As a family, we have been to Cape Verde many times. On this particular occasion, we spent two wonderful weeks exploring Cape Verde with our two children and my father, who is 72. It truly was a multi-generational adventure, packed with activities, unexpected weather, island-hopping, and a few unplanned detours along the way!
We thought we’d share some highlights from our trip, which we hope will be useful if you’re thinking about visiting Cape Verde yourself, whatever your age.
After a six-hour flight, we arrived on Sal for an overnight stay at the lovely Hotel Morabeza, perfectly located on the soft sandy beach in Santa Maria. We’d stayed there before, so we knew we were in for a warm welcome and a comfortable stay. What we didn’t expect, however, was the weather!
In the previous year, Sal had experienced just half a day’s rainfall. Somehow, during our visit, it rained for our first two and a half days. It certainly wasn’t the Cape Verde we were expecting! Thankfully, once the rain passed, the islands returned to their usual glorious sunshine, and the rest of our holiday was blessed with the warm, sunny weather Cape Verde is known for.
The next day, we flew to São Vicente and checked into the family-friendly Foya Branca. Set beside a long sandy beach that’s popular with windsurfers, the hotel had two lovely swimming pools and plenty of space for the children to explore. Theo and Lara absolutely loved it and, to be honest, they didn’t want to leave!
Eventually, though, we persuaded them to swap pool time for a taste of Cape Verdean culture and headed into Mindelo. We spent time wandering through the colourful, bustling fish and vegetable markets, soaking up the atmosphere and getting a real feel for local life.
One of the highlights of our stay was a jeep tour around the island. It turned out to be a fantastic adventure for all of us. We discovered beautiful deserted beaches, bounced along some incredible off-road tracks, and were entertained throughout by our guide, Gabriela Mendes, who not only knew everything about the island but is also a singer with her own album. The children’s favourite part was undoubtedly racing down and jumping from the Saharan sand dunes, although the spectacular scenery came a very close second!
Next up, Santo Antao, a one hour ferry trip away from Sao Vicente. We were collected from Porto Novo port and driven up to Cova do Paul. This is the crater at the top of the island and is ‘green’ compared to most of Cape Verde. Not ‘green’ from lots of rain but from the cloud that hangs over the crater much of the time. The walk out of the crater and down along cobbled farm trails passed through small settlements and magnificent steep terraces. My Dad found the steep downhill path a bit hard on his knees so walking poles recommended. Our walk ended at the modest but very comfortable Casa das Ilhas replete with cats and dogs for the children and honesty bar for us adults.
Our second walk started just above Sinagoga and finished at Lombo Branco and took around 5 hours (much quicker if you don’t have children with you). Our guide Ailton, brought pasta and rice salad picnics cooked by his wife which were delicious. This walk undulated through terraces and villages again but there were coastal views and not so much steep downhill. We saw farmers working in the manioc terraces and others carrying breeze blocks on their heads. A lady in one of the villages even made us some coffee on her wood stove. Sad farewells to Kath from Casa das Illhas and all her animals the following day, but the 4 hour drive on the back of a pick up truck quickly made up for it.
We headed to the very remote Tarrafal on the west side of the island only reached by a dirt road stopping on the way to gaze at the impossibly high Topo de Coroa at 1982m. We stayed at Mar Tranquilidade run by New Yorker Susi and her German husband, Frank. Staying here is a real treat, nestled at the end of the beach, serving the best food we had all fortnight and as the name suggests providing tranquillity. Theo got to fulfil his ambition of scuba diving by doing a baptism dive with David, an ex French navy diver who runs his business there.
Next day was the most spectacular walk of the holiday – the coastal path from Cruzinha to Ponta do Sol. It took us 7 hours with lots of stops and motivational speeches… The cobbled path contours the edge at the bottom of 1000ft high cliffs and all that separates you from the crashing white foam below is a low wall. It was superb and the snaking zig zag path up to Fontainhas village could be a world heritage site in its own right. If you only do one walk on your family holiday in Cape Verde, make it this one!
Back for our last two nights on Sal at the Morabeza for some well earned Caipirinhas (local cocktail), body boarding, horse riding and kite surfing lesson. This was a very busy itinerary with mostly 1 and 2 night stops which my Dad and the children found quite tiring although it did feel like a real grown up back packing adventure to Ian and I. A family holiday in Cape Verde is different enough culturally and scenically to feel like an adventure but safe enough that you can relax and explore happily and it’s fantastic for children.
If you’re thinking of taking your children for a family holiday in Cape Verde, have a chat with Ian, Max, or Jake: team@archipelagochoice.com
