Known for providing entertaining, practical and inspirational information, the Travel Channel presents an objective perspective on Europe’s hottest new destination: the Cape Verde islands.
You can see the videos here:
Sights and Sounds of Cape Verde – part 1
Sights and Sounds of Cape Verde – part 2
Cape Verde is this year's number one destination according to Expedia, beating other popular destinations such as Paris, New York and even Morocco, Vietnam, Bulgaria and Cape Town.
Expedia, one of the largest internet-based holiday companies, has declared that Cape Verde will be the number one holiday destination in 2007. Cape Verde proved to be Expedia's customers' top choice thanks to its beautiful landscape, superb white sandy beaches, year-round sunshine and Creole style culture.
Expedia’s Marketing Director comments:
“This year’s list reveals that more and more people are exploring niche destinations and becoming more adventurous with their holiday choices. Our customers prefer to head off the beaten track rather than continue to go back to traditional tourist hot spots. We hope this list will give travellers holiday inspiration to let themselves go and experience new places and cultures in 2007.”
Expedia's Top 10 Destinations for 2007:
About two years ago travel journalists predicted that the Cape Verde islands could be the next big tourist destination hotspot. And they were not far from the truth. Ever since Cape Verde was featured on BBC Holiday Destinations, the archipelago is being discovered by UK and Ireland tourists. And they are not only coming for a one-time vacation, they are buying property and land too.
Once only known by Portuguese and Italian investors, Cape Verde is an emerging market with massive investment potential. With such assets as stunning sceneries, beautiful white sandy beaches, year long sun and great location (only 3 hours from Lisbon or 5.5 hour direct flights from the UK - no jetlag) the islands are a true tropical paradise just next door.
There are wonderful investment opportunities in Cape Verde, from property to land investments, but the rapidly growing demand in Europe (especially in the UK and Ireland) for the purchase of investment and holiday property and land in Cape Verde are bound to turn the market around into a sellers market. The time for action is now. If you are interested in properties and developments for sale abroad you should really check the Cape Verdean market.
Brava is the smallest of the inhabited islands of the archipelago of Cape Verde. Being a rare combination of three qualities, colourful, small and beautiful, Brava is also known as the island of flowers. The climate’s freshness and humidity encourages the growth of an unusual abundant vegetation.
Vila de Nova Sintra, the island’s capital, is rich in dream houses and beautiful gardens filled with flowers. The famous Fonte Vinagre, a thermal spa of acidic mineral water with medicinal effects lies nearby the town.
Fajã d’Agua is the name of the sheltered bay which harbours boats in stormy weather. The marine blue of the sea contrasts deeply with the surrounding luxuriously green vegetation, making it an amazing scenery. The bay also provides unrivalled conditions for fishing sports, and is an essential site to be seen.
The island’s abundant beauty makes it a pleasure to wander through its terrain, in search of hidden locations which shelter tiny, but very welcoming populations.
Cape Verde strengthens its position as a top new tourist destination by participating in numerous tourism fairs across Europe. According to news site A Semana online:
In addition to Lisbon and Madrid, Cape Verde will also be represented at the Milan Tourism Fair, the Berlin Tourism Fair, the Deauville Top Resa and the London World Tourism Market.
CI also highlights the importance of the opening of Praia International Airport, which has facilitated access to tourist “products” from the islands of Santiago, Fogo, Brava and Maio, including eco-tourism, religious and rural tourism, business travelling, etc.
This growth accompanies the dynamic of the Cape Verde’s transformation process and includes new airports, new ports of entry for tourists into the country. The concentration of entries that began with Sal is becoming diluted, and in a few years we’ll have various points of entry for investments and tourists in Cape Verde.
The company will operate daily flights between the archipelago’s three largest islands – Santiago, Sal and Sao Vicente – and will run four weekly flights to Boavista Island and two flights per week between Sal and Fogo islands.
On a clear day, this mountainous island of rugged terrain and unique beauty, offers views of the rest of the archipelago.
