Cape Verde: Sal

Ideal stay

10–14 nights across two or three islands

The vibe

Windswept, musical, sun-bleached, unhurried

From our guides

1. 01

   Santa Maria, Sal

   A long strip of pale sand with a working fishing pier at one end, where the day's catch is landed and cleaned in front of an audience of pelicans and onlookers.

2. 02

   Pedra de Lume

   A salt crater inside an extinct volcano on Sal, reached through a tunnel, where you can float in brine far too dense to sink in. Rinse afterwards.

3. 03

   Praia de Santa Mónica

   Boa Vista's great southern beach runs for kilometres with almost nothing on it. The current is strong, so it suits walkers more than swimmers.

4. 04

   Turtle nesting

   Boa Vista hosts one of the Atlantic's larger loggerhead nesting populations, with guided night walks between roughly June and October run under strict rules.

5. 05

   Mindelo, São Vicente

   A colonial port town around a natural harbour, with a market, a colourful main street and live music most nights of the week in small bars.

6. 06

   Santo Antão by ferry

   An hour's crossing from Mindelo lands you on the archipelago's greenest island, where cobbled roads climb into ravines full of sugarcane and terraced fields.

1. Fly to

   Espargos (SID)

   The airport is on the doorstep.

2. Then

   To Santa Maria

   Around twenty-five minutes by taxi or hotel shuttle from Sal (SID) at Espargos, south down the island to Santa Maria.

3. On the ground

   Getting around

   Santa Maria is small and walkable, with aluguer shared minibuses and taxis for trips up the island. Boa Vista and São Vicente are reached by short internal flights, with a ferry network that is cheap but unreliable.

Public transport: Shared aluguer vans link the main towns on each island; between islands it is internal flights, with ferries a slower and less dependable alternative.

Large all-inclusive resorts on Sal and Boa Vista, plus small hotels, guesthouses and apartments in the towns. Mindelo runs to boutique townhouses rather than beach resorts.

• Best base overall

  Santa Maria, Sal

  The island's beach town, with the long sandy bay, restaurants, dive shops and the widest choice of hotels. It is the most developed part of the archipelago, which is either handy or disappointing.

  Find stays in Santa Maria, Sal →
• Quietest

  Sal Rei, Boa Vista

  A low-key town beside enormous empty beaches and turtle nesting sites, with guesthouses and a couple of big resorts outside it. There is little to do beyond the sand and the dunes.

  Find stays in Sal Rei, Boa Vista →
• Best for nightlife

  Mindelo, Sao Vicente

  The cultural capital, with live morna and funana in the bars most nights and a handsome colonial centre. The town beach is modest, so come here for music rather than swimming.

  Find stays in Mindelo, Sao Vicente →
• Best value

  Espargos, Sal

  The inland administrative town by the airport, where rooms cost a fraction of Santa Maria and the food is local. It is not a resort and you will travel to the beach.

  Find stays in Espargos, Sal →

Worth knowing before you book: Internal flights and ferries between islands are prone to change, so leave a buffer before your flight home rather than connecting the same day.

Getting there

Sal and Boa Vista have the international airports and most charter flights. Internal hops are short but schedules change, so leave slack before a long-haul return.

Wind

The trade winds blow hardest from December to April. Excellent for kite and windsurfing, less so if you want a still afternoon on the sand.

Cash

The escudo is the local currency and cards are accepted in resorts but not always beyond them. Carry cash for markets, taxis and smaller islands.

Sun and dust

There is little natural shade, and Saharan dust can haze the sky for days. High-factor sun cream and sunglasses are not optional here.

Water

Drink bottled or filtered water; most supply is desalinated. Swimming conditions vary hugely between sheltered bays and open Atlantic beaches, so ask locally.