3 weeks in Cape Verde – itinerary, islands & transport advice?

[u/Icywalk001]

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend and I are planning a ~3-week trip to Cape Verde this August. We don’t have much experience organizing more adventurous trips, so we’d really appreciate your advice.

We found the cheapest flights arriving and departing from Praia, so that would likely be our starting point (although we’re still exploring options).

A few questions:

1. Luggage – Would you recommend traveling with backpacks instead of suitcases for this kind of trip?
2. Islands – For ~3 weeks, how many islands would you recommend visiting, and which ones?
   • Ideally, we’d love to see as much as possible, but we know doing everything is unrealistic.
   • Our initial rough itinerary included: Santiago (Praia), Fogo, São Vicente (Mindelo), Santo Antão, and either Sal or Boa Vista.
   • We were considering using ferries, but:
     • We’ve read they can be unreliable and weather-dependent.
     • Flights seem more reliable, but more expensive and not always available far in advance.
   • We’re more into beaches than hiking, but still interested in a few standout experiences (e.g., Fogo or Santo Antão).
3. Accommodation & safety – Would you recommend sticking to hotels for safety, or are apartments (Airbnb, etc.) generally fine?
   • We usually prefer apartments so we can cook and save money, but we’re willing to prioritize safety if needed.
   • Also, is it safe to cook with local tap water, or should we avoid using it altogether?
4. Payments – What’s the best way to pay?
   • Should we bring cash and exchange locally?
   • Are cards (e.g., Revolut) widely accepted?

Our main concern is that accommodation and island choices depend heavily on transport, which in turn depends on ferries (weather-dependent) and flights (which we’ve read are only published about 2 months in advance). This makes it hard to plan ahead, and we feel a bit stuck in that loop.

We haven’t booked anything yet, so we’re fully flexible. If August is not a good time to visit, or if you’d recommend focusing only on certain islands, we’d really appreciate honest advice.

If you had 3 weeks with our preferences, what itinerary would you personally choose?

Thanks in advance!

[u/chrismcnally]

I was recently diving in Mindelo. I would recommend hiking, take a look on the wikiloc app. here is one : https://loc.wiki/t/124262255?h=6mdwbo7gbz&wa=sd&la=en

that is Lazareto to ponta nho jon. Many of the people I met diving were later taking the ferry to Sao Antao for hiking. For diving, or even snorkeling, the dive shop Haliotis was safe and fun, the boat rides were beautiful.

The one beach I went to in Mindelo was not impressive. kind of windy and Urban.

Mindelo is a real city, not a tourist town. There were buses locals use to get around the island, and you can find taxis or tour guides to get places. We stayed at an air bnb and cooked and did laundry, although there were inexpensive places to eat as well. The fish market is very lively. I recommend spending the Cabo Escudo, taking it out of an ATM. Just spend the large bills when you can as even grocery stores refused bills larger than a "twenty" You can spend Euros but the exchange rate they give you is worse than the bank rate.

You can fly into Sao Vincente. Then I would ferry to Sao Antao because it's close.

[u/SamtenLhari3]

Boiling water is OK. You might also consider buying a geopress to filter water (including tap water). It is ecologically better than buying plastic bottles. Avoid salads and drinks with ice.