Cape Verde
by James O'Donnell
Paradise rediscovered
There aren’t many holiday destinations in the world that can still be called ‘unspoilt’, but the sublimely beautiful islands that make up Cape Verde might just be one of them.
When you land, try to resist the temptation to check your airline ticket – although it may say‘CapeVerde’you might get the feeling you’ve arrived on a different planet. Much of the islands’ landscape has an eerily serene, almost moon-like quality, with swathes of pristine desert filling much of the interior, punctuated with the odd cactus sentinel. It’s almost as though some of the islands are just a single giant beach stretching from one coast to the next.
Some 300 miles off the western edge of Africa, the archipelago that makes up Cape Verde was uninhabited until being discovered by the Portuguese in 1492. The islands became an important waypoint in the growing Portuguese empire in the new world, especially for the transatlantic slave trade.
The population and culture of the islands show its history.The official language is Portuguese and most of the people are of mixed European and African descent.The islands’way of life is fairly laid back, so don’t take schedules and timetables too literally, as no one else does! Lying south of the Tropic of Cancer, the islands are warm, but tempered by the surrounding Atlantic. Generally little hotter than 30 degrees fromApril to November, while the‘winter’sees the thermometer typically no lower than 21 degrees, though conditions get windier.
Only six hours from the UK and almost due south, the islands offer a chance to explore something new and exotic, without spending half your time in the air or fighting the ill effects of jet lag in a wildly different time zone.
Sal
Flights from Birmingham arrive on the island of Sal, the most developed, in terms of tourism, but by no means overdeveloped. Sal is home to some truly excellent white sandy beaches, typical of the islands in the east of the archipelago. It’s popular for water sports of all kinds, hosting sail boarding championships in February / March, taking advantage of the wave peaks of up to ten metres!
There are PADI registered scuba diving schools and fishing trips are also popular, a great way to get up close and see the exotic tropical fish that blaze with colour, in contrast to the minimalist landscape to be found ashore.
As the island is only 30km by 12km it won’t take you long to get to know the place and nothing is too hard to reach.To the north of the island the extinct volcano that created the place is worth a visit, its crater filled with a salt lake and making a great photo opportunity.
By night the main tourist area of the island, Santa Maria, offers plenty to choose from.There are many restaurants serving European and African cuisine, while the local bars often play host to live music (a quirk you’ll find repeated across the whole of CapeVerde).
Boa Vista
A short 15-minute flight (or hour’s cruise by catamaran) from Sal brings you south to BoaVista, its much larger neighbour. At three times the size there’s much more to see and do on the island, and more space to do it in.
Sharing the same white sandy beaches as Sal, BoaVista is another ideal place for beach holiday lovers. In fact, almost the entire island is covered in sand, with a mini-Sahara of dunes covering the interior. You almost get the feeling that it’s the sand that rules the island, not the people – a trip to visit the abandoned ceramics works of Praia da Chaves and you’ll see the desert literally covering up the buildings before your eyes.
Depending on what time of year you visit, you may not have the beaches entirely to yourself. Boa Vista is home to one of the biggest loggerhead turtle nesting sites in the world.The ocean going giants come ashore to lay their eggs from around June to September.
More popular with human family visitors too, the Boa Vista nightlife is quieter and more low-key, with bars and restaurants more sparse than its neighbour to the north.
Santiago
Further to the Southwest is the island of Santiago, largest and most populous in the chain and home to the capital of CapeVerde, Praia. Unlike its desert-island siblings, Santiago has a rich and varied landscape, from exposed volcanic rocks, to lush green valleys, but sharing a similar stripe of sandy beaches around its periphery.
Praia is a busy trading town with a clear African flavour. As the commercial heart of the islands the city has a life of its own beyond tourism, offering the chance to see CapeVerde culture at possibly its most natural.
As a change from the (admittedly excellent) holiday formula of beach by day and bar by night, the hills of Santiago are great for hiking.The tropical forests are home to exotic bird life, with some species being completely unique to the islands.
A must for any visitor to the island is a trip to the old capital of CidadeVelha and Forte Real, previously the main trading point for slaves abducted fromAfrica and bound for the NewWorld.
Sao Vicente
An hour from Sal, Sao Vincete lies among the cluster of islands to the north east of the CapeVerdes. Considered the cultural heart of the chain, it’s home to many artists and musicians and littered with architecture and monuments of its colonial past.
SaoVincete’s capital,Mindelo has a very relaxed atmosphere, ideal for couples looking to take it easy (though young families might tire of it quickly). Like the rest of CapeVerde, the beaches and water sports are excellent, while horse riding or quad biking offer an alternative to soaking up the rays and culture.
Whichever of the islands that make up CapeVerde that you choose to visit, you won’t be disappointed.