Practical information Cape Verde

Since 2019, European Union nationals, including French, Belgian, Swiss and Luxembourgish citizens, are exempt from visa requirements for tourist stays of less than 30 days. However, you must pay the airport security tax (TSA) of 31 euros per person, payable online on the official portal ease.gov.cv before boarding. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after your entry date. A return or onward ticket may be requested at the check-in counter. For longer stays or other nationalities, a visa can be obtained from the consulate. Paulina will guide you through the TSA procedure a few weeks before departure.

No vaccines are mandatory to enter Cape Verde from Europe. Only the yellow fever vaccine is required if you are arriving from a country where the disease is endemic, such as Senegal or Brazil. We recommend being up to date on DTP, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and typhoid for long stays or rural areas. Malaria is residual and affects only the island of Santiago during the rainy season (August to October): an insect repellent is sufficient in most cases, without systematic preventive treatment. No significant dengue fever. A consultation with your doctor or an international vaccination center 4 to 6 weeks before departure allows you to validate your situation.

Budget an average of 80 to 130 euros per day and per person excluding international flights, in mid-range comfort with charming accommodations, breakfasts, private transfers and some activities. A double room in a guesthouse runs around 50-70 euros, a Creole meal at a local eatery 6 to 10 euros, a fish dish at a restaurant 12 to 18 euros. Inter-island flights cost 80 to 130 euros per segment, ferries 25 to 40 euros. A guided hike on Santo Antão comes to 35-50 euros per person, a boat excursion to the Îlhéus 40-60 euros. Cape Verde remains more affordable than the Canary Islands for an equivalent level of service.

The dry season, from November to June, is the most favorable: stable temperatures between 22 and 28°C, clear skies, regular trade winds. The months of December to April are ideal for combining hiking and beach. The rainy season, short but marked, stretches from late August to mid-October, especially on Santo Antão, Fogo and Santiago: landscapes turn green, but some trails become slippery. Sal and Boa Vista, more arid, remain practicable year-round. For kitesurfing in Sal, aim for January-March (sustained winds). For turtle nesting in Boa Vista, July to October. For the Mindelo carnival, February or early March depending on the year.

Inter-island transfers are made by regional plane with BestFly airline (flights of 30 to 50 minutes, to be booked in advance) or by ferry with CV Interilhas, notably for the Mindelo - Porto Novo to Santo Antão route (1 hour, several departures daily). On the ground, aluguers, shared minibuses, serve villages at modest prices but with no fixed schedules. Car rental is worthwhile on Santiago, Sal, Boa Vista and Fogo. On Santo Antão, we recommend a local driver: narrow roads and tight curves make driving demanding. Urban taxis in Praia or Mindelo operate on a meter or flat rate depending on the journey.

Cape Verde is one of the most stable and safe countries in West Africa, ranked as a full democracy by several indices. Minor petty crime (pickpocketing, bag snatching) exists mainly in Praia, in the Sucupira and Achada Santo António neighborhoods, and in Mindelo's city center in the evening. Rural and tourist areas are very calm. We recommend standard precautions: no visible valuables, taxi in the evening, vigilance on public transport. No areas are discouraged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The population is welcoming and the Creole mentality, open to dialogue, makes exchanges easy even without Portuguese.