Getting Around Cape Verde: Transport Guide for Travellers

Getting around Cape Verde in 2026 is straightforward if you plan ahead: expect €20–€30 private taxi airport transfers on the main islands, cheap local buses in Praia, informal shared minibuses (aluguers) between towns, and plenty of taxis for short hops; driving is possible with a valid licence but roads vary by island.

Cape Verde is an archipelago, so you’ll combine local transport on each island with flights or ferries between them. For airport runs, recent taxi and transfer listings show typical prices of around €20–€30 from Sal (SID) to Santa Maria, and roughly similar €25+ private transfer rates from Nelson Mandela Airport (Praia, Santiago) into the city in 2026, depending on vehicle size and time of day. Pre-booked shuttles and private transfers often price per car, not per person, and can be as low as $10–$20 per person on shared runs.

Public transport is limited but growing. In Praia, the Sol Atlântico bus network sells single tickets at 43 CVE and 10-trip bundles for 430 CVE, giving you predictable costs for regular commutes in 2026. Outside the capital, shared minibuses known as aluguers link towns and villages, but fares aren’t officially published and are agreed in cash before departure.

Ride-hailing apps like Uber or Bolt are not yet established, so you’ll rely on local taxis, hotel shuttles, and offline-friendly bus apps plus good navigation. That’s where an eSIM from Hello is extremely useful: you can arrive in Cape Verde already connected, use maps, check ferry and flight times, and coordinate airport pickups without hunting for Wi‑Fi.

Airport transfers in Cape Verde typically cost €20–€30 per car for resort runs on Sal and Boa Vista, and around €25 or more for private transfers from Praia’s Nelson Mandela Airport into the city in 2026, with shared shuttles starting from about $10 per person depending on route and operator.

If you’re flying into Sal (Amílcar Cabral International Airport, SID) and staying in Santa Maria, recent transfer operators quote airport–Santa Maria runs at €25 for 1–3 passengers, around €30 for four passengers, and higher rates for minibuses carrying up to 18 people, with an extra €5 night surcharge between midnight and early morning. Older but still-cited tourism information suggests daytime taxi transfers from SID to Santa Maria around €12–€15, with in‑town rides in Santa Maria from roughly €2–3 in daytime and slightly higher at night, so expect a realistic range of €15–25 per car in 2026 depending on negotiation and whether you pre-book.

On Boa Vista (Rabil / Aristides Pereira Airport, BVC), structured transfer price lists show routes like airport–Palace/Karamboa/Decameron hotels at €22–€25 for 1–4 passengers, with larger group minibuses pushing totals to €50–€100 for 5–18 passengers, plus a €5 night surcharge. More premium booking platforms list similar runs at around $60–70 per car, so budget €25–€35 for a standard private car.

On Santiago (Nelson Mandela International Airport, RAI), transfer companies quote airport–Praia at about €25 for small groups, with higher rates for larger vehicles and night surcharges. Some international booking sites list this at around $48–52 per car. Travelling further afield, city–Tarrafal or Serra Malagueta runs can reach €70–100 per trip, especially at night.

For São Vicente (Cesária Évora Airport, VXE), typical taxi transfers to Mindelo fall in the €8–€15 range per car for a 15‑minute ride, while premium private services list fixed fares of about $55–60. These differences reflect whether you hail a local taxi, negotiate on the spot, or book a fully packaged transfer online.

If you want predictable pricing and a driver waiting at arrivals, booking in advance through your hotel or a local transfer service is worthwhile. Keep in mind that many operators price per vehicle rather than per person, so splitting costs with friends is easy—Hello’s expense splitting in the app can track a €25 airport taxi, auto‑convert it from CVE to your home currency, and share the total across the group.

Cape Verde public transport is simple but limited, with formal city buses mainly in Praia and informal shared minibuses (aluguers) connecting towns; expect single bus fares around 43 CVE in 2026 in Praia and cash‑negotiated aluguer prices elsewhere with no official fare tables.

In the capital Praia (Santiago Island), the main public bus operator Sol Atlântico runs numbered routes across the city and suburbs, providing the closest thing Cape Verde has to a structured urban network. The company publishes a single ticket price of 43 CVE and prepaid bundles of 5, 10 and 15 trips at 215, 430 and 645 CVE, respectively, keeping the per‑trip cost constant and making it easy to budget if you’ll be taking buses regularly.

