Cape Verde

Cape Verde is an archipelago of 10 islands scattered off the West African coast, and the biggest decision is which islands to combine. Sal and Boa Vista are all about long beaches and resort life, while Santiago, São Vicente, Santo Antão and Fogo offer culture, hiking and volcano landscapes. For a first trip, many travellers pair Sal or Boa Vista with a more rugged island like Santo Antão for hikes through green valleys, or Fogo to see the volcano and vineyards.

Internal flights can be infrequent and subject to schedule changes, so avoid super-tight connections and plan at least one buffer day between long-haul flights and inter-island travel. Ferries operate between some islands but can be rough in windy season; check recent reviews and conditions.

Use Hello’s trip planning tools to create separate day plans for each island, pinning key spots like Santa Maria (Sal), Mindelo (São Vicente), and Cidade Velha (Santiago). Add your flight and ferry details so everything sits in one place, and share the itinerary with your travel companions. That way, when the wind, waves or island vibes tempt you to change plans, you can quickly reshuffle activities without losing track of bookings or timings.

Cape Verde’s currency is the Cape Verdean escudo (CVE). Euros are widely accepted in touristy areas like Sal and Boa Vista, but you usually get a better deal paying in CVE. ATMs are found in main towns (Praia, Mindelo, Santa Maria), though they can be limited on smaller islands, so withdraw ahead of time.

As a rough guide, a simple meal in a local restaurant might cost 400–800 CVE (about 4–8 USD), while a mid-range dinner with drinks can reach 1,500–2,500 CVE. Street snacks, pastel pastries and espresso-style coffee are much cheaper. Keep small notes for taxis, markets and rural cafés.

Use Hello’s budget tracking to log spending in CVE but still keep an eye on your home currency, which helps avoid end-of-trip surprises. If you’re travelling with others, Hello’s expense splitting makes it easy to share costs for rental cars, boat trips or villa stays without awkward calculations.

Tap water is not generally recommended for drinking; buy bottled water or use a filter. Pack a light sweater for breezy evenings, and good footwear if you plan to hike on Fogo’s volcanic terrain or Santo Antão’s stone paths.

Within towns like Praia, Mindelo and Santa Maria, taxis are the easiest way to get around. They’re usually unmetered, so agree on a price before you get in; short rides are often around a few hundred CVE. For longer routes between towns or villages, look for aluguers (shared minibuses or pickups). They are cheap and sociable, but they leave when full, so timing can be flexible.

On islands such as Santo Antão, São Vicente or São Nicolau, renting a car with good clearance is ideal for exploring mountain roads and remote beaches. Drive cautiously: roads can be steep, winding and occasionally cobbled. At the coast, be cautious with unguarded beaches; currents can be strong, so ask locals or your accommodation where it’s safe to swim.

Connectivity can be patchy as you move between islands and into remote valleys. Activating a Hello eSIM before arrival means you land with data ready to use for maps, translation, taxi calls and checking ferry or flight updates, without worrying about roaming charges. Download offline maps too, in case you head into areas with weaker signal while hiking or driving.

Cape Verde’s culture blends African and Portuguese influences, with music and food at its heart. In the evenings, look for live morna and coladeira in Mindelo or Praia – small bars where musicians play guitar and cavaquinho while locals sing along. It’s normal to linger over drinks and let the night unfold slowly.

For food, don’t miss cachupa, a slow-cooked stew of corn, beans and meat or fish, often served for breakfast the next day as cachupa refogada with eggs. On the coast, grilled fresh fish, lobster and octopus are staples, and you’ll often see fishermen bringing the catch straight to the pier in Santa Maria or São Pedro. Try local grogue (sugarcane spirit) in moderation, and ask for a fruit-infused ponche if you prefer something sweeter.

Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory; rounding up or adding around 5–10% in restaurants is common in tourist areas. To keep shared meals simple when travelling with friends, log restaurant bills in Hello and use expense splitting so everyone can enjoy another round of grogue without debating who owes what. Dress is generally casual, but bring a light cover-up for visiting churches or more traditional villages.