Cape Verde

Cape Verde is a scattered necklace of volcanic islands, each with its own personality. Sal and Boa Vista are all about long, honey-coloured beaches and resorts, while Santo Antão offers dramatic hiking trails and terraced valleys, and Fogo tempts you with a still-smoking volcano and rich coffee farms. Decide early what kind of trip you want: pure beach time, island-hopping adventure, or a mix.

Flights between islands are more reliable than ferries, but they book up, so lock in key legs in advance. Build some flexibility into your itinerary to allow for occasional delays. This is where using Hello’s trip planning tools helps: keep flight details, guesthouse bookings and tours in one place, and adjust quickly if schedules shift.

On each island, you’ll mostly rely on taxis and shared minibuses (aluguers). They’re affordable and a good way to meet locals, but don’t expect strict timetables. For exploring independently on Sal or Boa Vista, consider renting a car or buggy for a day.

Download maps for offline use and set up Hello eSIM connectivity before you land, so you’re not searching for Wi‑Fi when you arrive. Signal is generally decent in towns like Praia, Mindelo and Santa Maria, but can fade in remote valleys and mountain roads, so plan key navigation ahead.

Cape Verde uses the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE), though euros are widely accepted on the main resort islands, often with change given in escudos. ATMs exist in larger towns such as Praia, Mindelo and Santa Maria, but can be scarce in smaller villages, so withdraw cash before heading into the mountains or remote beaches.

Rough prices to expect:

• Local espresso: around CVE 70 (about 0.70 USD)
• Plate of cachupa in a local eatery: around CVE 300 (about 3 USD)
• Local beer at a bar: around CVE 300 (about 3 USD)
• Shared taxi rides within towns: usually CVE 100–500

Resort areas like Santa Maria can feel closer to southern European prices, while rural Santiago or Santo Antão are noticeably easier on the wallet. Use Hello’s budget tracking to log spending in escudos; it helps you see at a glance if those sunset cocktails are adding up.

If you are travelling with friends, restaurant bills can come as one slip of paper with items mixed together. Instead of sorting coins for ages, use Hello’s expense splitting to divide meals, taxis and apartment costs fairly in just a few taps.

Cards are increasingly accepted, but always have cash for small eateries, local markets and intercity transport.

Cape Verde’s cuisine is simple, filling and full of Atlantic flavour. The national dish, cachupa, is a slow-cooked stew of corn, beans and vegetables, with meat or fish depending on the version. Try cachupa rica (rich, with more meat) for dinner, and cachupa refogada (fried leftovers with egg and chorizo) for breakfast. Fresh grilled tuna, grouper or moreia (moray eel) is common on coastal menus, often served with rice and vegetables.

In beach towns like Santa Maria (Sal) or Sal Rei (Boa Vista), you’ll find everything from simple barracas grilling fish to international restaurants. For a snack, look for pastéis (fried pastries) filled with fish or cheese. Wash it all down with an ice-cold local beer or grogue, a potent sugarcane spirit. Many bars turn grogue into fruity ponche, which goes down easily—pace yourself.

Nightlife is relaxed but atmospheric. In Mindelo, live morna and coladeira music spills from bars, and it’s common for evenings to slide naturally into dancing. On Sal and Boa Vista, sundowner bars line the beach; arrive early to pick a front-row seat for the sunset.

Use Hello’s trip planning to bookmark restaurants and music bars you don’t want to miss, and note cash-only spots so you remember to hit an ATM earlier in the day.

Cape Verde enjoys warm, mostly dry weather for much of the year, with trade winds keeping temperatures comfortable. Pack light, breathable clothing, a hat and high-SPF sunscreen; the sun is stronger than it feels in the breeze. From August to October, short bursts of rain and higher humidity are more likely, and mosquitoes can be more active, so bring repellent and consider a light long-sleeve layer for evenings.

Overall, the islands feel relaxed and relatively safe, especially in smaller towns and villages. Still, use common sense: keep valuables out of sight, avoid poorly lit, empty streets late at night, and use licensed taxis where possible. When swimming, pay attention to currents and local advice—some beaches have strong Atlantic waves even when they look calm from shore.

Cape Verdeans are generally friendly and appreciate a few words of Portuguese or Cape Verdean Creole. Simple greetings and a smile go a long way. Dress casually but avoid beachwear away from the coast and resort zones.

To stay reachable and check maps or translation apps on the go, set up a Hello eSIM before departure so your phone connects as soon as you land, without surprise roaming charges. Combine that with Hello’s budget tracking and you’ll have both your logistics and daily spend under control while you enjoy the islands’ easygoing rhythm.