Peeking up through the Atlantic Ocean, Cabo Verde (the Portuguese pronunciation) is a stunning island chain with a captivating blend of mountains, beaches and serene seaside villages. The Cape Verde Islands are home to many contrasts as each of the 10 islands (7 of which are inhabited) offers a different yet charming experience. As you may have deduced, Portuguese is the native tongue here.
These islands were first discovered in 1456 by European sailors, and then the Portuguese crown took over the islands soon after, thus making Cape Verde the first European overseas colony. At the time, slaves from West Africa were a hot commodity as they were used to work the sugarcane and cotton plantations. Cape Verde would then become the hub for the transatlantic slave trade making Portugal one of the richest countries of the day. The Cape Verde Islands only became an independent country on 5th of July 1975 however, the remnants of Portuguese settlement are still seen in the culture, food, and architecture.
Though flat, and a bit desolate, the island Sal hosts more tourists than any of the other islands. Sal has a pretty decent fine restaurant scene, plenty of nightlife and some quality beaches where you can unwind and enjoy a variety of water sports. Kite surfing and surfing are big here if that’s your scene:)
As of February 2024, The World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde as a malaria-free country! This is a significant achievement in global health and as such Cabo Verde joins the ranks of 43 countries and 1 territory that WHO has awarded this certification. Yay!
Food & Beverage
Cabo Verde food is an interesting blend of Portuguese and creole with an added seafood flare. There are some interesting dishes that we tried and ultimately loved.
Cachupa is basically a tasty stew comprised of vegetables, beans and chunks of meat which is flavoured by a mixture of herbs and spices. What particular vegetables, beans and meats are used varies, meaning each cachupa can be slightly different. If it wasn’t for the meaty chunks, it would be a perfect dish for vegetarians. It’s cheap (or should be) tasty and full of goodness.
Canja which sounds an awful lot like Ganja lol, is a thick soup seasoned with rice and chicken. This dish is hearty and fills you up especially after some diving excursions!
Caldo de Piexe (fish soup) is also a pretty common dish. For some reason the tuna in Cape Verde tasted better than anywhere else I’ve eaten tuna. It really is quite fresh and tasty!
Bol de Cus-Cus is a peculiar name for a corn and sugar cane cake. That’s right, a cake that has the word Cus-Cus (like possum type animal from Papua New Guinea) in it lol. A surprisingly good treat!
Quejo de Cabra is simply a dollop of goat cheese with a dollop of papaya jam on top and it is served as a desert. I love anything cheese so this dish was right up my alley! It’s not too overpowering for the palate and is a perfect way to end a meal:)
Grogue is a local drink made from firewater distilled from sugar cane. You can’t go to Cape Verde and not try the grogue (a word evolved from the British mariners’ grog). It’s often offered at the end of a meal. Grogue comes in a variety of forms however, the classic grogue has a more of a demure taste that has been tamed by molasses, citrus fruits and cloves.
Things to see and do
Pedra do Lume is this whimsical and surreal, lunarlike crater of an ancient volcano, where seawater is transformed into glistening salt beds. It is an incredibly beautiful site.
Nearby, is the old salt extraction machinery of the 1805 plant. What makes this excursion fun is that you can choose to float in the medicinal salt water or have a massage, salt scrub or mud treatment at the small Salinas spa.
Shark Bay is located a few kilometres south of the village of Pedra de Lume. The beach is rocky, and the shallows extend far from the shore, making the site a perfect breeding and nursery site for lemon sharks. This breed of sharks can safely spend their first years of life here, where they are adequately protected from the predators and other dangers of deep water.
Baby lemon sharks are small and harmless to humans. It was nice to be able to enter the water for a closer look. They seemed to enjoy swimming through my legs and around me. The bottom was quite rocky, slippery and full of sea urchins which can make exploring the area treacherous. The locals like to feed the baby sharks by hand hence why they like to swim between your legs and brush up against you.
Lemon sharks get their name from their yellow-ish hue that allows them to blend into the ocean’s sandy bottom. This species of shark tend to spend a lot of time in the sand looking for their prey, including fish, rays and crustaceans. Lemon sharks have very few predators because of their large size, and sometimes will become cannibalistic and will eat other lemon sharks, most often babies.
Although sharks are more often than not solitary creatures, lemon sharks are pretty social. In fact, lemon sharks prefer to be in groups with other lemon sharks of about the same size. Studies have found that juvenile lemon sharks learn from each other too! Swimming in groups may also help protect them from predators. Unlike other sharks, lemon sharks do well in captivity, which means scientists can better study their behavior and health. The more you know 🙂
Dune buggy adventuring is a great way to get to know interesting places of Sal Island. Off-road buggies allow you to explore fantastic dunes and beautiful beaches and discover the unknown corners of the island. Every once in a while I like to do these off road adventures that get my adrenaline pumping.
