Area: 1557.0
Population: 516733

FLIGHT DURATION
A 6 hr flight between London and Sal. Sal, the entry point to Cape Verde, which is 2, 705 mi from London.

AIRPORT INFORMATION
On Sal, the Amilcar Cabral airport is a 15 minute drive from Santa Maria, a village where all the seaside hotels of good quality in the whole of the archipelago are located. Allow around 50 Escudos for a trip on a shuttle (service from 7:00am to 6:00pm) and around 700 Escudos in a taxi (1,000 Escudos on average for a night trip).
The Francisco Mendes de Praia airport is 15 minutes away from the capital's centre.

Information: an international airport is planned for the island of Boavista, and Italians have obtained authorisation to finance it.
There is another project for an international airport on the island of Sao Vicente! This is a sensitive subject with the locals.

SECURITY
The Cape Verdeans have a lot of respect for foreigners, making it an extremely calm and safe country to travel in. Nevertheless, there has been an increase in petty crime for several months in the sites with high tourist potential: Sal, Boa Vista, Mindelo, and the capital, Praia, on the island of Santiago. Be vigilant!
When swimming, beware of the strong sea currents that are a frequent cause of drowning.

ALL OF THE EDITORIAL TEAM'S ADVICE
It would be a shame to spend too long a time in the seaside hotels of Sal at the expense of the other islands. An ideal itinerary for a fortnight would be: a few days' relaxation on Sal, followed by a stroll along the beach-island of Boa Vista, before heading to Santiago "the African", Fogo "the volcanic", Santo Antao "the green", and finally Mindelo in Sao Vicente for its lively atmosphere.
On Sal, hire a quad for an adventure trip in the dunes.
Be patient when out in Cape Verde as the locals can seem very relaxed about everything. Never forget that the country is slowly opening up to tourism and that there is no "tourist culture" yet.
Do not miss the Mindelo carnival, one of the major events of the year.

TELEPHONE
To call Cape Verde from the UK, dial 00 238 + the number of the person you are calling.
To call the UK from Cape Verde: 00 44+ n° of other party without the initial 0.