Sun Soaked Islands

The Cape Verde archipelago is made up of nine volcanic islands and offers a sun-soaked escape all year round. With its laid back island vibes and colourful fishing towns, its the perfect place to have some fun in the sun, with a great range of island tours and excursions on offer across all of the islands. Its also the perfect destination for a walking holiday, because there are some fantastic walking trails within Cape Verde’s fertile valleys, high rocky mountains, and natural parks. And you will often be the only one on the trail.

The most well known island in Cape Verde is Sal, famous for its golden beaches and all-inclusive resorts. Sal is particularly popular amongst water sports enthusiasts, who come here to ride the waves and the stable winds. Its a great place to be if you like a lively atmosphere, nice resorts, beach cocktails, and lots of group activities. Boavista offers a very similar kind of landscape but is quieter and has characterful guesthouses, rather than large resorts. Maio is another island known for its fantastic beaches but it gets very few visitors, so is perfect for those who like solitary walks along white sand beaches.

When you explore beyond the beaches of Sal and Boavista, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing the real Cape Verde. You’ll walk through fishing villages, barter in the local markets, explore hidden coves, and walk along dunes and black-sand beaches . Sao Vicente is often considered to be the most culturally vibrant and is one of the best places to enjoy Cape Verdes music scene, in the harbour town of Mindelo.

To find rural tranquillity and fertile green valleys, head to Santo Antao and Santiago. Both have a scenic network of walking trails to explore, some that can be done independently and others that must be explored with a walking guide. You’ll follow high mountain trails and coastal paths, and can stay in cosy mountain huts surrounded by rural scenes. A full-day driver-guided island tour by jeep is also a great way to get a feel for the islands. Sao Nicolau is also and ideal island for those who like walking and is much quieter than Santo Antao and Santiago.

Fogo is the most starkly volcanic island, in terms of it’s landscape. The giant looming form of Fogo Volcano can be seen from all corners of the island, and the landscape is covered in lava fields and volcanic cones, with a rock coastline and black sand beaches. There are some lovely towns to explore too, and a walk into the Caldeira will help you grasp the magnitude of the volcanic eruption that formed Fogo, some 5 million years ago. If you’re feeling fit, enjoy a guided hike to the top of the Fogo Volcano.

Brava is less accessible than the other islands, similarly to Maio, but there are advantages that come with this. For those with an exploratory nature and a little more time on their hands, these islands are worth the effort! You will encounter less holiday makers and can enjoy the flow of island life. Brava is the greenest and quietest of all the islands, and has some fantastic walking trails.

Cape Verde is genuinely one of the best winter-sun destinations you’ll find. And it’s perfect for those who like exploring lesser-known destinations, with each island presenting a different kind of adventure.

Getting to Cape Verde

We take care of every detail of your tailor-made holiday, including flights. We’ll find you the best fares and schedules from a departure airports that’s ideal for you. Should there be any unexpected delays, simply call us and we’ll make an necessary adjustments, so that your holiday continues smoothly.

Our emergency 24-hour UK helpline connects you directly to a member of our team for immediate support and advice. We offer complete flexibility and can arrange multi-leg flights, internal flights, and stopovers with city-packages.

Getting to Cape Verde from UK

Cape Verde has four international airports: on Santiago, Sao Vicente, Sal, and Boavista. Direct flights are possible from Manchester, Birmingham, Gatwick, Bristol, Newcastle and Glasgow to Sal and Boavista.

From Lisbon it is possible to fly directly to Santiago, Sao Vicente, Sal and Boavista, enabling connections via Portugal from various UK airports.

Getting to Cape Verde from USA

Regular connections are possible from the USA and Canada to Cape Verde, via Lisbon and the Azores.