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SANTIAGO – MINI GUIDE TO CAPE VERDE’S MAIN ISLAND
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Santiago is the largest island of Cape Verde and at the same time the main island. Praia is the capital of Santiago and also the capital city of all Cape Verde. Santiago offers culture, shopping opportunities, history, colorful architecture, green mountain landscapes and beautiful black sand beaches. Here’s a mini guide to Santiago, Cape Verde’s main island!The size of Santiago is 991km² and the population is about 240,000. Santiago is located between Fogo and Maio, belonging to the Sotavento island group. In addition to the capital Praia, cities worth visiting are the old town Cidade Velha, the beach town Tarrafal and the mountain town Assomada.
Despite its name, this versatile main island has been spared from mass tourism, and therefore you can’t find all-inclusive hotel vacations here. On the other hand, the local way of life and lively culture will take sweep you away.
You can travel to Santiago from other islands either by plane or by ferry. We took a local flight from our home island Sal, because a long ferry ride in heavy waves was not that appealing after the experience we had in Sao Vicente. From Europe, especially Portugal, there are direct or one-stop flights to Santiago, depending on your country of origin.
PRAIA – THE CAPITAL OF CAPE VERDEPraia is the capital of the entire Cape Verde. In Praia, there are plenty of interesting walking tours and excursions with a local guide to make the most of this historic city. In Praia, a good guide is a key choice, also because the city’s crime rate is higher than anywhere else and caution is more than recommended here.
In Praia you should visit the Sucupira market place, where you can get a true African market atmosphere. Sucupira sells everything from clothes, accessories, fruit, vegetables and other food products to livestock.
Plateau is Praia’s oldest residential area right in the city center. Here you can shop nice clothes and other things easily. It is also safe to go from one boutique to another along the main street. On the pedestrian street, Kaza Katxupa turned out to be an excellent place for lunch, where you should try of course nothing else than the local Cachupa.Quebra Canela beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Praia, and the area also has several good restaurants with sea views. There are no tourists with sunbeds on this beach, and the sand on the beach is fine dark volcanic sand. Restaurants worth recommending near Quebra Canela beach are, for example, Seven, Nice Kriola, Osteria N3 and Poeta. Just to name a few. Each of these provides an excellent setting for any meal of the day.
Quebra Canela / Osteria N3 
Nice Kriola
Praia offers a wide range of accommodation from budget hostels to holiday apartments and hotels where you can take a dip in seawater pools. All-inclusive package holidays are not known here, but a similar atmosphere can be found in larger hotels such as Oasis Praiamar or Pestana Tropico. Especially the last mentioned was our favorite because of the wonderful staff, the delicious breakfast and the sea water pool. We spent part of our time pampering ourselves at Pestana Tropico, and part of our trip in our own good, budget-friendly rental apartment Apartamentos Timas with a pool.Check out the accommodation in Praia on Booking.com*.
CIDADE VELHA – THE OLD TOWN AND UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITECidade Velha is the oldest and first capital of the whole island nation of Cape Verde. This charming old town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009, and the city is full of history dating back more than 500 years. Cidade Velha has also once been one of the most important centers of the slave trade.
Check out the guided tours and activities in Praia and Cidade Velha:
FORTRESS OF SAO FELIPESao Felipe Fortress is a 16th century fortress above Cidade Velha. The fortress functioned as part of the city’s larger defense system. The fortress was built from stone imported from Portugal, during the reign of Philip I of Portugal in 1587-1593. You can visit the fortress for only two euros, the visit is worth every cent and the staff is also very knowledgeable, if you have additional questions after the short introduction video.
TARRAFAL – THE BEAUTIFUL BEACH TOWN IN THE NORTHNext our journey continued with a local aluguer, or minibus, to the north of the island to the beach town of Tarrafal. Aluguer costs only 6e/person and the trip takes about 1.5 hours. The highlight of Tarrafal is its beautiful beach with golden sand, which offers an excellent setting for a sunny beach day and snorkeling.
In addition to the golden sandy beach, the Tarrafal region has wonderful natural swimming pools, the most popular of which is definitely the Cuba Natural pools. However, Santiago’s beaches are mostly dark volcanic sand, and among these beaches, in addition to Quebra Canela in Praia, Ribeira de Prata near Tarrafal, where you can find the beautiful Silverbeach, is definitely worth experiencing.
