Friends, family, and guests of our holiday home travelling to Cape Verde always have a lot of practical questions. Over the years we have formed a list of practical tips to help them prepare their holidays in Cape Verde. Today we share our list with 5 essential tips for travelling to Cape Verde with you:
Fishing boats on the beach of Tarrafal, Santiago Island.
1. Buy your flight ticket to Cape Verde in time
To start your holidays in Cape Verde you first have to get there. Since the islands are in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the best way to get there is by plane. If you want to fly for a reasonable price, we really recommend you to buy your ticket in time. The time of cheap last minute tickets really has passed. If you want to fly within the school holidays we advice to buy your flight tickets around 6 months in advance. Are you planning to travel to Cape Verde for Christmas, then you find the cheapest tickets a year in advance. A large portion of Cape Verde's populations is living abroad and around Christmas they like to visit their family and friends. On top of that a lot of Europeans like to travel to the tropical islands to escape the cold temperatures. That is why around this time of the year flight tickets are often more expensive.
Airport Praia, plane from Best Fly Cabo Verde, the company that provides domestic flights between the islands.
Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony until 1975, therefore the flight company with most connections to Cape Verde is still TAP air Portugal. There is a connection from Lisbon to Praia (Santiago Island), Boa Vista, Sal, and São Vicente. Lisbon airport is very well connected to all other airports in Europe, so with TAP you can fly from each European country to Cape Verde. TAP's staff is always very friendly and the services on the plane are good.
Cape Verde also has its own flight company, Cabo Verde Airlines (former TACV). They provide a connection between Lisbon and the islands Santiago, São Vicente, and Sal. This can be an alternative to flying with TAP, but if you do not live in Portugal you will need to book a flight with another company from Lisbon to your home country what often becomes much more expensive. If you do so, make sure you have enough time to change flights!
Tour operator TUI has direct flights between several European airports and Sal or Boa Vista. Check the TUI website of your home country to find out more about the possibilities.
Other flight companies connecting the Cape Verdean islands with the rest of the world are Air Senegal, Royal Air Maroc, SATA Azores Airlines, Binter and Neos. Since the Cape Verdean islands are a growing touristic destination, it is expected that more flight companies will soon offer connections.
The islands Fogo, Santo Antão, Maio, Brava and São Nicolau do not have an international airport. You can reach them from the other islands by domestic flight with Best Fly Cabo Verde or by boat with CV Interilhas.
2. No need for visa, just pay the airport tax when you arrive in Cape Verde
Since 2019 there are no visa requirements any more for the citizens of 61 countries (including the whole European Union). This only applies in case you don't stay longer than 30 days in Cape Verde (for some countries 90 days). So, no need to go to an embassy and apply for visa. The only thing you still have to do is pay an airport tax of 3200 CVE (+/- 31 EUR) and fill an online form called EASE (Processo Eficiente, Automático e Seguro de Entrada de Viajantes). Our experience is that the online form and online payment of the tax mostly don't work. Therefore, the easiest way is filling the form and paying the tax at your arrival in Cape Verde (possible with credit card).
Of course, you will also need an international passport to enter Cape Verde. Make sure your passport is valid for a minimum period of 6 months from the date of entry into Cape Verde.
3. There are no compulsory vaccinations for travelling to Cape Verde, and other health advice
There are no compulsory vaccinations when travelling to Cape Verde at the moment. Since September 15, 2022, Cape Verde has also removed all covid-19 restrictions. So,currently there is no need for testing or showing covid-certificates when you travel to the Cape Verdean Islands.
Although not compulsory, guidelines recommend being vaccinated against hepatitis A. If you are planning to eat regularly with local people in the countryside, it might also be wise to get vaccinated against typhoid fever. And of course, it is always good to check when you had your last tetanus shot when travelling.
Ladies selling banana on the street of Assomada, Santiago Island.
We recommend washing hands regularly as well as drinking bottled water only to prevent diarrhoea. For vegetables and fruits, you can remember the slogan 'peel it, boil it, cook it or forget it". This means that you better avoid raw vegetables in restaurants. Fruits you better peel before eating. Luckily, most tropical fruits are eaten without peel, think of banana, papaya and passion fruits and are therefore safe.
There used to be a minimal risk for malaria in Cape Verde, but in the last four years there hasn't been any case of malaria in the country. Since January 2021 Cape Verde is therefore eligible to apply for the World Health Organization (WHO) certification of malaria elimination. Another disease transmitted by mosquitos is dengue fever. The last dengue epidemy in Cape Verde dates from 2018-2019. Since the government's anti-mosquito program also tackles dengue transmission, there hasn't been any report of new dengue cases lately.
Sources: Wanda, Travel health pro and WHO,
4. Activate your bank card for Africa and pick up money in Cape Verde
In Cape Verde you pay with Cape Verde Escudos (CVE). Currently 100 CVE equals more or less 0,90 EUR. You can exchange money in banks or at the airport. If you have a long layover in Lisbon Airport, it is also easy to exchange money there. Easier though is to activate your bank card for use in Cape Verde (Africa) and withdraw cash from an ATM. You will find cash machines at the airport and in all of the larger cities. There are also increasingly more shops and restaurants where it is possible to pay with a foreign (credit) card, preventing you from walking around with lots of cash.
Supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels have fixed prices. If you go to the market, you will likely pay more than the locals, but it normally remains reasonable. Bargaining is not that common in Cape Verde, so if you feel the price is reasonable don't.
Tipping is not compulsory as it is in some other countries. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the minimum salary in Cape Verde is around 140 EUR a month and products in the supermarkets are not that much cheaper than in Europe. So, don't hesitate to give a tip when you are happy with the service, it really makes a difference!
Cape Verde Escudos (CVE) is the currency of the Cape Verdean Islands, at the moment 100 CVE equals more or less 0,90 EUR.
5. Learn some basic Portuguese or Creole sentences
Banana Street in Cidade Velha, Santiago Island
The official language of Cape Verde is Portuguese, though the first language of most Cape Verdeans is Creole. The Creole of Cape Verde is related to Portuguese but still tricky to understand for Portuguese speakers. Since Portuguese is the language used at school, most people at least understand if you speak to them in Portuguese.
The very basics greetings you need to know are the same in Portuguese and Creole:
"Bom dia" "Good morning" (used from morning until 12 AM)
"Boa tarde" "Good afternoon" (used from 12 AM until it's dark)
"Boa noite" "Good night" (used starting from nightfall)
After that you will hear a lot of people ask you "Tudo bem?" or "Sta dretu?" what can be translated in "How are you doing?". The easiest way to reply is by saying "Tudo dretu" what equals "Everything is fine".
In a future blog we will teach you more about the Cape Verdean Creole.
In hotels and restaurants in touristic areas you might find personnel speaking English or French, but outside those areas it is often more challenging to communicate if you don't master Portuguese. Even so, you can be sure that people will be always friendly and willing to help you.
Our oldest son running on the immense beach of Boa Vista in 2016
We hope to have answered your practical questions to guide you for your trip to Cape Verde. Do you have another question? Or do you have another golden tip that you want to share with us? Post it in the comments below.
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