks and open spaces, with the sea and wind shaping the scenery. Vegetation is almost non-existent – it is mainly the beaches that stand out. Fortunately, they are excellent and among the finest in the country, especially around the southern town of Santa Maria.
To be honest, there is little of Cape Verde’s traditional character left here. The island is largely shaped by mass tourism, with large all-inclusive hotels and resorts along the coast, and a town filled with souvenir shops and tourist-oriented businesses.
Sal is best visited for its beaches alone, as well as for the good conditions for kitesurfing, windsurfing and diving. With a short walk, it is often possible to find quieter stretches of sand away from sun loungers and package-tour crowds.
There are flights from Mindelo to Sal, as well as direct charter flights from several European countries.
We found most of our routes on AllTrails Premium, which we also used to stay updated while hiking.
We also bought a printed map (from the lunch restaurant O Curral) with many marked trails – a useful way to combine routes for multi-day walks.
The trails are generally well marked and vary in surface: worn paths, preserved cobblestones, steps, gravel and rocky sections. There are steep climbs in places, so many routes are not suitable for weak knees or nervous hikers. This is not mountaineering, but medium to challenging hiking.
Good hiking boots, walking poles and a headlamp are recommended in case of delays or darkness. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, a sun hat and food. Do not expect to pass shops or villages on every route.
The following routes are just a selection – there are many possible variations and combinations:
(Some stages can be split or walked separately. We completed it in four days, which felt too rushed.)
This route combination remains one of our greatest travel experiences to date.
* Many people chew on sugar cane like chewing gum – the juice is sucked out, and the fibres are then spat out.
* The country has its own strong spirit, grogue, which is often home-made – or produced locally at restaurants, where people turn up with empty soft-drink bottles and discreetly have them filled. It is usually between 40 and 60 per cent alcohol – sometimes more – and is made from sugar cane. Grogue is Cape Verde’s answer to rum.
* There is a strong sense of courtesy in everyday life. We even experienced an elderly man standing up so that Katharina (aged 40) could sit down in an aluguer. He insisted and ended up sitting on the floor himself.
* You rarely see people out running on the islands we visited – and Santo Antão is particularly unsuited to it. Instead, handball and football are popular, and Cape Verdean teams often take part in international tournaments.
* If you expect the islands to be quiet enough for sleeping in, think again. People tend to speak loudly when meeting or talking on the phone, and donkeys, roosters and dogs are a reliable source of early-morning noise. At the same time, it is all part of the charm.
* There are several beaches where no one swims because the waves are simply too strong. If the locals stay out of the water, take it as a clear sign.
* Many houses are painted in bright colours – but often only parts of the building, such as the lower floor or the front façade. The paint is frequently leftover stock from ships.
* A small Chinese community (a few thousand people) lives in Cape Verde, primarily as business owners and traders, drawn by commercial opportunity and forming one of the more visible groups among the country’s foreign residents.
It’s all about sharing our attempt to understand the world by experiencing it with our own eyes. Here and on multiple platforms, we talk about our experiences—the good and the bad—and we have an opinion on most things, which we are more than happy to share.
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