Outside Praia, and on islands like Santo Antão, São Nicolau or Fogo, most public movement relies on aluguers—shared vans or minibuses that leave once they’re full, rather than on a fixed timetable. Local transport guides and government portals don’t publish official aluguer prices, and operators can sell seats individually or charter the whole vehicle privately, so fares vary by distance, demand, and whether you’re hiring the whole minibus.

Practically, you’ll usually:

• Go to the town’s aluguer stand (often near markets or main squares).
• Confirm the destination, approximate departure time, and fare directly with the driver.
• Pay in cash, usually in escudos (CVE), before or during the ride.

In cities like Mindelo (São Vicente), small taxis complement the informal system, with short hops within town often costing just a few euros equivalent. Because schedules and prices are rarely digitised, offline-friendly tools and local knowledge matter. Having mobile data via a Hello eSIM lets you check bus route info, call your guesthouse to confirm where to catch the right aluguer, and use map apps even when printed timetables are nowhere to be seen.

Ride-hailing apps like Uber, Bolt, and Grab are not widely available in Cape Verde in 2026, so most travellers rely on local taxis, hotel transfers, and informal minibuses—making mobile data for maps, messaging, and local transport apps especially valuable.

Unlike larger African cities where ride-hailing is common, Cape Verde’s islands still operate on a more traditional model: you either hail a taxi on the street, arrange a pickup through your hotel or guesthouse, or book via local transfer websites that quote fixed prices per route and group size. These services list typical airport–city or airport–resort transfers on islands like Sal, Boa Vista, São Vicente and Santiago, usually showing rates in euros or US dollars and sometimes including night surcharges.

Because you won’t be opening Uber or Bolt to call a car, navigation and communication become key. Travellers frequently use:

• Map apps to pin their accommodation and show taxi drivers the exact location.
• Messaging apps to coordinate pickups or share live location with friends.
• Local transport apps and websites with offline bus and ferry information, particularly for Praia buses and island ferries.

All of these rely on data. An eSIM from Hello is a practical solution here: you can download the Hello app before your trip, buy Hello eSIM for Cape Verde with instant activation, and land already connected instead of hunting for airport Wi‑Fi or buying a local SIM. With data active, you can look up current taxi fares, double‑check airport transfer bookings, and keep your group coordinated—while using Hello’s budget tracking to log taxi and shuttle expenses as you go.

When you do hail taxis on the street, always confirm the fare before you get in, ask if there’s a night surcharge, and carry small notes in escudos (CVE) or euros; meters are uncommon, and fixed prices for popular routes are often based on informal consensus rather than regulation.

Getting between Cape Verde’s islands mostly means domestic flights and limited ferries, while inter-city travel on each island relies on taxis and aluguers; ferries are cheaper but slower and less frequent, whereas flights save time if you’re hopping between popular islands like Sal, Santiago, Boa Vista, and São Vicente.

Cape Verde is made up of ten islands, nine of them inhabited, so inter-island travel is a core part of any itinerary. Domestic airlines connect major hubs such as Sal (SID), Praia (RAI), Boa Vista (BVC), and São Vicente (VXE), with flight prices varying seasonally; they’re generally more expensive than ferries but much faster, often under an hour between major islands. Ferries exist on several routes—such as between São Vicente and Santo Antão—but official schedules and fares can be fragmented across different operators.

Dedicated transport information sites aggregate ferry and bus data from government portals and licensed operators, linking each fare and crossing back to the original documents and listing when they were last checked, which helps you avoid outdated schedule information. This is particularly handy for planning multi-island trips, for example combining beaches on Sal or Boa Vista with hiking on Santo Antão or cultural stops in Praia and Mindelo.

On the islands themselves, inter-city and rural travel is usually by aluguer and taxis rather than long-distance coaches. Example price tables for Santiago show how quickly costs climb with distance: Praia–Tarrafal or Praia–Serra Malagueta by private taxi can reach €70–100 in 2026, especially with night surcharges, while short city transfers are €20–30. Aluguers offer cheaper per‑seat travel on these routes but with less comfort and flexible departure times.

For trip planning, think in legs: airport–city transfer, inter-island flight or ferry, then city–village aluguer or taxi. Hello’s trip planning and budget tracking features can help you map these legs, estimate costs per day, and track what you actually spend on taxis, ferries, and flights—useful when multi-island itineraries add up.

