Cape Verde: The hidden gem that is about to be on everyone's bucket list

Cape Verde is about to be on everybody’s bucket list this summer. Located 350 miles off the coast of Senegal in West Africa, this necklace of islands remains a relatively hidden gem for British tourists, despite offering guaranteed winter sun without jet-lag — it’s only one hour behind UK time.

125,000 British holidaymakers visited the islands last year, but the vast majority of this rugged country remains undiscovered: most visitors go to the most established beach islands of Sal and Boavista, where all-inclusive resorts reign supreme and the temptation to go exploring can often be trumped by a cocktail.

But more fool them, because there is so much more to do in Cape Verde than sunbathing by the pool. Each island has its own distinct personality, offering the discerning tourist the chance to indulge in everything from hiking to history, snorkelling to sailing, great cuisine and unique culture. While the turquoise waters of the ocean lap mere metres away.

And it’s about to get much easier to visit. EasyJet is set to launch a new direct route from Gatwick to Sal, meaning now is the time to explore all that Cape Verde has to offer.

From culture in Sao Vicente, to nature in Santo Antao and relaxation in Sal. Here’s how to make the most of a week there.

This is the cultural heart of Cape Verde and home to the city of Mindelo – the birthplace of Cape Verde’s most famous musical export, the singer Cesaria Evora, and home to a beautiful sweeping bay whose azure waters practically beg to be swum in.

Once there, make a beeline for The Casamarel (casamarelhotel.com): a tastefully restored 1910 house that has 10 rooms, an on-site restaurant that features many traditional Cape Verdean dishes. The goat’s cheese, which comes fried and served with cane honey, is gorgeous, as is the rooftop pool with its sweeping views of Mindelo. If the Casamarel is full, the Ouril is also a good bet: this is a much larger hotel with two pools and a gym that overlooks the beachfront.

Start the morning at The Casamarel with breakfast (make sure to ask for the baobab juice) before heading to Pastelaria Morabeza, which is hands-down the best pastry shop in town.

Cape Verde was a Portuguese colony for centuries and the islands’ culture and you can taste that influence in the mouth-watering pastel de natas on sale here.

Walk to the Cesaria Evora Museum, where you can learn more about the ‘barefoot diva’ who put Cape Verde’s morna music on the global map. Morna is a traditional Cape Verdean musical style that originated from songs sung by enslaved Africans brought to the islands by Portuguese settlers. The museum displays many of Evora’s old costumes, a selection of her awards and even the ashtray that Evora used.

Evora died in 2011 but her face is everywhere on the islands. She is there on a giant mural behind Mindelo library. She is on T-shirts, badges and magnets sold in the outdoor market near the harbour.

For lunch, head to Cafe Verde, a cosy-cute cafe whose wooden furniture complements its grey-and-white painted walls nicely, and make sure to try the cachupa, a hearty stew made with corn, beans, vegetables, and meat or fish that is the national dish of the islands.

Sao Vicente is also the only island in Cape Verde where you can swim and snorkel with green turtles. Take a car to Sao Pedro beach, where you can go out in a fisherman’s boat to see dozens of turtles so close up that you need to swerve to avoid touching them (which is important etiquette to help preserve the ocean’s biodiversity).

Then it’s time for dinner, and for that, you need a good view of the sunset. Marina Mindelo Club, a lively floating bar and restaurant located on the edge of the marina with beautiful views of the harbour, is the place to be here. Enjoy the sunset with a mojito made from grogue — a rum based drink derived from sugar cane that is hugely popular on the islands.

The next morning, take an early ferry for the scenic hour-long trip to Santo Antao. This is the greenest and most hilly island in Cape Verde and perfect for lovers of nature and hiking.

Start the day with a guided walk from Cova de Paul to Paul Valley. The walk can take around four or five hours and covers 12km as you walk up from the base of a crater, and then down to the green fertile Paul Valley, passing mango, avocado and dragon trees along the way.

Make sure to taste some of the sugar cane and to wear shoes with a decent grip. This walk is quite vertiginous so if you are looking for something less strenuous you can opt to walk from the picturesque fishing village of Cruzinha to Ponta do Sol via a dramatic coastal path.

The highlight of the walk is the village of Fontainhas, a pastel painted wonder that was recently voted as among the prettiest villages in the world. Stop to refuel at Bar Tchu, both for the drinks and the music. The owner is a local musician and with acoustic guitars in the cafe, guests have the chance to grab a guitar and do some impromptu jamming.

In terms of accommodation, Mami Wata Eco Village (mamiwata-ecovillage.com) has to be it. The hotel’s 14 sea view rooms and three villas all have spectacular views of the Atlantic, and all the rooms are named after the builders who helped create them.

Even better, almost all the food served in the restaurant is made from locally-grown produce, while the hotel’s natural swimming pool, surrounded as it is by papaya trees and shocking pink bougainvillea, is an ideal place to rest after a walk.

After scaling the hills of Santo Antao, it’s time for some serious relaxation. So take the ferry back to Sao Vicente and a car to the airport before catching a 50-minute flight to Sal.

Sal is the perfect destination for those wanting to do nothing but sunbathe and swim.

In terms of accommodation, try and get a room at Dunas de Sal (hoteldunasdesal.com), a low-rise hotel with 68 rooms, a decent buffet restaurant and a large swimming pool. It is only a four-minute walk from Santa Maria beach — and while it is possible to spend one’s entire time on the beach or by the pool, there are two must-dos on Sal that it would be criminal not to try.

When it comes to swimming, you have to visit Shark Bay. Hire some beach shoes (3 Euros a pair) and wade into the water with your guide. By the time you are up to your thighs in the water you will see dozens of baby lemon sharks circling around your feet and even swimming between your legs. Adult sharks can reach up to three metres and if you are lucky, you may glimpse their fins above the water in the near distance.

The other must-see are the salt pans of Pedra De Lume — which are located at the base of an extinct volcano, at the lowest point anywhere in Cape Verde.

The town of Pedra de Lume was once an established salt producer, but these days, the main draw is tourism: the water here is the second saltiest in the world after the Dead Sea, so wade in and bob around safe in the knowledge that it’s impossible to sink.

At the end of the day, head for dinner at Soul Kitchen. It’s located on Santa Maria beach, one of the most popular and beautiful in Cape Verde. Soul Kitchen isn’t bad either: the walls and roof of this highly-regarded restaurant are made from palm leaves, and diners can have their bare feet in the sand as they enjoy tagliatelle with eggplant caponata cream and peppers.

Feeling sufficiently relaxed yet? When it’s finally time to head home, it might be with plans to turn around and come straight back at the earliest opportunity. After all, with seven other islands in Cape Verde still unvisited, there is still so much more to see and enjoy of these remarkable islands.