Cape Verde can be found in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Africa. The country spans 10 different islands of volcanic origin and several dozen small islets. Every island boasts its own distinctive culture and selection of landmarks and attractions. There are all kinds of islands to explore; each of them offering a different experience, hence the art of "island hopping" is very popular here, with tourists travelling across multiple islands to experience everything this fascinating archipelago has to offer.
Cape Verde is famous for its eclectic mix of music and cuisine; its charming local villages, numerous volcanoes (most but not all of which are extinct), amazing weather, and its unique culture that is a blend of Portuguese, African and Brazilian cultures. Cape Verde's islands are divided into two groups, the Barlavento Islands (windward islands), which are: Santo Antao, Sao Vicente, Santa Luzia, Sao Nicolau, Sal, Boa Vista and the Sotavento Islands (leeward islands), which are Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava. A wonderfully diverse holiday destination - definitely add Cape Verde to your bucket list.
Family friendly
Sal's Santa Maria beach on Sal is one of the most popular beaches on the archipelago. With four and a half miles of golden sand and hundreds of tourist facilities, this is the perfect beach for families with children. There are dozens of water sports schools and service providers across the beach, offering cheap lessons and equipment. The beach's flag system helps tourists know where it is safe to swim and the numerous lifeguards make it a perfectly safe experience.
The Beleza beach is located in a protected bay on the northern side of Sao Vicente. The beach boasts numerous tourist amenities that make it perfect for families with young children. At Beleza, you will find very gentle waves, shallow waters and an excellent lifeguard patrol.
Try the Ribeira Grante beach at the northern side of Sao Antonio has numerous tourist facilities and amenities that make it ideal for families with children, elderly tourists and tourists with limited mobility. Quality restaurants, public showers, accessibility ramps and great lifeguard services make Ribeira Grante a great beach to while away sunny days on.
The Dunas beach is an excellent family friendly beach on Sal. The numerous hotels that tower over the beach offer their amenities to tourists (not always for free!), making the beach experience here very convenient and hassle-free.
Brava is a remote island and Fuma is perhaps the only family friendly beach worthy of mention there. Situated on the south eatern side of Brave, Fuma has a solid lifeguard system and several tourist facilities such as public showers, changing booths and restrooms.
Lively beaches
The pristine Chaves Beach is always bustling with activities. There you can find lively bars and quality restaurants. The beach is very long, making it ideal for beach sports. Tourists are often impromptu invited to join in friendly games of beach volley and beach footie when visiting Chaves during high season.
The paradise beach of Sal is one of the most popular beach sports destinations on Cape Verde. Famous for footie on the beach and other sports, paradise sees locals and tourists alike coming down to play ball on the sand. The surf is quite calm and the beach itself boasts very fine, white sand.
The Gata beach (literally meaning "cat" beach) is located at the eastern side of Boa Vista and is famous for its beach parties that can last through the night. In summer, beach parties are a daily phenomenon, with live music performances, barefoot dancing and late-night swimming all in full swing.
Curralinho is one of the liveliest beaches of Sal. Numerous beach bars and cafes are strewn across its span, each offering a different opportunity to meet and have fun with locals and other tourists. The parties can be quite hedonistic here, so this beach is not really suitable for families with children.
Water sports
Tarrafal's beach at the northern tip of Santiago and is a popular spot for water sports enthusiasts and especially scuba divers and snorkellers. Tourists can find a number of diving schools close to the beach of Tarrafal where they can book for lessons or rent equipment for their sea adventures in Cape Verde. The corral reefs across the beach make for an excellent diving spot.
The Praia's beach is a popular destination for surfers, windsurfers and all kinds of water sports enthusiasts. The beach is full of fun activities and the lifeguard patrols make bathing and playing there very safe. Virtually every type of water sport is available at Praia's beach, from the casual and child-friendly to the extreme and hardcore.
The Blue Hole beach is located in a lively bay on the western side of Sao Nicolau. Surfers, windsurfers and other water sports enthusiasts gather here to take advantage of the amazing surf that rages just outside the bay's edges. The bay itself is ideal for newbies while outside, experienced sailors and windsurfers can find a real challenge.
The beach of Sao Pedro on Sao Vicente is an excellent meeting spot for windsurfers who flock here for the great wind conditions that dominate the south western side of the island. The surge here is consistently strong and challenging, so this is not a suitable beach for beginners.
Fishing & boating
The Sao Filipe beach is one of the greatest fishing spots around the whole island of Fogo. The beach is quiet and catches are plentiful here at Sao Fillipe. At the beach, tourists can hop on one of the numerous boats that go on frequent trips on all the best fishing spots across this expansive beach.
Sao Antonio's Porto Novo beach is a popular meeting spot for fishermen and tourist fishing trips. The otherwise unimpressive and rocky beach presents enormous fishing opportunities including harpoon fishing among the rocky reefs. For the latter, you absolutely need an experienced local to accompany you to ensure you're safe.
Boa Vista's Rabil beach is a secluded bay from which many boating trips start. The surf is gentle and the beach attracts divers and snorkellers thanks to the excellent visibility. Harpoon fishing is widely practiced here, and this is not really a suitable beach for children due to naturists who frequent it during the summer months.
Secluded
The astounding Santa Monica beach on Boa Vista has been ranked among the top beaches in the world by lonely planet and other independent reviewers. The beach boasts azure waters and very fine, bright-white sand. Thanks to its remote location, this is a fairly deserted beach with very few tourist facilities.
The beach at Farol de Fiura is a secluded windy beach on the northernmost tip of Sal. The iconic lighthouse of Fiura towers of the beach, creating a unique and fascinating landscape. The beach attracts nature lovers and naturists who come to enjoy tranquillity. The lighthouse casts a shadow over the beach which is most welcome during midday hours.
The Faja de aqua is one of the most secluded and pristine beaches on the small island of Brava. This hard to reach beach rewards tourists brave enough to travel there with a fantastic scenery, unique wild life and an idyllic setting, perfect for romance and relaxation. There are zero tourist facilities here (not even a proper road to get you there!).
The beach of Calhau is a quiet and secluded coast at Sao Vicente. This romantic beach is virtually unknown to tourists and very few non-locals ever visit it. The sea is very calm but gets deep after a few meters. Naturists and divers love Callhau for its unique characteristics but nonetheless, this beach is not especially suitable for families with children.
The Morro beach is a naturist friendly, secluded beach in Maio's less developed side. The beach has no tourist facilities and takes quite a while to reach but tourists coming here will never regret it thanks to the impressive scenery and the pristinely clean waters. A handful of tourists love this beach so much that they choose to camp on it for days at an end.