Driving in Cape Verde is possible for visitors with a valid driving licence and often an International Driving Permit (IDP), but road quality varies by island; many travellers find taxis and aluguer minibuses more relaxed than renting a car, especially on mountainous islands.

Car rental is most commonly available on tourist-heavy islands like Sal, Boa Vista, Santiago and São Vicente, where resort areas and cities offer 4x4s and compact cars. While specific 2026 rental prices vary between agencies, daily rates often align with Southern European holiday destinations: think in the ballpark of €40–70 per day for a small car, more for SUVs or full insurance. Fuel prices are relatively high for the region, and distances are short, so overall fuel expenses remain manageable.

To legally drive, you should bring your home country’s licence and, in most cases, an International Driving Permit, particularly if your licence is not in Portuguese or a widely recognised language. Local regulations can be unevenly communicated, but many rental agencies will ask for an IDP as a matter of policy, and having one avoids disputes if you’re stopped by police.

Road conditions vary:

• On Sal and Boa Vista, many resort areas and main roads are paved and easy to navigate.
• On more rugged islands like Santo Antão or São Nicolau, mountain roads can be narrow, winding, and occasionally affected by weather.
• In cities, traffic is usually light compared with European capitals, but parking near markets and central squares can be tight.

Driving tips include avoiding night driving on unfamiliar rural roads, watching for pedestrians and animals, and factoring in extra time for mountain routes. Since navigation apps are invaluable for locating remote viewpoints and trailheads, ensure you have mobile data; a Hello eSIM lets you run turn‑by‑turn directions and offline maps while keeping roaming costs predictable.

If you prefer not to drive, hiring a taxi by the hour or day is common—on Santiago, for example, negotiated day‑rates for private trips to Serra Malagueta or Tarrafal can reach €70–100, but splitting that with friends and using Hello’s multi‑currency expense splitting makes it much more affordable per person.

Most travellers get around Cape Verde using airport taxis, city buses in Praia, shared minibuses (aluguers), and occasional car rentals, with typical airport transfers costing €20–€30 in 2026 and local bus fares in Praia around 43 CVE per ride.

Q: How much is a taxi from Cape Verde airports to resorts?
A: On Sal, recent transfer tables list €25 for 1–3 passengers from Amílcar Cabral Airport to Santa Maria, with night surcharges around €5. Boa Vista airport–resort transfers often cost €22–€25 for small groups, while Santiago’s Nelson Mandela Airport to Praia averages about €25–30 per car, rising for longer routes to Tarrafal.

Q: Does Cape Verde have reliable public transport?
A: Praia has the most structured bus system: Sol Atlântico charges 43 CVE for a single ticket, with prepaid bundles at 215, 430 and 645 CVE for 5, 10 and 15 trips. Other islands rely mainly on aluguer minibuses, which do not publish official timetables or fares; you agree prices in cash with the driver.

Q: Are Uber, Bolt, or Grab available?
A: Major international ride-hailing apps are not widely available across Cape Verde’s islands as of 2026. You’ll mostly hail taxis directly or book transfers through local companies and hotels.

Q: Do I need an International Driving Permit?
A: It is strongly recommended to carry an International Driving Permit alongside your home licence, as rental agencies and police checks may ask for it, especially if your licence is not in Portuguese. This makes renting and driving smoother on Sal, Boa Vista, Santiago, and other islands.

Q: How can I stay connected for maps and bookings?
A: You can buy and activate Hello’s eSIM plans for Cape Verde before you fly, arriving with mobile data ready for navigation, WhatsApp, and transport apps. Since tourism continues to grow across the archipelago—Cape Verde welcomed over 900,000 visitors in recent pre‑pandemic years according to national tourism statistics—having instant connectivity simplifies airport transfers, ferry checks, and group coordination.

Transport Option	Typical Cost (2026)	Where It’s Common	Notes
Airport taxi (Sal–Santa Maria)	€20–25 per car	Sal	Night surcharge ~€5; negotiate or pre-book
Airport taxi (Boa Vista–resorts)	€22–30 per car	Boa Vista	Higher for large minibuses or premium services
Praia city bus (Sol Atlântico)	43 CVE single, 430 CVE/10 trips	Praia, Santiago	Prepaid bundles for regular use
City taxi (short ride)	€2–5 equivalent	Major towns	No meter; agree fare in advance
Private day trip taxi (Praia–Tarrafal)	€70–100 per trip	Santiago	Can be split among friends using Hello’s expense tools