Cape Verde island guide
Cape Verde has ten islands, nine of them inhabited, spread across the Atlantic about 570 km off the coast of West Africa. All of them share one time zone (UTC−1, one hour behind the UK in winter and two in summer), but each has its own personality. Here are the four most popular with buyers.
- 4international airports
- ~6hdirect from UK airports
- UTC−1no daylight saving
- €escudo pegged to the euro
Sal
Cape Verde's best-connected island and its busiest holiday destination. Most UK flights land here.
- Amílcar Cabral International Airport, near Espargos, is the country's main gateway.
- Santa Maria, in the south, is the resort town, with a long white-sand beach, restaurants and the island's busiest rental market.
- Flat and dry, with steady trade winds that make it a world-class spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
- Don't miss the salt lake inside the crater at Pedra de Lume.
Suits: holiday homes, buy-to-let and anyone who wants easy flights.
Boa Vista
Sal's quieter neighbour, known for vast dunes and some of the archipelago's longest, emptiest beaches.
- Aristides Pereira International Airport is about 5 km from the main town, Sal Rei, with direct flights from the UK.
- Wide beaches and desert-like interior landscapes.
- An important nesting site for loggerhead turtles in summer.
- A mix of resort developments and low-key town life in Sal Rei.
Suits: buyers who want space, beaches and a slower pace.
Santiago
The largest island and home to Praia, the capital and the country's business centre.
- Nelson Mandela International Airport serves Praia, with links to Lisbon and around the islands.
- Cidade Velha, the first colonial settlement in the tropics, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- A green, mountainous interior, plus beaches at Tarrafal in the north.
- The most services, schools and year-round city life in the archipelago.
Suits: year-round living, families and business.
São Vicente
The cultural heart of Cape Verde, centred on the harbour city of Mindelo.
- Cesária Évora Airport, named after the island's most famous singer, links Mindelo with Lisbon and the other islands.
- Famous for live music, its Carnival and a colonial waterfront.
- Ferries run from Mindelo's harbour to dramatic, green Santo Antão.
- A lively, walkable city with a sociable café culture.
Suits: culture lovers and year-round living with character.
The other islands
- Maio: quiet, with long beaches and a small aerodrome. One of the least developed islands.
- Fogo: dominated by the Pico do Fogo volcano, which last erupted in 2014–15. Known for coffee and wine.
- Santo Antão: green valleys and spectacular hiking, reached by ferry from Mindelo.
- São Nicolau: rugged and peaceful, with a domestic aerodrome.
- Brava: the smallest inhabited island, known for its flowers and cooler climate.