Cape Verde : Why go there?
Cape Verde : The good reasons to go
Preserved grandiose valleys
Admire the wild beauty of Santo Antão's contrasts and its tightrope walkers.
Playing adventurer on the wrecks
Top destination for diving where the waters around the islands abound with various species.
A contagious sweetness of life
Feeling at home everywhere is the famous morabeza, a very local state of mind.
Festive and colorful atmosphere
Set course for Mindelo, its effervescent nightlife and its wild carnival.
Playing the naturalist
Attend the laying of turtles at dusk: an unforgettable spectacle not to be missed.
The kindness of Cape Verdeans
Always quick to chat, make music and dance, so proud of their "little country".
Fogo, intense black pearl
The ghostly landscapes of the volcano and the curious vines that run along its slopes.
A sea of sand in Boa Vista
Relax on one of the huge white sandy beaches or practice board sports.
The singular history of the archipelago
Visit the remains of the first colonial city built by Europeans in the tropics.
Music at the heart of everyday life
Let yourself be lulled by the swaying rhythms or the melancholy rhythms of the morna.
Cape Verde : Good to know to visit
Timetable
Museum opening times are quite variable, so it's best to consult the website directly to avoid any surprises. For example, the Praia Ethnographic Museum is open from 8am to 6pm, with a 2-hour lunch break. Stores open on weekdays and Saturdays, generally between 9am and 6pm. Banks (BAI, BCN) are open every morning between 8am and 3pm (Banco do Cabo Verde until 4pm). Post offices are open weekdays between 8am and 4.30pm, and on Saturday mornings, as are the Plateau and Achada Santo Antonio branches in central Praia.
Budget & Tips
Even if Cape Verde's museum capital is a little meagre, a short visit will round off your discovery of the country and propel you into culture, sometimes in its most original forms. To do this, you'll need to budget extra for entrance fees. There are different prices: for locals, children, students and foreign visitors. Prices vary according to the importance of the collections, and the status of the museum (private or part of the IPC Instituto do Patrimonio Cultural). Prices range from 100 CVE to 500 CVE. All that's left for you to do is make your choice, whether you're a "museum" or not.
Smokers
Can you smoke in Cape Verde? Yes, (almost) everywhere, but it will be easier to get hold of packs of cigarettes in the big cities. Heavy smokers will need to stock up on cigarettes before trekking or visiting remote areas. The Marlboro Gold brand and the SG Gigante (of Portuguese origin, launched on the islands in 1950) are the main brands on offer, along with other, rarer international brands distributed in the bars of the big hotels in Sal and Santiago. Village grocery stores also sell local cigarettes by the unit (15 CVE), the most common being Falcões and Porto Grande.
As far as legislation is concerned, smoking is prohibited in airports, public buses and banks. Last but not least, it's forbidden to smoke "any other substance". It's not uncommon to catch a whiff or to see young enthusiasts smoking a joint in full view of the world, as the weed is either imported or grown locally. Even if the apparent conditions of "a nice moment to share" lend themselves to this, as a foreigner you're not immune to serious problems.
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Cape Verde : Discover
Still a secret destination, Cape Verde has managed to keep itself to itself, the better to let itself be discovered, without the slightest exaggerated complex, where the alchemy between nature and tradition is cultivated. This island country, close to the elements, can be read in the light of its oppressive past, in the plurality of its islands with their unique identities and in the colors of the sands that line its coasts. Here, men have shaped the landscape, paving inaccessible and perilous paths, or planting vineyards and citrus groves on a volcano. They perpetuate ancestral know-how, while moving forward with modernity and international openness. But they are still struggling to tame a rare resource worth its weight in gold: water. Prepare to be enthralled by this sunny escape, and to appreciate the flavors, the slowness and the deliberate loss of time and space..
