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Porto Novo Santo Antão, Cape Verde

Porto Novo port study

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More improvements for transportation and travel within Cape Verde are on the horizon. The government of Cape Verde has initiated a tender for a study on the port facilities at Porto Novo on the island of Santo Antão. The study will look into to the feasibility of expanding the port and improving navigation. It will also consider the costs of any works it identifies.

The port was constructed in 1962 and expanded and modernised in 2010. It can currently accommodate cruise ships of medium size. The existing terminal can accommodate up to 250,000 passengers each year. There are also two ramps for roll-on and roll-off ferries.

The authorities on Santo Antão have been asking for a further phase of expansion so that larger cruise ships are able to dock there.

Santo Ámaro Abade Church Tarrafal Cape Verde

Church in Tarrafal, Santiago island

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If you are visiting the island of Santiago, or maybe just passing through waiting for connecting flights, a visit to Tarrafal on the north of the island is a must. The drive there is through some dramatic mountain scenery and the little town of Tarrafal is lovely. It has beautiful beaches and a pretty town centre. This picture is of the Santo Ámaro Abade church.

Rain cloud over Maio, Cape Verde

Much needed rain comes to Cape Verde

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Much needed rain has been falling in Cape Verde. We have reports of heavy rain in Maio. This is the first in the rainy season and will be welcomed by farmers and gardeners alike. The children enjoy playing in the puddles as can be seen in this video:

Some years there can be as little as one day of rain in the year, so to have some heavy rain now is good. Whilst many of us don’t want rain, especially if we live in the northern parts of Europe, for Cape Verdeans it is a welcome event. The rainy season is very short-lived.

Storm over Cape Verde

Rain storm for Cape Verde?

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The weather forecast for Friday (tomorrow) indicates the possibility of the first rain storm in Cape Verde at least for the more easterly islands. This will be the first in this year’s rainy season and will be much needed by the farmers and gardeners. The rainy season is normally August and September and so far there it has been dry. The eastern islands are the driest and some years there is as little as one day of rain, which causes real problems for agriculture. In August the temperature rises with a daytime high of around 29ºC and a low of around 23ºC. Generally, this is however, one of the wettest months, when there could be up to 53mm of rain, but probably spread over about 6 days. There can sometimes be heavy showers, but the sea is still an attraction and beautifully warm, with a temperature of around 27ºC. More information is available about the current weather in Cape Verde click here.

Binter cv to fly between sal and são nicolau

Binter CV to fly between Sal and São Nicolau

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Binter CV have announced a further expansion to their service with direct flights twice a week between Sal and São Nicolau. This new route will commence in September and will operate on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Travel within Cape Verde is gradually improving.

maio cape verde pig on beach

Pig enjoying the beach!

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You never know who or what you might be sharing the beach with! This sow was clearly finding the weather a bit too warm for her and was enjoying a little relaxation in the sea. This pig was completely unphased by the people who were sharing the beach with her. We have also seen cows on the beach enjoying a paddle. Cape Verde is full of surprises!

cape verde airport security fee

Airport Security Fee for Cape Verde

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It has been reported that from January 2019 there will be an Airport Security Fee introduced for all arrivals at Cape Verde’s airports. It appears that this fee will be applied to all flights, both domestic and international, although the amount varies. The fee is understood will be from 150 Escudos (€1.36) to 3,400 Escudos (€30.8) based on where the flight is from (domestic or international).

Children under the age of 2, Cape Verdean passport holders and diplomats arriving on international flights will be exempt from this new fee.

sal cape verde tourism increase

Tourism in Cape Verde continues to increase

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Once again figures for tourism in Cape Verde have shown an increase for the first half of 2018. During the period from January to June there were 383,500 guests recorded in hotels and more than 2.2m overnight stays. The figures represent an increase of about 10% compared with the same period in 2017.

Within those figures it was confirmed that visitors from the United Kingdom formed the majority representing over 25% of the total visitors. Portugal, Germany, France, Belgium and The Netherlands being the next largest in that order. Not only were the highest proportion of visitors from the UK, but they also tended to stay in he country the longest.

Of all the Cape Verde islands, Sal continued to be the most popular island, with Boa Vista second and Santiago coming third. This is perhaps not surprising given that these are the easiest islands to get to from Europe. It is however, a shame that visitors don’t aim to be a little more adventurous and explore some of the other islands, which are all so different in character.

bitxe rotxa beach maio island

Vila do maio beach

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The main beach in Vila do Maio (Porto Inglês) on the island of Maio, is a lovely stretch of soft white sand. The beach is not often very busy, so it makes lovely place to be based for the day. The sea is warm and pleasant for swimming and food and drink are available from Bar Tropikal on the beach. At the right time of day you can see the fishing boats coming in and the fishermen unloading their catch.

fogo mountain sunset

Sunset on the hills of Fogo

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Fogo is an island of contrasts and well worth a visit. The main town of São Felipe is an attractive, busting town with views over to the neighbouring island of Brava. There are wooded areas on the sides of the mountain slope and a National Park on the side of the caldera near Mosteiros. There are also coffee plantations near Mosteiros and guavas, papayas, grapes, oranges, quinces and mangoes are also grown in the area. Then the most unusual of all is a trip to the caldera (volcano crater). There you find a rugged landscape, which could be compared to a moonscape, together with the small houses, some buried by lava in 2014 and also hotel and restaurants. Wine is also produced within the caldera from the vines grown there. Fogo is also a stepping stone to neighbouring Brava.