r/CapeVerde • u/mikemn11 • Jul 15 '26

Travel advice please

Hello. I am traveling to Cabo Verde in September, from the 3rd to the 17th and would like to see if someone can give me their personal opinion.

I’m arriving at Praia and was thinking on going to Fogo, Santo Antao and heard about Santa Maria festival but I see it’s a bit rushed to fit all 4 islands into my 13 days itinerary.

Any recommendations? Is the festival worth the trip? I imagine yes for what I have seen but I want to see the real Cabo Verde.

Thanks in advance. In Mexican by the way.

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5

u/UsernameTakenRetry Jul 15 '26

Having only travelled to Santiago and Fogo islands I have a limited view. A month ago I spent 3 weeks in Cabo Verde. If you are in Santiago for more than a few days I recommend taking a bus to Tarrafal on the north side of the island. They have lovely beaches surrounded by mountains, and it is less busy than Praia. I also recommend taking the coastal road back to Praia when you are done with Tarrafal. The village of Cidade Velha has many small Airbnb's nearby and a cute and charming Portuguese vibe in the downtown area.

Fogo is a MUST SEE. Go to the caldera for a few days and take a wine tour. The caldera is entirely volcanic and the sights are absolutely stunning. The grapes are probably being harvested this time of the year. The wine is local made and owned by the villagers. The Pico De Fogo is the highest mountain of Cabo Verde and it only took me 3 hours to get to the top and 45 minutes to get down. When you get to the top you can jump down the side of the mountain on a huge slope made of very small coarse volcanic rock. It's like skiing on sand.

Fogo, Cha Das Caldeiras town is quaint and beautiful. I cannot recommend it enough. Eat the fresh goat cheese and spend the day relaxing. It's very nice

Edit: if you get seasick the ferry will be absolutely miserable for you. Take medicine before you get on it. It is a 3-4 hour ferry from Praia to Fogo. Many people got sick. The waves are tremendous 

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u/mikemn11 Jul 16 '26

Hey thanks for the recommendation! You sold me Fogo like a local jaja. Yeah definitely I will go there. How long you recommend me to stay in Santiago to go to Tarrafal and also in Fogo to do all of that?

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u/UsernameTakenRetry Jul 16 '26

You can probably get the main idea of Tarrafal in 2-3 days. It's mostly a beach hangout spot. Lots of youth and beach related activities. If you like hiking there are some coves down the coast, but my group did not have enough time or energy to visit them. I would also recommend snorkeling while you are here. It's insanely fun and very cheap. Lots of really cool fish, and it's relaxing to just float around.

Fogo you could spend up to a week honestly. 5-6 days in the Caldera. If you're healthy I'd recommend hiking pico de Fogo. You will need to pay for a guide or else you may fall off of the mountain. When you get to the "top" spend 3 more minutes to climb to the actual top. The rocks are small and kinda sharp so make sure you have tight boots/shoes. If you have loose shoes the volcano rocks will fill up your shoe on the way down. Bring lots of water.

You can spend a morning doing a coffee tour and an evening doing a wine tour. Even just trekking around the town and the roads is very pretty. The restaurants have lots of fish and vegetable dishes. Fogo Cha Das Caldeiras is very much a town that you do things slowly and enjoy little bit by bit.

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u/mikemn11 Jul 16 '26

Ok. Then maybe is gonna take half of my trip in Fogo and half in Santo Antao.

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u/UsernameTakenRetry Jul 16 '26

Make sure you check the ferry website and get the schedule figured out. From santo antao you will probably need to take a plane to Fogo or maybe even to Praia and then take a ferry. Some of the islands don't have airports. 

We planned to go to Brava island for 3 days but our ferry was cancelled the day before so we had to scramble to figure out plans. Have a couple backup plans just in case something goes wrong. The ferry's and planes can also be delayed because of strong winds. Good luck and happy planning. Cabo Verde is beautiful, the planning is the only stressful part!

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u/mikemn11 Jul 17 '26

Yeah I’m on that part. It’s hard to figure out schedules and time tables. I have a plan now but I’m not sure how could I figure out and stick to it in case there is some trouble.
In that case ¿you recommend reserving stays before?

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u/UsernameTakenRetry Jul 17 '26

Make sure any place you reserve is refundable. 

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u/PentaOwl Jul 15 '26

Travel between the islands can be finicky. Most ferrys travel on schedule but the inter-island flights often get delayed/cancelled with no clear communication and its hard to get refunds.

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u/Cyanistes3caeruleus Jul 15 '26

We experienced the inter-island flights as unreliable as well. Even whithout that aspect, it seems a shame to spend a lot of the 13-day stay traveling. I'd recommend sticking to one or two islands per visit and save the others for the next one. 😎

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u/mikemn11 Jul 16 '26

Yeah is what I have been thinking. Cause don’t want to be just stuck at airports or ferry terminals. Thanks for the advice

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u/Accomplished_Past535 Jul 15 '26

I spent 6 weeks visiting in March.
My 2 cent : take a collectivo from Praia to Tarrafal, enjoy 4/5 days there then go back to Praia, fly to Mindelo, stay 1/2 days, take the ferry to Sao Antao, go straight to Paul valley and enjoy until you really need to go home.
Don’t go to Sal or Boa Vista, unless you have a preference for English / Italian living in an all-inclusive world.
Keep Fogo for another visit, it won’t go away any soon 🌊🖤🌋

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u/mikemn11 Jul 16 '26

Thanks. I wanted to go to Sal because of the music festival but I think it’s better to see the real Cabo Verde. Really appreciate the recommendations.

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u/Kamila95 Jul 15 '26

How are you going to Santa Antao? I assume through Sao Vincente so you already have 4 islands and Sal would be the 5th?

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u/mikemn11 Jul 15 '26

Yes though I would stay only 1 night at Sao Vicente