Visitors to the island may discover the town of Ribeira Brava, filled with many squares, narrow streets and alleyways, a typical example of colonial influence. The school-seminary is an essential site to visit, along with the parish church and the ancient Sé Catedral (Sé Cathedral). The seminary was the first secondary school in Cape Verde and the entire Western coast of Africa.
The town on Tarrafal is renowned for its beach of black sand, rich in titanium and iodine, and visited by many people in search from relief from physical pains, such as rheumatism.
The bountiful sea that surrounds S. Nicolau attracts fishing lovers from around the world, who always marvel at the abundance of swordfish, blue marlin and other typical species of the region.
Boavista is an island of sand dunes, a truly tropical paradise of unique beauty. The long stretches of sand nested against the blue sea, warm currents through-out the year, quiet sand dunes, date palms and acacias dominate the landscape. The beaches in Boavista are amongst the finest in the world and offer ideal conditions for water sports.
The island is also known as the “breeding ground of musicians". In fact the best example of national music was born in Boavista: the morna. Street music and serenades are an integral part of the islander’s way of life.
The northernmost island of the archipelago is renowned for its jagged mountain peaks and deep valleys.
When arriving at the island by boat, you will first be met by the arid scenery of the Porto Novo city, but once the journey begins towards Ribeira Grande the lanscape changes radically, opening into the luxurious vegetation of the valleys.
Important sites to visit are the valley of Paúl - one of the most beautiful in the island -, and the town which lies stretched out against the sea, next to the airport, Ponta de Sol, that has amazing examples of colonial architecture.
Santo Antão is also renowned as the island of grog, a characteristic Cape Verdian brandy which is still made today by traditional methods of grinding the sugar cane.
With a surface area of about 227 km2, this island is endowed with very distinctive features and is the place to go to enjoy the night life, Cape Verde style. Mindelo is the island's capital and its famous for its beautiful clear water bay.
Monte Cara is the main landmark of the city and of the island as a whole.
Must see sites: Fortim do Rei (the King's Fort), Baia das Gatas (Bay of cats), beach of Calhau among others.
Home to the capital city in Cape Verde, Praia, it has 991 square kilometers of area and is home to half the nation's population. It belongs to the Sotavento group of islands. Santiago, as most Cape Verdian islands, is volcanic in origin and very mountainous.
The City of Praia has doubled its size in the last years, growing in importance, not only within Cape Verde but also in a regional and international context. The accommodation facilities have been keeping up with this tendency, and Praia has doubled its accommodation capacity in the last years. More touristic developments are in course.
The main touristic points in the island are the Cidade Velha, the old city, and Tarrafal, where you can enjoy the most fabulous beaches.
Cape Verde is located in the western Africa, and consists in in a group of ten islands, where nine are inhabited. They country is divided into two groups of islands. The Barlavento group consists of the following islands: Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal and Boavista. The Sotavento group, more to the South, consists of this islands: Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava. Cabo Verde has a population of about half a milion people living in the country.
The official language is Portuguese but Creole (a mixture of Portuguese and West African words) is spoken more often. The currency is the Escudo Caboverdiano.
The commerce is open all week days from 8:00h to 19:00h (lunch break from 12:30h to 15:00h) and on Saturdays from 9:00h. to 13:00h. Some supermarkets work Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
Crime rates are low, but still be aware of your belongings. The emergency number is 132.
There are 2 major airports in Cape Verde, one in Sal, and another one in Santiago. Between the islands transportation is possible by plane or boat, being that almost all islands have airports.
Cape Verde’s climate is temperate all year round, with a warm, dry summer.
Welcome to "Cape Verde - Land of Morabeza". This blog purpose is to divulge and promote Cape Verde, a country rich in culture and breathtaking landscapes. Here I'll show you beautiful sceneries and landscapes, take you on a voyage through Cape Verdian culture - art, music, events, etc. -, and give you also some tips and useful information when traveling to the islands. Enjoy your stay!
