Travel guide
Cape Verde

The 12 keywords Cape Verde

1. Aluguer

These are local transports also called coletivos or Hiace, after the Toyota model. The aluguers (minibuses, VL, pick-up or 4x4) go in a given direction and take several passengers on the sides of the road, so the duration of the journey is random. This is the best way to meet the locals and to immerse yourself in the local life

2. Barlavento Sotavento

These two terms determine the orientation of the islands according to their position in relation to the prevailing north-east wind. The northernmost ones, Sal, Boa Vista, São Nicolau, Santa Luzia, São Vicente and Santo Antão constitute the Barlavento (windward) islands. The southernmost, the Sotavento (leeward) islands, include Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava

3. Cachupa

In the spotlight is cachupa, the national dish that is omnipresent in every home and on every menu. A comforting stew, prepared in different ways, it includes hominy corn, beans, root vegetables, pork fat (simple version) or meats (enriched version). The refogada is served with sausage and egg for breakfast

4. Carnival

Inspired by the Brazilian carnival, it tends today to develop on all the islands. Mindelo's carnival attracts more and more curious people from all over the world. For the parade, each group chooses a theme and develops a choreography, in the greatest secrecy. On Mardi Gras day, the show gives way to the party, the floats and the parades.

5. Creole

In order to communicate with each other, slaves were forced to gather words from Portuguese and other sources and these mixtures are the origin of the Cape Verdean mother tongue. It is basically a 15th century Portuguese with a simplified grammar; phonetics and vocables were added from Mandingo languages

6. Water

Water is scarce and an indispensable factor for development, which is why the State devotes part of its budget to it. Some houses do not have access to running water, in the dry areas of São Nicolau, or in Sal, Boa Vista, Maio where desalination of sea water is practiced in addition to the water delivered by tankers

7. Grogue

Sugar cane brandy and the country's main alcohol, grogue is to Cape Verde what rum is to the West Indies! Regulated by law since 2015, production takes place between January and May. On the islands of Santo Antão and São Nicolau, you can visit the trapiches (traditional factories where sugar cane is crushed) while discovering its flavours

8. Music

Music accompanies Cape Verdean life and draws its strength and character from the collective, often painful, experience. One of the highlights of a trip is listening to the morna shaped by guitars and violins in a café in the evening, or the livelier strains of the funaná, enhanced by the strumming of a unique percussion instrument

9. Saltworks

The archipelago and salt is a love story: as proof, the name given to the island of Sal. Indeed, in the 19th century, the island was the economic pillar of the country thanks to the extraction of this strategic product. Pedra Lume perfectly illustrates the epic of this white gold rush. The other flat islands also had their heyday.

10. Sobrados

These two-storey houses with a timeless look were built during the colonial era. They were used to delimit social classes but also to indicate the personal wealth of its owner. Today they constitute a significant architectural heritage and one can see very beautiful and colourful examples in São Filipe and Mindelo.

11. Turtles

Cape Verde is an important stopover for turtles along their migratory corridor between America and Africa. The archipelago is a refuge for them and although the local population continues to collect eggs and glorify the taste of turtle soup, they are now aware of the growing pressure for their preservation.

12. Trekking

A great hiking destination, the views from the mountains, the lonely slopes of Brava and the amazing crater of the Fogo volcano, make this region a unique experience. Much of the walking is done on the extraordinary cobbled paths made in the most unlikely corners, which makes the exercise easier than one might think.