It is a great way to unwind and have a good laugh as you make your way around the scenic volcanic landscapes that Sal has to offer. What’s super cool about these islands is the contrast between the salt flats, volcanic rock and ash, sand and rock dunes and desert. You can take a buggy out and visit all of the varying landscapes and even get the ocean somewhere along the way……All in a 2 hour time frame!
Nesting loggerhead turtles along the coastline is a Cape Verde specialty. In fact, this country has the third largest population of nesting loggerhead turtles in the world which makes it perfect for turtle watching. Female loggerhead turtles will travel thousands of nautical miles to come to these islands to lay their eggs. Every single one that comes here to nest, was born here.
Most nest on the islands of Boavista and Sal between July and October, and August is the main month for observations. Having visited in September, we were lucky to have enjoyed these sweet creatures nesting and even babies hatching. Red lights are used so that the turtles don’t get confused by white lights. Red lighting emits a narrow portion of the visible light spectrum, and research has shown that they are much less likely to disturb, deter, or disorient sea turtles, especially when nesting. Once they have layed their eggs and buried them, the female wastes no time and heads back into the ocean. The entire experience was “turtley awesome!”
Loggerheads are named for their relatively large heads. I mean thick, like a tree trunk lol. This enables them to support powerful jaws that allow them to feed on hard-shelled prey, such as whelks and conchs. The adult loggerhead have a slightly heart-shaped, reddish-brown top shell consisting of five or more pleural scutes and a yellow bottom shell. Fully grown loggerheads can weigh an average of 250 pounds and are generally about three feet long.
Hatchlings have light to dark gray or brown shells. Their flippers are dark brown with white edges and their belly is a faded yellow. Like crocodiles and alligators, eggs layed in under 27 degrees Celsius will produce males and over 28 degrees Celsius will produce females. We came across 6 baby loggerhead turtles that had just hatched. We had to scoop them up and bring them down to the ocean because there were lots of crabs trying to eat them. We held our breath as they entered the water because several crabs followed them in….we think they made it:)
Fun fact: Many people have witnessed loggerhead turtles appearing to cry. This is in fact a special adaptation. Loggerheads have salt glands near their eyes, allowing them to drink sea water and excrete the extra salt. Pretty rad!
Diving excursions are exceptional on the island of Sal Cabo and that’s because the dive sites are grouped around two main points of the island. Near Santa Maria on the southern tip of the island there are several beautiful reefs with overhangs, swim-throughs and caverns beaning with life, with a ton of moray eel action!
Bolama Ship Wreck rests on a shallow sea bed and is the remnant of a steamship that sunk, on the south-west corner of Sal, at the beginning of the 20th century. We decided to do some free diving around this site to mix it up a bit.
It is well broken up and the only significant reminder is the big boiler that is the starting point of the dive. The dive goes on through a gorge with a depth of 19m and is home to a huge variety of local sea life.
Palmeira and Muderia dive sites off the island’s northwest coast are more famous for their highly accessible cave systems. Each cave has several large openings through which their enormous cathedral-like spaces can be entered where divers will find sharks, rays, polyps and crabs along with a cache of ammunition dumped by soldiers several years ago. Different fish species are also found in abundance and quite an eclectic blend.
Buracona is located on the northwest coast of the island. It is better known as the “Blue Eye”. The Blue Eye is a large opening in a cave where, if the sunlight shines at the right point, you can see a beautiful “blue eye”. The seawater enters the cave through a natural tunnel and the blue in the water’s reflection lights up with the sun. Divers can swim into the sea through the underground tunnel which is a super cool experience:)
Worth the visit or not: WORTH
Cabo Verde is known for its beautiful beaches, with white sand and clear blue waters that are perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and every type of water sport imaginable. Cabo Verde enjoys warm temperatures and sunshine throughout the year, making it an ideal destination for travelers looking to escape cold or rainy weather. The worst weather you will encounter is a breeze on the beach!
In addition to its beautiful beaches, Cabo Verde offers stunning natural landscapes, made up of volcanic mountains, and rocky coastlines. The country has made efforts to promote sustainable tourism practices, such as protecting marine life and promoting renewable energy sources, which can make explorers feel good about their impact on the environment. However, Cape Verde still has work to do on that front……
Cabo Verde has a unique blend of African and European cultures, which can be experienced in its music, food, and architecture. The people of this interesting island country are known for their calmness, and peaceful nature. However, as a developing country, Cabo Verde has high levels of poverty, like around 30% of the population lives below the poverty line kind of high levels. Some explorers may be uncomfortable with the level of poverty they encounter here.
Happy Travels 🙂
PS: Expect significant wait times at ports of entry due to extremely slow customs procedures!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.