Sports and Interests in the Cape Verde Islands

Property hunting. Diving. Windsurfing & kite surfing. Board surfing. Riding. Hiking. Game fishing. Cycling. Sailing. Geology &. Volcanoes. Bird watching. Snorkelling. Tennis, Golf, Swimming with dolphins. Off road 4x4. Star gazing. Bars and restaurants Turtles Lobster Green Islands

Choice of activities in the Cape Verde Islands

Cape Verde Property Hunting

Property prices are still low in comparison to the Caribbean, Canaries, and Spain. In Sal, there were new apartments and studios for sale from 38,000 euros. Prices rose over the last few years. Islands to consider: Sal (international airport with huge runway), Boavista (international airport ), Santiago (international airport), Sao Vicente (international airport under construction) and Maio (airport) are the most popular destinations for property hunters. There are also re-sale properties available, but these tend to be more difficult to find. Off-plan sales are quite common, as developers are often short of capital and need you to fund them. You wouldn't purchase a property in the UK, without viewing, so make sure you get to see, feel, hear, and smell the location. Use a lawyer for every transaction. For details of property inspection trips >>

back to top

Diving in the Cape Verdes

Because the islands are mid Atlantic, the waters are clear, the fish plentiful, and the water warm. You can see volcanic rocks, caves, and wrecks as well as the marine life. There are diving schools in Sal, Boavista and Sao Vicente. Many of the dive schools expect payment in cash, and there is a possibility to pay for diving in advance through a tour operator's package.

back to top

Windsurfing and kite surfing

Being in the North East tradewinds means that winds are fairly constant in both direction and force, day upon day. There are excellent conditions for windsurfing, particularly for experts who can test their skills on the surf. Some of the airlines are more leniant towards excess equipment than others. If you still need to be convinced that the Cape Verdes has the wind and the waves, see the DVD, Ponta Preta, An African Dream, featuring Josh Angulo PWA wave world champion 2003. For beginners, there are more sheltered locations in Santa Maria, and tuition available. For those learning, the summer months are easier when the winds are less and the seas calmer. In Sal there are many different beaches with different orientations, and some of the better beaches have on-shore wind, or enable you to reach across the bay. If you want off-shore wind, you can find that as well.

back to top

Board surfing and body surfing

There are some of the best breaks in the world. Some are featured on the DVD, Ponta Preta, An African Dream. Alternatively, if you are not world-champion standard, there is a choice of places to surf, and beginners can find more sheltered spots. The good thing about Sal is that being a small island, if the surf is not just right in one place, it's fast to get around and try another spot.

back to top

Hiking

Santa Antao, Fogo and Sao Nicolao are the most popular islands for hiking. There are numerous trails in Santa Antao, and the island is fairly well set-up for hiking, with recognised trails. There is transport that can take you to the beginning of the trail and collect you from the end. The views can be breathtaking, especially if you have a head for heights. For those that are fit, you can climb with guides to the top of the volcano in Fogo and then "ski" down on the black lava. In Sao Nicolao, many walkers walk around Monte Gordo, which can be a bit chilly so pack extra clothes. This is in the green part of the island, and there can be mist over the mountain.

back to top

Golf

There is an 18 hole course on Sao Vicente. It probably isn't worth making a special trip to the Cape Verde Islands to play golf. "Bald" is a good description as it is hard to tell the difference between the fairways, the "greens", the bunkers, and the dirt track road leading to it. There was a golf course on Sal made by the South African Airways staff, using salt flats, but as Espargos expanded the golf course was built on. As of January 2009, other courses have been announced, on various islands, and we will keep an eye on which materialises the first, and what they will be made of.

back to top

Game fishing - world renowned

Enthusiasts travel from all over the world to fish in the Cape Verde Islands. A number of exotic species exist. For the very best fishing, the locals reckon that Sao Nicolao has the best marlin or whale sharks, and you can stay in a fishing lodge. You can also embark on Cape Verde fishing trips from Sao Vicente. There are half day or day trips from Santa Maria, Sal. Alternatively, just go to the beach with your rod.

back to top

Cycling

Sal has a number of off-road tracks, and a dual carriageway with very little traffic in it which runs down the middle of the island. Several keen cyclists train on this road. In February 2008, there were special triathlon training sessions being run in Sal, which included cycling. The Belgian over 60 cycling champion trains on Sal throughout the year.

