Cape Verde Archipelago

Level 3/5

Daily stages involve 3½ to 5½ hours of walking, with 450 to 500 metres of ascent.

You only need to carry a daypack with your belongings for the day. Your luggage is transported by vehicle.

Transfers in Praia, São Vicente and Santo Antão are by private taxi or minibus with a French-speaking driver. The crossing between São Vicente and Santo Antão is on a scheduled ferry service.

From 2 people.

8 days / 7 nights.

This is a self-guided trip. Joining instructions are sent by email before departure; a travel pack containing a map, route notes, vouchers and ferry tickets is provided on arrival.

Accommodation

Rooms for 2 with en-suite shower facilities in simple hotels of approximately 2* standard.

An accommodation upgrade is available in Mindelo (2 nights): a lodge in the hills above the town with a stunning view of the bay. Rooms have private terraces; there is a swimming pool and a rooftop terrace for breakfast.

Meals

In Mindelo and Praia: breakfast only.

From Day 3: full board, with breakfast, picnic lunches and evening meals.
Water: drinking tap water is not recommended. Bottled mineral water is available.

Start

On Day 1 at Mindelo or Praia airport.

Finish

On the evening of Day 8 at Mindelo airport.

A number of our trips offer opportunities to swim during a day’s walk or at the end of the day. It would be a shame to miss out. However, we emphasise that you alone must decide whether it is appropriate to swim; any swimming is therefore your own responsibility and undertaken at your own risk.

Member of Agir pour un Tourisme Responsable (ATR)

Since 2012, Grand Angle has been a member of ATR, the leading association for more responsible tourism. We design our trips – on foot, by bike and on snow – to encourage everyone to discover the world differently: with curiosity, respect and kindness.

As a member of the board of directors since 2018, we actively help the industry develop more meaningful practices. In practical terms, we are committed to:

• Transparency in our practices and prices
• Respect for our partners and local communities
• Protecting the environment on every trip

We also share the values of the Traveller’s Ethical Charter, which encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect the places they visit and create opportunities for meaningful encounters.

Travelife Partner

Since 2025, Grand Angle has been recognised as a Travelife Partner, an international label that certifies our responsible practices in environmental protection, ethics and sustainable management, both within our company and in our work with partners and the organisation of our trips.

This label, the second level of a rigorous international certification scheme, recognises our practical actions to support responsible tourism. We are actively working towards the next level, Travelife Certified, in line with our sustainable development policy

For hiking

• Flexible hiking boots with a very good sole, a supportive heel counter and good ankle support. Your boots should be good quality and offer reliable waterproofing: they are essential to your comfort and should not be overlooked
• Wool socks or socks made from a wool and synthetic blend
• A warm jumper
• A fleece
• Comfortable hiking trousers (required)
• A Gore-Tex windproof jacket or a waterproof, breathable jacket
• A torch or head torch with spare batteries
• Shorts, T-shirts and technical underwear (quick-drying fabric)
• Walking poles (telescopic), which are very important for making walking easier

Note: synthetic technical clothing performs very well. Merino wool clothing is also available; it performs very well, is comfortable to wear and has the advantage of resisting sweat odours! (Brands include Icebreaker, Ruka, etc.).

As a general rule, avoid cotton, which makes you cold when wet.

For your lunchtime picnic

• A plastic bowl, container or plate
• Cutlery (spoon, fork, knife)
• A water bottle with a capacity of at least 1,5 to 2 litres (required)

For protection from sun and rain

• High-protection sunscreen and sunglasses
• A hat, cap or bucket hat
• A rain poncho or Gore-Tex jacket, and possibly Gore-Tex trousers

After your hike

• A pair of running-style trainers for the evening
• A change of clothes and underwear
• A small toiletry bag and towel
• A small first-aid kit: personal medication, adhesive strapping tape, Biogaze or “2 skin” dressings, gauze, antiseptic, arnica pellets and aspirin for minor aches and injuries… (Quite a list! But rest assured, your first-aid kit often comes home untouched after your week of hiking)

Adapt this list to the season. The Grand Angle team is here to help your trip run smoothly, so please feel free to contact us: we will do everything we can to make your stay a success.

• A 30 to 40 litre backpack for carrying your picnic lunch, water bottle, camera, personal belongings and, if needed, the mountain clothing listed above
• A security pouch worn around your neck or waist (to deter theft)
• Luggage to be transported separately: a backpack or a travel bag in good condition (15 kg maximum)

Country: Cape Verde
Capital: Praia
Population: 544081 inhabitants

Passport

French nationals need a passport valid for at least 6 months after their return date

Visa

The requirement for French nationals to obtain an entry visa in advance was abolished from 1 January 2019. French nationals travelling to Cape Verde for tourism are exempt from visa requirements if their stay does not exceed 30 days.