Cuba natural pools 
Silverbeach
Accommodation in Tarrafal is mostly small hotels, bed & breakfast accommodation and apartments. We stayed at the wonderfully idyllic Villa Alegria Bed & Breakfast, which I can warmly recommend. For a slightly more elegant taste, I recommend the King Fisher Village hotel, the only luxury accommodation in Tarrafal, with an infinity pool and delicious food. The hotel also has its own pier, where it is easy to take a dip in the sea to swim or snorkel in your own peace and quiet. We went to test the pier for swimming and snorkeling only at the “price” of drinks and food in the restaurant, so this option also exists if the accommodation does not fit into the plans for one reason or another.Check out the accommodation in Tarrafal on Booking.com*.
TARRAFAL CONCENTRATION CAMPTarrafal concentration camp was established in 1936 during the restructuring process of the Portuguese Estado Novo prison system. Its aim was to imprison political and social prisoners. The location was strategically chosen due to its remoteness and unhealthy climate, which contributed to the occurrence of diseases. The main goal of the place was to destroy the Portuguese and African opponents of the Salazar dictatorship, isolating them from the rest of the world in inhumane conditions. The prison facilities were barren, the treatment of the prisoners was miserable, hygiene was non-existent, the food was spoiled and the water was undrinkable. The scorching hot sun and sweaty wet rainy season made the conditions even more difficult.
The concentration camp was in operation until 1974. Today, the place serves as a museum and a barren reminder of how cruel one person can be to another.
SERRA MALAGUETA NATURAL PARKSerra Malagueta is a beautiful green mountain located in the northern part of the island of Santiago, the highest point of which is 1064m. Serra Malagueta is a protected natural park area and a popular hiking destination. There are several different routes in Serra Malagueta and you should get to know them under the guidance of an expert guide. The scenery is worth every step!
Check out the guided tours of Serra Malagueta:
THE BEST TOURS AND ACTIVITIES IN SANTIAGO AND CAPE VERDE:
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CAPE VERDE – TOP 12 HIGHLIGHTS & NEGATIVES
*contains affiliate linksCape Verde is a diverse and exotic group of islands on the coast of West Africa. Cape Verde consists of several different islands, each of which is worth visiting. This distant island nation is a dream for many travelers and I myself visited here for the first time in 2022. Now that I’ve lived in Cape Verde for almost a year, I thought I’d list Cape Verde’s Top 12 pros and cons, the best highlights and the negatives, because it’s not always just dancing on a bed of roses even in a beach paradise like this. Or is it?
CAPE VERDE HIGHLIGHTSThe weather
Cape Verde always has a good climate all year round. The sun shines almost every day and the temperature is around +25-30 degrees. During the winter time it is high season, which is also the windiest time in Cape Verde. However, the wind is mostly just refreshing when the hot sun shines to the fullest. Cape Verde’s summer is hot and there is plenty of space on the beaches, because the European holiday season is also at its peak and there are no direct flights here from the north. It rains the most in autumn and on rainy days you can paddle up to your knees in rainwater, but the rains are not daily and of course they don’t last all day. Therefore, there is also room for sunbathing even in the rainy season.
WATER ACTIVITIES AND SURFINGCape Verde and its turquoise sea water is an excellent place for swimming and various water activities. Cape Verde is especially famous among surfers and here it is possible to learn for example kite surfing directly from the world champion. You can also try plenty of other sports, such as jet ski rides, diving and snorkeling, paddle boarding, boat rides and many others.
ISLAND HOPPINGCape Verde is a great place for island hopping, of course depending on your travel schedule. Each of the islands is unique and both hikers and beach vacationers can enjoy here. Sao Vicente offers buzz and culture, Sal and Boa Vista are paradises for beach vacationers, and the green Santo Antao offers amazing mountain landscapes for hikers. Distances between islands require time and patience due to their somewhat unreliable travel connections, so I don’t recommend island hopping during a holiday trip of less than 2 weeks.
Read more about island hopping in Cape Verde here:
CHEAP LIVING COSTS AND RESTAURANT PRIZESIf you want to live in Cape Verde for longer, I recommend getting long-term accommodation from the local rental market. The rental prices of the apartments are affordable and you can get a spacious studio apartment or even a two-bedroom apartment for 250-300 euros/month in Sal, on the more local islands you can get even cheaper. Resorts with swimming pools are usually a bit more expensive due to their services, but they are still below the rental prices of many European countries.
