Cape Verde - Kap Verde

Cape Verde (Portuguese Cabo Verde; Republic of Cabo Verde) is an island nation off the west coast Africa in the Atlantic ocean. It consists of an archipelago with nine inhabited islands. The archipelago of Cape Verde Islands has a total area of ​​around 4,000 km² and is inhabited by 500,000 people.

Islands

The islands consist of a northwest and a southeast group.

Northwest Islands or islands over the wind (Ilhas de Barlavento):

• Santo Antão
• Sao Vicente
• Sao Nicolau
• Santa Luzia (no longer inhabited)
• Branco and Razo (uninhabited islands)
• Boa Vista
• Sal

Southeast Islands or islands under the wind (Ilhas de Sotavento):

• Santiago - the largest island with the capital Praia.
• Maio
• Brava
• Fogo
• Grande and Rombo (uninhabited islands)

Cities

Praia Mindelo Santa Maria Sal Rei Sao Filipe Assomada Tarrafal Espargos Vila do Maio Cape Verde Santo Antão Sao Vicente Santa Lucia Sao Nicolau Sal Boa Vista Boa Vista Maio Santiago Fogo Brava

Map of Cape Verde

• Praia - capital of the country.
• Mindelo - a port city and probably the liveliest in the country.
• Cidade Velha (Ribeira Grande) – UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other goals

background

Cape Verde lies about 500 km from the west coast Africa. The once uninhabited islands were taken over by the Portuguese discovered and settled. In the following period they became a trading center for slaves and then an important supply point for whale catchers and transatlantic ships. With the political upheaval in Portugal in 1975, the islands gained independence in 1975.

getting there

All foreigners need a visa to enter the country, unless they are citizens of ECOWAS, Angola or Mozambique. On January 1, 2019, visa-free entry up to 30 days for tourist purposes was permitted for all EFTA and EU citizens (still including the British).

Otherwise, the following are responsible for entry permits in Germany:

• Embassy of the Republic of Cabo Verde, Stavanger Str. 16, 10439 Berlin. Fees only by bank transfer. Processing time 3-5 days. form.Price: tourist / transit € 45, family (1 adult child): € 57; multiple € 110.last change: May 2018
• Visas are also available from the honorary consulates in Hamburg, Homburg and Stuttgart.

Swiss and Austria

• Section consulaire de l'Ambassade, Avenue Blanc 47, 1202 Genève. E-mail: [email protected]. last change: not specified
• Consulat de la République du Cap-Vert, Rümelinsplatz 14, 4001 Bâle
• Honorary Consulate, Dornbacher Straße 89, 1170 Vienna, Mon., Wed. 8.30-10.00 a.m.

Foreigners who buy a holiday home in the country can easily get a right of permanent residence.

See also: List of diplomatic missions in Cape Verdean

inch

The import or export of more than one million CVE or their equivalent in currency is subject to approval.

Allowances

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars of 250 g tobacco
• 2 liters of wine or 1 liter of schnapps

By plane

Travelers coming from countries without a consular representation of Cape Verde can enter at Sal, Boa Vista, São Vicente or Santiago airports visa-on-arrival received, this relief does not apply to Moroccans.

The international airports are located on the islands of Sal, Boavista, Santiago and São Vicente
The national airline TACV does not currently fly to Germany, you have to switch to Amsterdam or Lisbon.
There are also several connections with TAP Portugal via Lisbon (LIS).
The new international airport in Praia was completed on Santiago in October 2005.
Direct flight movements from / from Germany are currently only served by TUIfly via Sal and Boavista.

island	place	IATA code	ICAO	Airport
Sal	Espargos	SID	GVAC	Amílcar Cabral International Airport
Boa Vista	Sal Rei	BVC	GVBA	Aristides Pereira International Airport (Rabil Airport)
Santiago	Praia	RAI	GVNP	Nelson Mandela International Airport (Praia International Airport)
Sao Vicente	Sao Pedro	VXD	GVSV	Cesária Évora Airport

By boat

There are currently no ferry connections from Europe or the African continent. If you are arriving by private ship (sailing yachts), please note that entry is only possible via the ports of Sal, Praia and Mindelo. Violations of this regulation will result in a fine of up to 100,000 Escudos (approx. € 907).

