Traveling in Cape Verde
Tourist attactions in Cape Verde Islands
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Jutting up on the Atlantic, some 500km west of Senegal, this stunning island chain includes a captivating combination mountains, beaches and peaceful seaside villages. On Santo Antão, craggy peaks hide piercing green valleys of flowers and sugar cane, well suited for epic hikes. São Vicente houses the cultural capital on the islands, Mindelo, which throbs with bars and music clubs. On Sal and Maio, undulating windswept dunes merge with indigo-blue seas on unspoilt beaches of powdery pristine sand.
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Meanwhile, far-flung Fogo and Brava within the southwest offer their unique enchantments, from surreal volcanic landscapes, to sparkling bays framed by towering peaks. Throw inside the constant beat of music that Cabo Verde is famed for along with the renowned morabeza (Creole for hospitality) of the people and you’ll understand why many have fallen - rather than left.
- Pico do Fogo - Volcano in Fogo
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It's still a dynamic volcano and last erupted from late 2014 to early 2015, yet intrepid farmers expanding coffee, vineyards and fruit trees on its black slopes. The volcano's cone remains intact which enable it to still be climbed. However, you need a good pair of trainers and a guide, because the slopes are covered in slippery cinders. The taxing ascent takes around four hours, even so the view from your top is magnificent. Afterwards, it is just a gentle trot to have back down.
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A must-stop for visitors serious about history, culture and occasional, Dja'r Fogo operates by a local artist who splits his time between Lisbon, Paris and Fogo. It functions as art gallery, cafe, information point and launch pad for informal trips around the area. It's also where to taste artisanal Fogo coffee; the dog owner's family has brought a coffee plantation since 1874, and six generations later, he still roasts and packages it into neat little cotton bags.
If Agnelo, the property owner, is on Fogo, he organises personalised island circuits in addition to dinners at his 200-year-old family estate, Quinta das Saudades, inside village of Achada Lapa, 8km east from town within the mountains. This is a treat never to be missed, featuring traditional corn-based dishes prepared using a woman that has been cooking for the family for forty years. Email or call early in advance to arrange the dinner.
If Agnelo is away, the gallery remains open; take it easy on the patio over the cup of coffee or read the old photos, art and jewellery created from recycled materials, and cards made out of banana leaves and black sand.
If Agnelo, the property owner, is on Fogo, he organises personalised island circuits in addition to dinners at his 200-year-old family estate, Quinta das Saudades, inside village of Achada Lapa, 8km east from town within the mountains. This is a treat never to be missed, featuring traditional corn-based dishes prepared using a woman that has been cooking for the family for forty years. Email or call early in advance to arrange the dinner.
If Agnelo is away, the gallery remains open; take it easy on the patio over the cup of coffee or read the old photos, art and jewellery created from recycled materials, and cards made out of banana leaves and black sand.
- Tarrafal Concentration Camp - Historic Site in Tarrafal
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On the principle highway about 1km prior to centre of Tarrafal may be the ominous former Tarrafal Concentration Camp. Here Portuguese authorities accustomed to hold and interrogate political prisoners through the 1940s. It turn off in 1975 and was later converted into a museum. Today it remains a haunting reminder of colonial abuses.
You can wander with the former barracks, prison cells, library, the previous infirmary as well as a handful of other buildings, with signage in English, French and Portuguese giving information of life inside camp. |
- Pedra do Lume - Landmark in Sal
Pedra do Lume is 6km southeast of Espargos; taxis from Santa Maria charge between CVE3500 and CVE4500, having a wait of a couple of hours. It's often mobbed with tour groups.
- Museu do Mar - Museum in Mindelo
- Museu Municipal - Museum in São Filipe
- Sala-Museu Amilcar Cabral - Museum in Praia
- Praia de Estoril - Beach in Boa Vista
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