back to top

Sailing in the Cape Verdes

With the North East trade winds, this is a serious sailor's paradise. It is of course the middle of the Atlantic. 2006 heralded the beginning of a brand new Transatlantic super yacht race. In November, Farr 65s stopped at the Cape Verdes en route from Lisbon to Barbados - run by OnDeck Sailing. The third trans atlantic race will set off from Mindelo, Sao Vicente in November 2008 on the third leg of the race which starts in Cascais, near Lisbon. There are dinghies and catamarans for hire in Sal and larger sailing boats for bareboat charter or skippered hire in Sao Vicente. In Sal, there are yachts on day and half day trips from the harbour at Palmeira, as well as from Santa Maria.

back to top

Geology and volcanoes

There are some very interesting geological structures. Fogo is a round island, with a live volcano, which last erupted in 1995. Previous eruptions were in 1952, 1857, 1852, 1847, 1916, 1799, 1785, 1769. The lava flows have been plotted on a map - most went East. The volcano crater is a vast area, with cultivation of tomatoes, pumpkins, vines and coffee. Photographing the volcano area is as difficult as photographing a black labrador in a coal mine, but it is spectacular. Many climb up to see what is currently happening. Even when you travel around the other islands, you can see signs of their volcanic past too. At Pedra de Lume in Sal, the volcanic crater was used for salt mining, and is now a salt lake like the dead sea. There are several vestige cones, and possibly Murdeira Bay is an extinct crater, as are some of the other semi-circular bays. In Santa Antao the crater is now used to grow crops. There are fascinating areas of lava, and at Burracona in Sal, there is what looks like the left-overs from a huge coal fire, except that the lumps of coal are about 2 m cubed, leaving a large ocean rock pool where you can swim. In Brava, there are large natural rock pools too.

back to top

Cape Verde Bird watching

Chris Batty has written at length about a recent trip to the Cape Verdes to go bird watching. He describes 6 species of Western Palearctic endemic - the Magnificant Frigatebird, Cape Verde Swift, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Raso Lark, Cape Verde Warbler and Cape Verde Sparrow. If a broader definition is used, the islands support a further 8 Western Palearctic endemics - Cape Verde Shearwater, Cape Verde Little Shearwater, Bourne's Heron, Cape Verde Buzzard, Alexander's Kestrel, Neglected Kestrel, Cape Verde Peregrine Falcon and Cape Verde Barn Owl. Highly sought-after breeding seabirds in the Cape Verde Islands include Fea's Petrel, White-faced Storm-Petrel, Madieran Storm-Petrel, Red-billed Tropicbird and Brown Booby. In the past, the islands have produced some exceptional Western Palearctic vagrants including White-tailed Tropicbird, Red-footed booby, Black Heron and Broad-billed Roller. See the report with photos and sightings in full.

back to top

Snorkelling

Where there are rocks, there can be some excellent snorkelling. Murdeira Bay in Sal Island is one of the best spots. San Pedro Bay offers good snorkelling in Sao Vicente, and there have been supervised snorkelling trips organised by the Foya Branca Hotel. There is also organised snorkelling from the Estoril Beach in Sal Rei, Boavista. Fish are plentiful and you may see turtles too. You may also find interesting snorkelling near the Praiamar Hotel in Santiago, off a rocky shore. There is a variety of fish, volcanic rocks and coral.

back to top

Cape Verde Tennis

There are tennis courts in Sal (Morabessa, Murdeira, Aeroflot, Belorizonte, Lighthouse Hotel , Hotel Riu), Santiago, Sao Vicente, and Boavista. We have spotted one in Fogo too, but it was not in commission. Be prepared to play in a wind during the winter months, although most of the courts are protected from the North East. The climate is dry and warm, making tennis possible most days and enjoyable throughout the year, and an ideal place to practise during the winter. Surfaces tend to be concrete or astra turf.

back to top

Swimming with dolphins

We have heard of dolphins coming right close in to the shore at Murdeira Bay, and know people who have swum with them.

back to top

4x4 off-road

There are excellent opportunities to go off-road in the Cape Verdes, as so few of the roads are made-up. If you are hiring a vehicle, it really should be a 4x4 so that you can go to more remote places, and have the essential clearance as some of the roads aren't too good. There are many unexplored beaches and remote spots to visit. You can hire Suzuki Jeeps and larger 4x4's. It's easy to get stuck in the sand unless you are very experienced, and many of the tracks on the islands are not signed, nor are the roads, so getting lost is simple. Check with the car renter where exactly you are allowed to drive it, and don't expect pristine vehicles. Many are dusty and dented.