Cape Verde has now also been discovered by cruise ships, often in conjunction with destinations on the Canaries. Destination ports are then Mindelo on the island of São Vicente and Praia on Santiago. The cruise tourists usually only come on one shore excursion; they are considered to be transit travelers without a visa but with a passport.

mobility

Also consider here: time, appointments, etc. have a completely different status here. It is possible that departure times are postponed at short notice or that journeys do not take place at all. Include a day's delay in island hopping on your way home, i.e. be back to Sal at least one day before your return flight!

plane

In order to get from island to island, the plane is ideal - especially for longer distances. The TACV flies to all (larger) airports on the islands. The airports on Brava and Santo Antão are currently closed.

Rental car

Rental cars can be found in almost all major towns. On the touristic islands (Sal and Boavista) anyway. Also on the main island of Santiago, renting motorbikes or scooters possible. However, the roads are sometimes quite bad and you will be held accountable for damage to the vehicles.

There is zero alcohol at the wheel!

ship

All ferries have been operated by the company since September 2019 CV Interilhas operated. There is regular ferry service with the Kriola catamaran between Santiago, Fogo and Brava. The crossing from Santiago to Fogo takes 4 hours, from there it takes another hour to Brava. About 150 people fit on the ship, many of whom struggle with nausea due to the swell. The passenger compartment is closed, it is not possible to go on deck and enjoy the fresh air. In bad weather (rough seas) connections are occasionally canceled.

Ferries run more irregularly between the other islands. Departure times can be obtained from either the hotel or the port. There is a daily ferry service between São Vicente (Mindelo) and Santo Antão (Porto Novo). The ferry takes about an hour to cover the 16 km. At the moment this is the only connection to Santo Antão as long as the airport on Santo Antão remains closed.

Bus / taxi / shared taxi

There are taxis in almost every place. Shared taxis (Aluguer) commute between the villages. There are fixed prices (the driver must have a price table with him, but the opposite is often claimed). But the tourist is often ripped off and then often pays three times as much. Pay attention to what the other passengers (locals) are paying and give a tip. In addition to the conventional collective and normal taxis, there are also pick-ups on which you can enjoy the breezy wind for about € 0.50 per person on the Can enjoy loading space.

language

The Cape Verdeans mostly speak Portuguese Creole among themselves. A distinction is made between "Sampadjud" on the northern and eastern islands and "Badiu" on the southern islands of Santiago, Fogo, Brava and Maio. Classes in the schools are in Portuguese.

In hotels and guesthouses you can only get ahead with English to a limited extent; French is much more widespread, as is almost everywhere in North and West Africa. Almost nobody speaks German, possibly even in larger hotels on Sal. You can communicate well with Romance languages ​​(Spanish, Italian, etc.).

For a few years now, after Portuguese, children have been learning English as a second foreign language instead of French.

to buy

The currency of Cape Verde is the Cape Verde Escudo CVE. It is pegged to the euro, it applies € 1 = 110.25 CVE. However, you can actually pay in euros anywhere, the simple conversion is then 1 € = 100 CVE. Coins are also accepted.

Senegalese traders in particular sell figures made from teak and ebony. The "Panu di terra", a woven cloth that is mostly offered in black / white, but sometimes also in red / white, green / white or blue / white, is really Cape Verdean.

kitchen

• Cachupa is a famous dish on the Cape Verde Islands. It is a slow cooked stew made from corn, beans, cassava, sweet potato, fish or meat and often also morcela (blood sausage). Often referred to as the national dish of the country, each island has its own variant.

• 

  Cachupa

• Feijoada is a bean stew with vegetables and bacon
• Canja de galinha is a rice soup with chicken
• Caldo de peixe is called the fish soup
• Lagostada is a lobster dish
• Pudim di kexu - cheese pudding
• Bolacha - Ice cream and dry biscuits

beverages

• Grogue is a sugar cane distillate
• Pontche is a mixed drink made from grog and sugar cane molasses refined with citrus fruits or coconut.

• 

  typical still

• 

  Grogue

nightlife

Cabo Verde has a rather “intense” nightlife, which starts quite late (around one o'clock at night) and ends early (around 5am). Newbies (Europeans) should maybe practice a few dance styles before entering a disco (or similar) so as not to suddenly embarrass themselves. Cape Verdeans are mostly excellent dancers! Live performances by local musicians and singers are recommended. Especially in Mindelo (the secret capital of culture) it is always an experience. Ask in the hotels or the locals. It's really worth it…! In Praia, a visit to the "Quintal da Musica" on the plateau is worthwhile.

