We have a new walking itinerary on our website: An Island Hopping Adventure in Cape Verde and here are 5 things you need to know about this fascinating destination!
1. Cape Verde is made up of 10 volcanic islands, 9 of which are inhabited. The last eruption was on the island of Fogo in 2014 and for 3 months, lava flowed through the village causing destruction to many houses. Despite this, over 400 people decided to remain living in the village as the land is very fertile and they live off the crops they grow. Your Cape Verde walking holiday leads you on an impressive and humble walk through the remains of the village and up to the summit of the Pico Fogo, at 2829m above sea level with breathtaking views over the whole island.
2. The official language spoken is Portuguese, but you will hear a lot of creole dialect during your walking tour of Cape Verde. The first Portuguese explorers arrived in 1456 and the archipelago was under Portuguese rule until 1975 when it gained independence. It has its own currency that is not available anywhere else other than within the archipelago. You therefore need to exchange your currency upon arrival. To give you an idea, an average meal costs around 5€ to 6€ and a coffee is around 0.50€.
3. The food is amazing! As you would imagine on islands off the coast of Africa, there are many tropical fruits such as banana, mango, papaya, and tamarind but also crops of sweet potato, yams, cabbage, sugar cane and coffee plantations. Fresh goat’s cheese is another speciality. On your island hopping adventure, we book you into some great restaurants where you are sure to sample some of the freshest fruit, fish and seafood such as tuna, prawns and octopus. Not forgetting of course, the famous ‘capucha’ a sort of vegetable ragout made with corn and black beans. Delicious!
4. Cape Verde has two seasons: the dry season, between November and July and the humid season, between August and October. The dry season is the best time to enjoy a self-guided walking holiday in Cape Verde. There is not a lot of rainfall, but the wind is omnipresent most of the year. You can dip your toes (or more!) in the Atlantic Ocean where the water varies between 21° to 27°.
5. As our new Cape Verde walking holiday suggests, you can indeed hop from one island to another either by boat or domestic flights. Each island is unique and offers varied walking itineraries along the stunning coast, through the tropical terraced crops and plantations, along volcanic craters, up mountains and through lush valleys. There is something for everyone to enjoy.