We were given a most unsuitable vehicle with no clearance at all, by an international car hire company in Santiago. We got to a dead-end due to no road signs and were helped by a local to find the good road, just one kilometre of bad road he said. Half an hour later, and very shaken, amazingly we still had a sump, and it was one of the worst tracks we have ever been on. In Fogo, someone had rented a car and was petrified driving up to the volcano. If you are driving on islands you don't know, a taxi might be simpler.

Car hire in Sal

Star gazing

There are excellent opportunities for star gazing, even with the naked eye if you can choose a spot with little or no background light . At certain times of the year it's possible to see some of the Southern Hemisphere constellations.

back to top

Bars and restaurants

There are many bars and restaurants throughout many of the Cape Verde Islands. Unlike the Caribbean, eating and drinking out is relatively inexpensive. Unless you really go off the beaten-track, you will generally find somewhere to get food and drink. Santa Maria, Sal and Mindelo, Sao Vicente probably have the widest choice of places which suit both locals and tourists, restaurants serving local and international food, snack bars, and beach bars. New ones are opening all the time in Santa Maria, Sal including a new French/Cape Verdean restaurant at the famous Ponta Preta beach where the surf can be quite tremendous.

Cape Verde Turtles

There are different varieties, tartaruga cabecuda or vermelha (caretta caretta) up to 150 Kg can be found everywhere on quiet beachs, particularly on Boavista. Tartaruga de casco leventado ( tretmochelys imbricata ) up to 90 cm is much hunted, and is found in northern Maio and northern Boavista. The huge Tartaruga Parda (dermochelys coriacea) up to 800 Kg is found all over, in Boavista, Santa Luzia, Santa Antao, Santiago and Sao Nicolao. Tartaruga Verde (chelonia mydas) up to 250 Kg is found on rocky coasts in Boavista, Maio, Sal, Sao Vicente, Santa Antao, Santiago and Sao Nicolao. One of the least known, the Tartaruga (lepicochelys olivacea) is found on Boavista and Sal. It can be up to 1 m in length and lives in small groups in rocky bays near the coast. In Maio, the turtles come to lay their eggs from July to September. The turtles are protected by the marine police.

In the Cape Verdes, the turtles lay between 100 and 500 eggs, in the evening or night. They take about 50 days to hatch. Per 1000 eggs, only 1 to 2 turtles survive. Fish and birds eat the young turtles. Small turtles are often rescued by people who try to help them towards the sea, or others are kept in small pools until they are large enough to fend for themselves.

back to top

Cape Verde Lobsters

The endemic species is pink lobster (palinurus charlestoni) which lives under rocks at depths of 100 to 350 m. Nearer the coast are black lobsters (scyllandeslatus), green lobsters (palinurus regius) and brown lobsters (panulinus echinatus).

Cape Verde Green islands

Fogo and Brava are green during the rainy season up to the end of October. After that the green trees still survive, but the land becomes more like African scrub. Santiago has areas where there is more water, and here you can see coconut palms and banana plantations. There are vestiges of grass, left over from the rainy season, and some areas have been fitted with irrigation systems to grow vegetables. Sao Nicolao has an agricultural area in the interior of the island where it is quite green, but it can also be a bit cold and misty. Outside the rainy season, the islands are not generally green, except in areas with irrigation, or with people who water their gardens. Plants can grow extremely well, if watered. Sal is probably the driest of the Cape Verde Islands, as what look like rain clouds often head off west without shedding rain. It is more like a lunar scape inland, with few naturally growing trees, but with a wonderful white sandy beaches and turquoise ocean. Even Sal can go green for a time when rain falls. Santa Antao has many trees which give the appearance of green, outside the rainy season, but there is no overall green covering all year round. We met a Frenchman who had been misled by a television programme which had filmed in October and had influenced his choice of islands. He was travelling round Fogo, Santa Antao and Santiago with his kite surf equipment looking for somewhere to try it out. Unfortunately he had headed for the wrong islands for his sport. If you would like to go somewhere green and lush on your holiday, contact us and we can make suggestions. Alternatively, if you like blue, the Cape Verde Islands are for you!

For more general information on the Cape Verde Islands - click here