Prostitution is legal but unregulated. Especially in the tourist areas on Sal (Santa Maria), gigolos have specialized in middle-aged European women.

public holidays

meeting	Surname	importance
January 1st	Ano Novo	New Year
January 20th		Memorial Day
27th of February	Carnaval	carnival
1st of May	Dia do trabalhador	Labor Day
5th July	Dia da Independência	Independence day
15th of August	Assunção de Nossa Senhora	Assumption Day
12th September		National holiday
1st of November	Todos os santos	All Saints Day
25 December	natal	Christmas

security

The Emergency number reads 132.

The Crime rates are relative low, in Praia on the Plato, however, significantly greater caution is advised. At night it is worth taking a taxi even for short distances; there are also districts in Mindelo that even police officers don't dare to go into at night. And if so, then only in large numbers from 10 people. Be careful with large gatherings of people; Pickpockets love the hectic life. In general, caution applies in all larger towns such as Praia and Mindelo.

Homosexual acts are illegal. Until the political change a few years ago it was strictly forbidden to smoke on the beach promenade, as spies could have communicated with foreign submarines lurking off the coast. Such nonsense reminiscent of bad films no longer applies. Restraint must be exercised when photographing all types of buildings or people that could have military or police significance.

For tourists in emergencies, the German or Swiss consular section in Dakar or the Austrian one in Lisbon (!) Is the point of contact. The embassies of the following EU countries are on site in Praia: France, Spain, Portugal and, probably most useful for German speakers, Luxembourg.

health

The Fogo volcano is active.

Basics

The Cape Verde Islands have the status of an emerging country and are not on the European level in terms of hygiene, especially outside the large hotels. Tap water is contaminated with germs and is not suitable for Europeans as drinking water or for brushing teeth. Mineral water imported from Portugal or domestic still table water ("Trindade") is offered in hotels, shops and petrol stations, buy this and also use it to brush your teeth. When buying, make sure that the bottle UNOPENED i.e. the ring on the cap is intact, bottles are often refilled!

Outside the capital, medical care is rudimentary. In the event of serious accidents, a rescue flight will be appropriate.

Vaccinations

Let the family doctor approve you Tropical diseases advise and vaccinate! Vaccinations against hepatitis A and B (B may not be that important, but there is the hepatitis vaccination as a combined vaccination for A and B). Malaria does not occur on the northern islands, as they are too dry.

climate

The climate is mild all year round, the temperatures rarely rise above 30 ° C, they only drop below 20 ° C in exceptional cases. The temperature and humidity are high between May and October, and there is little, irregular rainfall from August to October. The water temperatures on the Atlantic coast are between 22 ° C and 27 ° C and provide ideal bathing conditions. The air currents of the northeast trade wind determine the weather, so there is increased rainfall on the mountainous islands, while it is quite dry on the flat islands.

A rare but uncomfortable weather phenomenon is that Harmattan. He's coming - similar to that Calima in the Canaries - from the east and brings tons of dust from the Sahara. A restricted view as in fog is then still a harmless peripheral phenomenon.

Praia, Santiago Island (Cape Verde)	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	24.8	25	26.1	26.4	27.1	27.9	28.0	28.6	29.7	29.2	28.0	25.6	O	27.2
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	20.0	19.4	19.7	20.3	21.0	21.9	22.9	23.8	24.0	23.6	22.7	21.3	O	21.7
Average water temperature in ° C	23	22	22	23	23	24	24	25	26	27	26	24	O	24.1
Precipitation in mm	2	2	0	0	0	0	8	45	105	58	30	10	Σ	260
Rainy days in the month	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5	6	4	1	1	Σ	19
Relative humidity in%	64	62	59	63	65	67	72	74	76	73	68	67	O	67.5
Source: Wetterkontor

respect

When visiting churches, make sure that you wear appropriate clothing, and that your shoulders, stomach and knees are covered, including the gentlemen.

literature

• Susanne Lipps, Oliver Breda: Travel Atlas Cape Verde Islands. Ostfildern: Dumont, 2005, ISBN 3-7701-5968-3 .
• Writer Ursa Koch: A story from Cape Verde "In the red glow of the Nibiru" Albas Literatur Verlag, 2013, third edition 2017 ISBN 978-3-9813139-3-2 novel "The Cape Verde House" Albas Literatur Verlag, 2015, 2nd edition 2016 ISBN 978-3-944856-15-5 novel "The beachgoer"Albas Literatur Verlag, 2017; second edition 2017 ISBN 978-3-944856-12-4 all also published as e-books

cards

• Freytag & Berndt map Cape Verde Islands 1: 80,000, 2016

Web links

Cape Verde travel magazine Travel magazine with video clips, photos and information about Cape Verde trips. Most of the sights and the island's culture can be learned from a local tourist guide, e.g. Creole tourist guide.