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Islands have a habit of popping up in the most unexpected of places - and Cape Verde is no exception. Setting sail from West Africa on a transatlantic jaunt to the Caribbean, don't be surprised to find this defiant cluster of volcanic pimples suddenly intruding on your daydreams of palm trees and piña coladas.
[IMAGE1] The Cape Verde Islands sprawl across 58,000km2 of lonely Atlantic, some 620km west of Senegal. The ten islands and five islets that comprise the group are arid and windswept (15th century mariners named them after the verdant coast of Senegal beyond the horizon). None were inhabited before 1462 and even today the population is just 440,000. Interestingly, more Cape Verdeans live in Europe and America than in Cape Verde itself. These are islands where drought and unemployment have given a harsh spin to the phrase "island escape". That's not to say, however, that Cape Verde is somewhere everyone should be trying to escape from. Quite the opposite.
Rugged and far-flung, they will inspire even the most weary of globetrotting hikers. Trails probe every corner of the islands, from a scramble through the volcanic bedlam of 2829m-Mt Fogo to an amble along cobbled tracks in the mountains of Sà£o Nicolau. Alternatively, divers can sink to new depths, exploring rarely-visited wrecks and a surreal seascape of caves and canyons. Topside, there is some serious surfing where adrenaline addicts can ride heavyweight swells, born and bred in the south Atlantic.
There's more to Cape Verde, though, than simply adventure. The islands are renowned for several species of endemic wildlife, including the pride of every tick list - the Raso lark. And, for a different kind of twitching, Cape Verde also boasts a lively and evocative music and dance scene. Rhythms are neither purely African, nor American or European. Like the islands from which they pulse, they are somewhere in between.
Cape Verde: FactFile
WHEN TO GO
Following rains between July and October, the islands are at their greenest, although from December to March winds can disrupt flight schedules. The Mardi Gras festival takes place in Sà£o Vincente during February.
GETTING THERE
Cape Verde Airlines operate year-round flights from Amsterdam, Lisbon and Paris to the island of Sal (with additional seasonal departures from other European cities). There is also a regular service from Dakar to Sà£o Tiago and from New York to Sal.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotels ranging from budget to upmarket are found throughout the archipelago. On popular hiking islands like Santo Antao and Fogo, rural homestays are also available.
FIND OUT MORE
Cape Verde Islands (Bradt, 2001) |