Regardless of the length or purpose of their stay, all travellers who are neither Cape Verdean nationals nor holders of a Cape Verde residence card must pre-register on the dedicated government platform www.ease.gov.cv at least five days before arriving in Cape Verde. Their tour operator or travel agency can also complete this process on their behalf. During pre-registration, travellers enter their passport details, expected arrival and departure dates, flight number and accommodation details, and pay an airport security tax of 3400 escudos (30,83 euros). Travellers are advised to keep proof of payment of this tax so they can present it on request upon arrival in Cape Verde.

Health

No vaccinations are compulsory, except in the event of an endemic disease outbreak. All travellers going from Cape Verde to Senegal must be vaccinated against yellow fever. Vaccination against hepatitis A and B is recommended. Drinking tap water is not recommended; plan to buy mineral water locally.

French Embassy in Praia
28 Tenente Valadium – Plateau district
CP192 - Praia
Telephone: 002382604535

Cape Verde +351.

There is a time difference of two hours in winter and 3 hours in summer.

Throughout the year, the sun provides steady warmth, tempered by the cool sea breeze. There are two seasons: a dry season from November to July and a wet season, with some rainfall, from August to October. The climate is dry tropical, with low humidity and an average annual temperature of around 25°C. The temperature range never exceeds 10°C thanks to the influence of the ocean, and sea temperatures range from 21°C in February and March to 26°C between July and October.

Official language: Portuguese; national language: Creole.

Cape Verdean escudo (CVE, sometimes abbreviated as $CV or $).
1 € = approximately 110,27 CVE
100 CVE = approximately 0,91 €
Currency exchange services are available at banks (open from 8 to 2 pm, Monday to Friday) and some hotels.
The currency cannot be exchanged outside the country, but you should have no difficulty exchanging any remaining local currency before you leave.

Cape Verdean traditions

Music
Music is undoubtedly Cape Verde’s greatest treasure. Singing is second nature to Cape Verdeans. The best-known songs (those performed by Cesaria Evora, Bana or Tito Paris) are mornas, wistful ballads expressing saudade, the longing that connects Portuguese-speaking peoples. They are reminiscent of Portuguese fado or Argentine tango.
The coladeira is similar to the morna, but has a livelier rhythm, closer to Brazilian music. The batuque and finaçon are the archipelago’s most distinctly African musical styles, originating on the island of Santiago. They feature women’s choirs using cloth wraps enclosed in plastic and held between their thighs as percussion instruments. In finaçon, the lyrics are improvised. Nacia Gomi is its foremost exponent. The funana, also from Santiago, is music of protest, banned under Portuguese occupation and very popular among young people today. The funana is distinguished by the use of a small accordion (the gaïta) and a piece of iron (the ferrinho). Ferro Gaita is the most popular band.

Other musical styles include tabanka (parade music) and batucadeira (carnival music).

Cape Verdean musicians to discover include Bau, a virtuoso on string instruments (guitar, violin and cavaquinho), Luis Morais, and, among more contemporary performers, Simentera, Boy Gé Mendes, Projecto Ayan, Cordas do Sol and Mayra Curado Andrade, Cape Verde’s new golden voice.

Painting
Cape Verde’s greatest painters were born or live in Mindelo, a city designated the cultural capital of the Portuguese-speaking world. The best known are Tchalé and Manuel Figueira. Their waterfront studio, opposite the Belém Tower, has become an institution, but is increasingly difficult to visit because the artists are rarely there. Alongside Bela Duarte, Luisa Queiros, Leão Lopes and others such as Joãn Fortes, these visual artists each develop their own style, sharing a profusion of colour and a tendency towards figurative art.

Their works can be seen in cultural centres and at Café Lisboa in Mindelo. Murals and sculptures by Ro and Nild can also be found in various parts of the city; these two artists have their studio in the Bela Vista neighbourhood.

Crafts
Local crafts remain fairly limited, but are gradually developing. They mainly consist of batik (hand-dyed textiles), ceramics, stone or coconut carvings, and shell jewellery.

Mindelo is home to a National Crafts Centre, and a few talented craftspeople have settled in Santa Maria. However, most of the crafts found on the islands, including wooden figurines, masks and necklaces, come from the African coast and are sold by Guinean and Senegalese traders.
Source: www.routard.com.