In restaurants you can enjoy a daily lunch for an average price of 4.50-6€, depending on the place. In local restaurants, even an ordinary dinner is not too expensive, but the more touristy restaurants will of course raise their prices higher. So I strongly recommend to try and get lost further away from the main pedestrian streets in search of good and cheap food.
6€ breakfast @ Cape Fruit Café, Sal
ACCOMMODATION FOR EVERY BUDGETEvery island in Cape Verde offers accommodation for every budget and need, from hostels to idyllic bed & breakfasts, from mid-level hotels to luxury hotels favored by travel agencies and, of course, a variety of holiday apartment accommodation from cheap to luxurious. Quality, style and price level vary widely. You can browse all types of accommodation in Cape Verde on Booking.com.
NO STRESSThe relaxed lifestyle and the “No stress” attitude that has become the motto of the islands is admirable in its own way. Everything always works out, no stress. Now that I’ve lived in Cape Verde for a year, I still haven’t fully embraced this, because I’m an inner workaholic and I get stressed easily from every duty I have to take care of. On the other hand, I enjoy being in a place that at least maximizes the possibility of feeling relaxed.
CAPE VERDE NEGATIVESEXPENSIVE GROCERIES AND LIMITED SHOPPING POSSIBILITIES
It is an island, so naturally everything is imported from elsewhere. Because of this, the price level of foods in stores are a bit higher. This is also not a shopper’s heaven, because for example in Sal you only find Chinese shops with fake products and a few tourist boutiques, where you can make mostly overpriced finds in the same clothes that you can get in every dozen stores in Europe for three times cheaper.
INTERMITTENT AND EXPENSIVE ELECTRICITY, WATER AND INTERNETThese are quite understandable things considering the destination. From time to time, the internet, electricity and water are breaking here. Surprisingly, however, these faults are often fixed quite quickly and things work more smoothly than expected, so it doesn’t really interfere with normal life. Electricity, water and internet are also quite expensive here.
APARTMENT RENTAL SCAMSThe rental prices in Cape Verde may be cheap, but you should be careful in the rental market. The guarantee money is easily held here and from time to time they just never return your deposit. Especially with rental agencies, I recommend caution. According to the law, you don’t have to agree to pay more than one month’s deposit here, and you should take pictures of the apartment carefully when you move into the apartment, in order to avoid unnecessary disadvantages at the time of returning the deposit. Never rent a home without checking it first yourself. I myself have bad and good experiences and I am happy to give tips.
SMALL PLACE, SMALL CIRCLESIsland life is wonderful and relaxed, but living on an island has its downsides. On a small island, almost everyone knows each other and especially other people’s businesses, or at least they think they do. It’s also common to gossip a little and cause drama, just to have a little entertainment. However, you shouldn’t stress about this, because everyone has their own way.
TERRIBLE LOCAL PAY LEVELAlmost without exception, all companies here are owned by foreign private entrepreneurs or larger chains. The local salary level is really miserable and it doesn’t even cover the locals’ own living expenses, not to mention other nice things. The salary level is around 150-300 euros/month, depending on the island and the job.
LARGE HOTEL CHAINS AND TRAVEL AGENCIESCape Verde lives mainly from tourism. Big travel agencies bring large numbers of tourists to the islands every year. At the same time, large international travel agencies and the large hotel chains they also unfortunately take clients from the local entrepreneurs. Cape Verde has plenty of high-quality accommodation and good small restaurants, as well as local tour providers and guides who know their stuff and naturally know their own islands better than seasonal guides from elsewhere, so I definitely recommend getting to know the tours offered by the locals either online in advance or after arriving on site. And under no circumstances should you just stay only in the hotel area to sunbathe, because then you won’t get to experience even a scratch of the real Cape Verde.
CHECK OUT THE GUIDED TOURS AND BEST ACTIVITIES IN CAPE VERDE:
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HAVE YOU ALREADY VISITED CAPE VERDE? HAVE YOU EVER LIVED ABROAD AND EXPERIENCED ALSO THE DOWNSIDES OF THE DESTINATION? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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