Cabo Verde
Africa · Praia · CV
Cabo Verde is the West African island nation of the Atlantic, a string of volcanic islands off the coast of Senegal that blends the Portuguese inheritance, the African soul and the music of the morna and the kizomba into a relaxed, windy, beautiful whole. Sal Island takes most of the tourists with its white-sand beaches and its resorts, while the craggy islands of Santo Antão and São Vicente, with the colonial port of Mindelo, and the greener centre of Santiago, with the capital Praia, spread the variety of the archipelago. The islands are dry, dramatic and laid-back, with the volcano of Fogo, the old cobbled streets of Cidade Velha, the terraced valleys and the surf of the long dark beaches. Music is the soul of the islands, and the morna of Cesária Évora carries their stories to the world. Remote, rhythmic and wonderfully quiet, Cabo Verde is the Atlantic escape of the imagination.
Overview
Cabo Verde is a country in Africa. Its capital is Praia and the international dialling code is +238. Languages commonly used in everyday life here include Portuguese. Local currency is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE). We also list 1 city in Cabo Verde: Praia.
Sal, the Beaches and the Wind of the White Sands
The island of Sal is the gateway of the country, flat, dry and swept by the trade winds, and its western coast holds the long, white-sand beaches that have made it the tourist heart of Cabo Verde. The resort town of Santa Maria runs its beachfront with the sailing schools, the kitesurfers, the beach bars and the promenade of the evening, and the shallows of the bay stay warm and clear for the swimmers. The salt pans that gave the island its name, the old mining flats at the centre, still bake the white crystals of the sea, and the turtles of the season nest on the quiet beaches of the north. The island is small enough to cross in a day, and its whole life is the sun, the sand and the water.
São Vicente, Mindelo and the Music of the Harbour
The island of São Vicente, and its port of Mindelo, are the cultural heart of Cabo Verde, the town where the music, the carnival and the nightlife of the country have always run hottest. The harbour of Mindelo holds the coloured houses of the colonial era, the breakwater of the causeway and the constant, cheerful motion of the fishing boats, and the bars and the clubs of the town play the morna and the coladeira deep into the night. The beaches of the island, the wide bays and the dunes of the north, hold the surfers and the empty sands, and the Monte Verde above the town gives the long view over the bays and the headlands. Mindelo is famously musical, and the sense of a whole community living to the rhythm is part of the charm.
Santiago, Praia and the Old City of the Atlantic
The largest island of the archipelago, Santiago, holds the modern capital of Praia and the oldest town of the whole region, the Cidade Velha with its ruined cathedral and its old fort, the first European settlement of the tropics that now lies quiet above its bay. Praia itself, the capital, spreads its plateau between the cliffs of the sea with the markets, the cathedral and the government quarter of the centre, and the surrounding valleys of the island run the banana groves, the villages of the terraced hills and the coffee plantations of the interior. The beaches of the southern coast, the calm bays and the fishing hamlets, complete the picture of this greenest of the islands. Santiago is the heart and the history of the country, and the essential stop for the traveller who wants to understand Cabo Verde.
The Volcano of Fogo and the Crater of the Vineyards
The island of Fogo is a single great volcano that rises out of the Atlantic, and its perfect cone dominates the whole island from the sea. The dramatic drive up its slopes leads into the crater of the Chã das Caldeiras, the black lava fields of the latest eruptions and the small village of the crater, where the families grow the wine grapes of the volcanic ash and run the guesthouses of the simple, unforgettable overnight stay. The climb of the summit cone takes the energetic visitor to the edge of the crater beneath the summit, with the views over the whole island and the ocean below. The lava flows, the new wine and the isolated life of the crater give Fogo the strangest, most beautiful story of all the islands.
The Music, the Sea and the Rhythm of the Islands
The music of Cabo Verde is the country's great invention, the slow, aching morna that carries the saudade of the islands to the world, and the faster coladeira and the batuku of the villages that fill the festivals of the year. The traditional instruments of the island, the cavaquinho and the violin of the old style, still play in the bars and the parties of the towns, and the beach celebrations and the summer festivals run deep into the nights. The seafood of the table, the tuna, the wahoo and the lobsters of the islands, comes from the daily catches of the ports, and the grogue, the local cane spirit, accompanies the music and the conversation. The islands are a place where the rhythm of the sea and the rhythm of the song run together.
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- Capital
- Praia
- Currency
- Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE)
- Languages
- Portuguese
- Calling code
- +238
- Internet TLD
- cv
Entry requirements
Check who can enter →See which passports travel visa-free or need a visa to enter Cabo Verde.
Cities (1)
All cities →Frequently asked questions
What is the capital of Cabo Verde?
Praia is the capital of Cabo Verde, and the country sits in Africa.
What currency is used in Cabo Verde?
You pay with Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE) in Cabo Verde. Exchange rates move day to day, so check the current rate before you change money or use your card abroad.
Which languages do people speak in Cabo Verde?
The languages we list for Cabo Verde are Portuguese. A couple of greetings in the local language go a long way when you travel, even in cities where another language is widely used.
What is the international dialling code for Cabo Verde?
The dialling code for Cabo Verde is +238 — keep the plus sign when you save the number.
Which cities in Cabo Verde do you cover?
Our guide lists 1 city for Cabo Verde: Praia (capital).