If you haven’t heard of anyone who has had a holiday in Cape Verde, then the chances are that you will hear very soon. It’s rapidly becoming one of the hottest holiday destinations for both summer and winter sun holidays, and the country’s infrastructure is rapidly developing to accommodate more and more tourists every year. If you’re thinking about exploring Cape Verde before it gets too built up and busy, here are a few basics about this new holiday destination.
Where is Cape Verde?
Cape Verde is a group of islands which lies off the African coast, about 400 miles to the west of Senegal. Cape Verde lies well within the Tropics and enjoys high temperatures year-round, with averages of 23C in January and 27C in August. Cape Verde used to be an overseas dependency of Portugal, and Portuguese is still widely spoken on the islands. The country became independent in 1975. Flight time from the UK is around 6 hours, and with only a one hour time difference, you won’t suffer from jet lag either. As the country’s tourist industry develops, English is becoming more widely-spoken.
Main Resorts
Although there are ten islands which make up the island group of Cape Verde, it is the smaller island of Boa Vista which is home to most of the resorts. Many of the large international hotel chains have hotels in Boa Vista, and the big UK tour operators like Thomson and Thomas Cook offer package holidays to Cape Verde leaving from a range of UK airports. The main attraction of Boa Vista is the stunning beaches, which offer crystal-clear waters and miles of clean, unspoiled sand. Outside the hotels, there is also the opportunity to explore the volcanic landscape of the centre of the island. Take a look through the websites of the various tour operators to familiarise yourself with the different resort areas and hotels available before you start searching for your ideal holiday. Crime is low and terrorism is not an issue on the islands of Cape Verde, but make a habit of checking the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s travel advice website should the situation change.
Practicalities
By far the easiest way of getting to Cape Verde is on a package holiday from the UK, and booking this sort of arrangement also gives you added protection and the services of a holiday rep should you run into trouble with your holiday. Independent travel is possible, but you will need to spend some time doing lots of research. As you’re travelling to the tropics, you’ll need to make sure you’re vaccinated against hepatitis A, tetanus and typhoid. The Zika virus is also found in Cape Verde, which is worth considering if you are pregnant or thinking about having a baby. Although Cape Verde used to belong to Portugal it no longer does so, and this means that EHIC cover for medical emergencies is not valid here, so you’ll need comprehensive travel insurance to make sure you are properly covered for any treatment you might need.