Foto © I. Fornasiero
Cape Verde is history, traditions, surreal volcanic landscapes and surprisingly lively and fertile valleys, the fascinating cradle of Creole culture, but also a natural paradise of fascinating desolation, unspoilt desert beaches and crystal-clear waters lost in the middle of the Atlantic, still far from mass tourism, although international investment has begun to develop its reception.
Each with its own characteristics and natural beauty, between the mosaic of islands of Barlavento and Sotavento, you are spoilt for choice when it comes to beach holidays.
From the windy bays, a paradise for water sports, such as Sao Pedro on the island of Sao Vicente, to the splendid fishermen’s beaches of Santiago, from the surreal ring of black sand that encircles the volcanic island of Fogo, to the white expanses of the islands of Sal and Boa Vista, small branches of the Sahara in the middle of the Ocean, from the remote island of Brava to the unknown Maio, in Cape Verde there is something for everyone.
The island of Sal is one of the driest and most deserted, an almost flat expanse constantly buffeted by the wind, with heavenly beaches of crystal-clear water and fine white sand. A paradise for windsurfers and kitesurfers, thousands of sportsmen and women meet every year in the turquoise waters and wild beaches of Punta Preta, or for a few days of relaxation on the equipped beaches of the resorts, enriched by small excursions to the natural pools of Buracona and Regona, or for a bit of social life in the clubs, umbrellas and restaurants of Santa Maria, the most popular town on the island.
An undisputed destination for its beach attractions, Sal is also fascinating for its history. Evidence of colonisation remains in the ancient salt mines, which prompted the Portuguese in the 16th century to settle on this desolate and hauntingly beautiful island. Today, the mines are practically abandoned, but the surrounding landscape continues to attract thousands of visitors, virtually the only income the island earns. Time seems to stand still in the salt pans of Pedra de Lume. Formed thousands of years ago after a volcanic eruption that folded in on itself, sinking into a depression, the salt pans are located in a crater 40 metres below sea level, from which the underground waters filter and resurface loaded with salt, creating natural basins. Originally served by a railway and extensive infrastructure, they were later sold to France in 1919. After Independence they were permanently abandoned, or exploited for local consumption. While the beaches remain the island’s main attraction, a visit to the salt pans is a must, as they represent a piece of Sal’s history, a surreal place around which the island’s origins and identity developed.
Santiago, the main island of the archipelago, is home to the 18th-century capital Praia. It was in Santiago that it all began in 1460, with the arrival of the first Portuguese explorers, who soon turned it into the main commercial hub for slaves and merchandise of all kinds, between Africa, Europe and the Americas. The colonial town of Cidade Velha (ancient Ribeira Grande), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was the first settlement and its buildings and monuments contain the oldest history of Cape Verde. A volcanic island with important reliefs, it is mostly arid and desert, but softened by fertile and green valleys in the centre and on the eastern side.
Its colonial history is interesting, as is that of the legendary community of Rabelados in Espinhu Brancu, a schismatic population that rejected the Portuguese census and the dogmas, imposed in 1942, on respect for the doctrinal rules of the Church of Rome, maintaining its own rites and a liturgy based on more ancient biblical texts, referring to its spiritual leaders who still have the right to marry.
Through this population and a more marked traditionalist attitude than on the other islands, Santiago still defends its African-ness, in spite of its colonial European ancestry. The essence of its African origins is particularly evident in the bustling and chaotic market of Assomada, in the centre of the island, a must for anyone wishing to visit Tarrafal and Baia San Francisco, coastal paradises of seaside relaxation, dotted with fishermen’s pirogues. Because Santiago is also a destination for splendid white beaches, fringed with palm trees and inhabited by turtles and macaques.
An institution to end a stay in Cape Verde in style is the island of Boa Vista, the undisputed marine jewel of the archipelago. Just a few metres away from the resorts and equipped areas, you will discover unspoilt, paradisiacal stretches of deserted beaches. A real branch of the Sahara in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. From the busy beaches of Praia de Ante and Sal Rei, the main town, with its colonial flavour in the old buildings, it is enough to travel a few kilometres to find small rural churches, in desert and dusty scenery that contrasts with the blue of an uncontaminated sea and the volcanic rocks that emerge irregularly along the coast.
Beautiful beaches, such as Praia Santa Monica, Praia das Gatas, Praia Verandinha, silvery at dawn, fiery at sunset and Caribbean by day. Or Praia de Chave, the must-see with its cordon of dunes, and the desert of Viana, appendages of the Sahara, desert dependencies that have decided to be carried by the wind and settle on this island paradise. Humpback whales, dolphins and turtles populate these oases of peace, lost in the middle of the ocean, where only a few hotels, the Morro Negro lighthouse, or the wreck of a Portuguese ship wrecked in the 1960s reveal that the island has already been discovered.
