About the Cape Verde Islands

Many of those considering a holiday in Cape Verde will still be unaware that the country is made up of a set of islands and not one large plot of land in the Atlantic Ocean situated off the coast of Africa.

Throughout this website we will try and provide information to help you decide whether Cape Verde is a place where you would like to visit. We have text links to further information, about the islands, within the top menu bar, side menu bar and within different webpages which we hope you will find of interest or useful. You will also find image links within the pages and the Home Page, which will lead you to further image slides, information and maps of the islands. 

Visa's:

See FAQ-Tourist Info on Visa and Airport Tax for Cape Verde as some foreign nationals may have a 30 day visa exemption.

Currency:

The currency in Cape Verde is escudos. One euro is equal roughly to 110escudos (cve), but in the banks it is set at 110.265cve. Euros are accepted on Sal Island but not all the other islands yet. Generally however, if you buy a drink that would normally cost 100escudos and you use one euro to pay for it, you won’t get 10escudos in change. The more you spend in Euros in shops asking for a payment in Euros, the more you will be loosing! Banks are open 8a.m.-3p.m. Mon - Friday, except on Public Holidays (sometimes they close the day before a bank holiday, around mid-day). TIP: Get to the bank early in day to avoid the queue. In most banks you will need to take a ticket from the machine or dispenser for the service counter that you need. Caixa is normally the counter you need to exchange money. Take your passport with you! Most main towns will have an ATM as will the main international airports. Banks exchange money, but some charge more than others for this service as do Hotels. Check out the exchange rates first. You will need to show your passport at the bank when exchanging money. Unofficial currency exchanges have been made at some stores from Euros to Escudos.

You are not supposed to take any escudos out of the country as this is the only country to use this currency, so please convert to euros before departing from Cape Verde.

Tourism

The Cape Verde islands attract visitors that travel by cruise ship and by air from various countries, some by direct flight and those who choose to travel in-directly.

Inter-island travel

Inter-island flights are getting better and cheaper since Binter Cabo Verde started offering this service. Binter recently changed its name to TICV in March 2020. Boavista, Sal, Santiago and Sao Vicente islands have international airports. However, not all islands have airports, those islands need to rely on inter island boats, ferries and fast ferries. Please find out more about them before booking your travel, as some break-down, cease operation or the timetable will change without notification..

Island transport

Once on an island, you can use Alugers (mini buses) used as collectives to transport people from one place to another, however they may not operate this service on all islands. If you use a taxi it will be more expensive, but then you don't have to wait around for others to fill the Aluger before it departs from one place to travel to another.

You may wish to hire a car, quad, bicycle or other form of transport available on the island you are visiting.

Wifi

A number of bars and restaurants will provide free wifi, you may need to ask for the code for the day. It is expected that you buy something to eat or drink while using their wifi.

If your phone is 'unlocked' you can purchase a sim card with some credit for around 5 euros from one of the internet providers, some shops will sell you credit and sim cards.

Roads and paths

There are some areas that have no tarmac or cobbled roads, they are still sand or dirt roads with rocks and stones. Some cobbled roads and paths will be uneven, others unlit with no street lighting, some cobbled paths may be missing some cobbles or may have risen and be a tripping hazard, other paths may be tiled and slippy, if there is liquid on them. Any of these could cause you problems when walking, driving or cycling or for those who are not able bodied.

More information can be found within the 'Quick Links' below, within other web pages, or in FAQ's.

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