Boa Vista Cape Verde - Islands of Cape Verde - Boa Vista Experience
Boa Vista Cape Verde - Islands of Cape Verde
The Islands of Cape Verde
The Cape Verde archipelago consists of ten main islands (nine inhabited), and eight islets.
Sal
Sal takes its name from the salt mines that form part of Pedra Lume. The flattest island, it is at present the biggest tourist destination in Cape Verde, having gorgeous beaches of white sand. With its international airport, it is a major gateway to the rest of the world. Visitor numbers keep rising. The southern resort of Santa Maria is the most popular by far. On Sal, you’re simply spoiled for choice in nightlife, with an abundance of bars, restaurants and clubs. Freshly caught fish – usually cooked in traditional style- is highly recommended. There are many sporting opportunities, including tennis, basketball, quad-biking, fishing, diving, windsurfing, kitesurfing and surfing.
Santiago
Santiago is the biggest and most populated island. The capital Praia is famous for its historical sites and its bustling African market. Santiago has the greatest African influence. This is best appreciated through the island’s music and many traditional festivals. Two mountain ranges cross Santiago, giving the island a marvelous landscape with scenic hiking trails. Santiago has an international airport, located in Praia.
Sao Vicente
Sao Vicente has Mindelo, the artistic and intellectual capital of Cape Verde. It is home to many great musicians, including Cesaria Evora. Mindelo is also famous for its Brazilian-style carnival and its lively night life all year round. Baia das Gatas has a lovely beach with a natural lagoon formed by volcanic activity. Every August, there is a traditional music festival. It lasts three days and three nights and has claimed its place in the international music calendar. The long and spectacular Sao Pedro beach is famous for high-speed windsurfing. A new international airport is being built on Sao Vicente and is expected to start operating early 2008.
Santo Antão
Santo Antão, the second largest island is divided in two by a dramatic mountain range with peaks as high as 1500m (4900ft). The effect of this is that the climate and landscape on Santo Antão is very varied, ranging from dry and arid in the south to being humid and lush northeast with its eucalyptus and pine forests. Santo Antão is a walker´s paradise, with kilometres of footpaths winding through some of the most magnificent scenery in Cape Verde. Close to Janela, there is a mysterious rock, with strange carvings that possibly date back to a time before the Portuguese discovered the Cape Verde islands and so cast some doubt over this generally recognised fact.
Sao Nicolau
Sao Nicolau is a quiet island, where the inhabitants live a life of rural tranquility. It is a place of religious importance, having been chosen as the seat of the Diocese of Cape Verde, as well as the site of the archipelago’s first seminary. The mountainous Sao Nicolao is crowned by the Monte Gordo, an extinct volcano towering above the surrounding hills. Sao Nicolao has many historic sites, as well as the fairytale-like Dragon tree, characteristic of Sao Nicolau.
Maio
Maio is a quiet, almost forgotten island with lovely beaches. It is home to an abundant marine life. Although similar to Sal and Boavista, having not much rainfall, it has the largest wooded area in Cape Verde. At present the island has little touristic development, making it ideal for savoring traditional Cape Verdean life. Maio offers delicious seafood at typical seaside restaurants and the chance to mingle with the locals and enjoy their lively music.
Fogo
Fogo is crowned by the active towering volcano, its summit almost 3000m (10,000ft) high. It gets its name from the Creole word for fire. It is the island’s main tourist attraction. Heat still vents out of the new crater that was formed by its last eruption in 1995. The tiny village of Chas das Caldeiras at the base of the volcano is worth a visit. The capital is Sao Felipe, with rows of colonial houses built by wealthy farm owners in times gone by. Fogo’s landscape is a varied, dry and barren in the south becoming more humid and fertile as you venture north.
Brava
Brava is the smallest, wettest, greenest inhabited island. It is considered the most beautiful island because of its rich abundance of flora and vegetation that covers its high mountains and deep ravines. Brava is the only inhabited island without an airport, although it can be reached by ferry from Fogo. The capital of the island is Nova Sintra, famous for its lovely gardens.
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