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🇨🇻Things to Do in Cape Verde
From Santa Maria's beaches to hiking an active volcano on Fogo Island - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Cape Verde is an archipelago of ten volcanic islands off West Africa's coast, with a distinct Creole culture blending Portuguese colonial and African influences, expressed most famously through morna music (popularized internationally by singer Cesaria Evora). The islands vary dramatically from one to the next - flat, beach-focused Sal and Boa Vista contrast sharply with mountainous, volcanic Santo Antao and Fogo. Here are 5 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Santa Maria, Sal
Cape Verde's best-known beach resort town, with long white-sand beaches and reliable wind conditions that have made the island a significant windsurfing and kitesurfing destination.
📍 Santa Maria, Sal Island
🚉 Sal's international airport is 20 minutes from Santa Maria by shared aluguer minibus or taxi - the town is small enough to walk, and the beach runs the length of it.
Fogo Volcano
An active volcano on Fogo Island, climbable over a full day, with a small community living and farming grapes directly within the volcano's own caldera.
📍 Fogo Island
🚉 Fly or take the ferry to Fogo, then an aluguer from Sao Filipe climbs 90 minutes to Cha das Caldeiras inside the caldera, where guides for the summit climb are hired.
Cidade Velha
A UNESCO World Heritage town on Santiago Island, the first European colonial settlement in the tropics, with a fortress and ruins reflecting its role in the early transatlantic slave trade.
📍 Santiago Island
🚉 The old Portuguese capital is 15km west of Praia on Santiago, about 30 minutes by aluguer from the Sucupira market - the fort above the town is a steep walk up.
Santo Antao
A mountainous island known for dramatic terraced valleys and some of the best hiking in Cape Verde, reached by ferry from Sao Vicente.
📍 Santo Antão Island
🚉 The ferry from Mindelo on Sao Vicente takes an hour to Porto Novo, and aluguers then climb the cobbled mountain road to Ribeira Grande - the crossing is the only way in, as the island has no airport in service.
Morna Music, Mindelo
Sao Vicente's main city is considered the cultural heart of morna, Cape Verde's melancholic national musical genre, with live venues showcasing it most evenings.
📍 Mindelo, São Vicente Island
🚉 Mindelo's music bars are all within walking distance of the harbour on Sao Vicente, and the island's airport is 15 minutes from town by taxi.
Mark Cape Verde, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Cape Verde?
A week suits one or two islands well - Sal or Boa Vista for beaches, or Santo Antao and Fogo for hiking and volcano country.
What's the best time to visit Cape Verde?
November-June has the driest, most stable weather. The brief wet season (August-October) can bring occasional heavy rain, particularly on the more mountainous islands.
Is Cape Verde good for a first-time visit?
Yes - Sal and Boa Vista are well set up for resort tourism, and inter-island flights and ferries make combining a beach island with a mountainous one manageable.
Do I need a visa to visit Cape Verde?
Most nationalities can get an easy visa waiver processed automatically at check-in or on arrival for short tourist stays. Check the official visa information for your nationality: mne.gov.cv.
What are some things to do in Cape Verde on a tight budget?
Santa Maria's beaches are free to enjoy, local Cape Verdean food (cachupa, the national dish) is inexpensive, and hiking in Santo Antao costs nothing beyond a guide if desired.
Can I rent a car in Cape Verde, and what licence do I need?
Yes, on the bigger islands - though shared aluguer minibuses connect most places cheaply, and inter-island travel is by plane or ferry regardless. A foreign licence is accepted for visits, with an International Driving Permit recommended alongside a licence not in Portuguese. Minimum age is generally 21 to 25. Santo Antao's cobbled mountain road and Fogo's caldera track both reward a 4x4 and a steady head for heights; Sal and Boa Vista are flat and easy by comparison. Official visitor information is published by the government at governo.cv.