Cape Verde (http://www.capeverde.com) is an island country that consists of 10 volcanic islands in the central Atlantic Ocean, which are represented with one star per island in their flag, forming a circle that represents everything from unity to the globe and even a navigators compass. The 10 islands conforming Cape Verde are: Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista, Maio, Santiago, Fogo, and Brava. It is located off the coast of Western Africa, and was uninhabited until the 15th century. Historically, the name “Cape Verde” had been used in English for the archipelago, but, in 2013, the government determined that the Portuguese designation “Cabo Verde” would henceforth be used for official purposes, even in English contexts.
Since Cape Verde is made up by beaches and beautiful islands it is a lovely place to visit on vacation, and it also offers a lot of different activities you can enjoy while there, some of which are: diving! This way you can experience the beautiful marine life that Cape Verde has to offer. You can also take a quad-biking tour in the island of Sal, that offers the experience of seeing its rugged natural landscape. You can even go wind and kite surfing! Or, in case you are looking for something more relaxing, you can relax on Kite Beach and watch the experts do it while you enjoy the sun and the water, or you can go fishing on the pier at Santa Maria. For even a more relaxing evening you can spend the day at the spa in Sal’s mineralrich Pedra Lume salt lake, which is the perfect place to rejuvenate sun-parched skin. Another amazing activity you can enjoy while in Cape Verde is whale-watching; you can go on a whale-watching excursion between May and September.
Once you are in Cape Verde, you can enjoy visiting the many islands. Boa Vista has wonderful white-sand beaches, while São Vicente is home to musicians and writers, or visit Sal’s gorgeous beaches, where you can relax while reading a great book. In Praia, which is the nation’s capital, is in the largest island, both in size and population, Santiago, and in here you can enjoy hikes and explore the island’s interior. The island of Maio is known for its squeaky-clean beaches, its white crystal sand in a sea of turquoise, and its beautiful main town Vila do Maio (also known as Porto Inglés). Brava is an island that makes you travel back in time; its terraced hillsides are farmed with the aid of mules, fancy mansions, and life moves at a slow pace. Brava has a breathtaking mountainous interior, where you can enjoy small but lovely hikes that start at Brava’s tiny capital Nova Sintra (‘Vila’). However, this island is not that often visited by tourists because of the infrequent erratic travel connections and the fact that it is at a considerable distance from anywhere else. Mindelo is a moon-shaped port city ringed by barren mountains located in the island of São Vicente where you can find cobblestone streets, candy-colored colonial buildings, and yachts bobbing in a peaceful harbor. Mindelo has long been the country’s cultural centre, producing more than its share of poets and musicians. The island of Fogo is home to Cape Verde’s highest peak (2829 m/9382 ft), Mt Fodo. Mt Fodo is an active volcano that last erupted in 1995, yet farmers raise coffee and wine grapes on its black slopes. For those extreme tourists, the volcano’s cone remains intact and can still be climbed. The ascent takes three to four hours, but the view from the top is magnificent. And last, but not least, the famous Santo Antão, the island that has brought so many tourists to Cape Verde, and with good reason. With ruptured canyons, gorges and valleys, Santo Antão offers the most amazing hiking in West Africa. It is the second largest island and it is the only one that puts the “verde” (green) in Cape Verde; from the moment you approach this island by ferry, you will be surprised by how green it is.
There are a lot of different activities and places you can enjoy while in Cape Verde, and, as you can see from the previously mentioned activities, this is the perfect place for both, people looking to experience new adventures and people who are only looking for a nice place where they can relax and enjoy the beaches.
