Cape Verde tours & travel

Five centuries of Portuguese rule has left its mark on Cape Verde, producing a unique blend of African and Portuguese traditions that can be found in the country’s music, art and literature. For instance, many Cabo Verdean folktales bear similarities to stories in western African, such as the characters Ti Lobo and Chibinho. Africa’s polyrhythmic musical style is also prominent in local bars and keen ears may notice more than a passing resemblance between the local morna and the Portuguese fado. The majority of the country follows the Roman Catholic tradition, celebrating Easter, the Assumption, Christmas and more. Like both Portuguese and other African nations, Cape Verde’s second religion is football (soccer) and it’s common to see street games using improvised balls across the islands.

The Cape Verde archipelago is located 500 kilometres (310 miles) west of Senegal in the central Atlantic Ocean. The islands cover just over 4,033 square kilometres (1,557 square miles) in total. The archipelago was created by volcanoes, some of which are still active in the region. The largest volcano, Pico do Fogo, even erupted as recently as 2014. Each island contains different landscapes and climates, with islands Sal and Maio featuring extensive salt flights while Santa Antao and Sao Nicolau provide fertile grounds for sugarcane, banana and coffee plantations. All the islands share one unifying trait – a wealth of incredible white-sand beaches and luminous blue waters.

Each of Cape Verde’s islands is home to its own small community, where shopping is relatively low-key and usually restricted to local markets. Basket-weaving is a popular hobby in Cape Verde and you’ll often find local woman showcasing their handiwork at markets alongside clay figurines, pottery and hand-made cooking utensils. Due to the cost of importing goods from mainland Africa, day-to-day items such as toiletries can be expensive. This is largely why many products are produced locally instead of imported. Many shops will open from 8 am until midday before closing and re-opening between 3 pm and 7 pm.

For a small island nation, Cape Verdeans sure know how to throw a big party. Here are some of the festivals and events to keep an eye out for. 

Sao Vicente Carnival: Taking its cue from the pomp and colour of Brazil’s famous carnival, Mindelo explodes with festivities each year in February. The streets are filled with parades, live music, pop-up food stalls and performances. While the exact date for carnival varies, it usually takes place 40 days before Easter. 

Santiago Gamboa Festival: Cape Verde’s biggest music festival takes place in May each year just outside Praia, with national and international musicians and DJs across a variety of genres coming together to perform. 

Boa Vista Santa Isabel Festival: On July 4 Cape Verde celebrates Santa Isabel, the patron saint of Boa Vista Island. The island’s biggest town, Sal Rei, fills with processions, pop-up stalls and concerts as well as football tournaments, horse racing and even a beauty pageant.

Expect to find plenty of fresh seafood and big Creole flavours in Cape Verde. While some international cuisines are served on the larger islands, most restaurants and bars will serve local Creole dishes such as cachupa (slow cooked stew with corns, beans, potato and fish) and lagosta suada (steamed lobster). Adventurous eaters might like to try the bizarre-looking percebes, a finger-like barnacle that tastes similar to squid. Dessert is inspired by the island’s diversity of fruit, including papaya, guava, mango and coconut, which is usually used to make a jelly or cake. 
Please note that while vegetarians are catered to at hotels and some larger restaurants, choices may be limited when dining at smaller restaurants. 
Behind the bar you’ll find a diversity of drinks to choose from. The volcanic soil of Fogo Island has helped produce quality wines for over 120 years and beer drinkers might like to try the local lager, Strela. Strela also comes in malt liquor (Strela Ego), Pilsner-style (Strela Kriola) and dunkel (Strela Preta) variants. The national drink is grogue, which is rum distilled from sugar cane. It’s usually found in the local take on the Brazilian caipirinha cocktail, which uses sugar, crushed ice and limes to create a sweet, refreshing (and potent) drink. Many of the bars in Cape Verde feature live local music, with happy hours around 4 pm – 6 pm. 

Must try foods in Cape Verde

Cachupa: Cape Verde’s national dish is a hearty slow-cooked stew made from beans, vegetables, corn kernels and protein, such as fish or meat. The dish is heavily inspired by Portuguese cuisine and is considered to be a type of feijoada. Cachupa is normally served with a side of rice to soak up all the extra juices.

Carpachio: Much like South America’s ceviche, carpachio is raw seafood (normally tuna) that has been finely sliced and then allowed to marinate in lime, oil and salt. The recipe’s simplicity means you’ll find many different takes on this dish, with some towns changing up the ingredients to create carpachios that are more sweet, sour or bitter, depending on their tastes. 

Morreia: Local eel is fried in oil until golden brown. It’s basically the local equivalent of fish and chips and usually served as part of a larger seafood banquet.