Cape Verde

Yachting in Cape VerdeDescription of

destinationThe Cape Verde

Islands are located in the southern part of the North Atlantic. The Cape Verde archipelago consists of 10 islands and 5 smaller islands. The capital is also the port city, Praia, which means beach and is located on the island of Santiago. The president is the head of state and the official language is Portuguese.

A great interest is that the average age of the local people is 21 years. This is for an obvious reason - families here have maybe 10 children! You'll find them everywhere. As schooling is compulsory here, you will see them in decent school uniforms.

If you go to these African islands, be sure to set aside 14 days for your cruise. You will have the peace of mind to do so and all the islands are worth exploring. Cape Verde is for more experienced sailors, it's more

ocean sailing than splashing around on calm waters.

The

sandy beach of Santa Maria on the island of SalWeather

and climate

Cape Verde's climate is very dry and hot. The landscape is often desert-like and struggles with water scarcity. All the islands are volcanic, but only on Fogo Island is the Pico do Fogo volcano still active.

If you choose to cruise these magical islands, beware of the strong trade winds

, which normally blow around 30 knots.

Current weather

IslandsSantiagoSantiago

is Cape Verde's largest island and most important agricultural centre. The capital of the whole islands, Praia, is located here, where you will also find the international airport. It is home to the largest percentage of the entire population of the Cape Verde Islands.

In the interior of this island you will find the Serra da Malagueta National Park with the highest mountain of the island, Pico da Antónia.

View of Tarrafal beach on Santiago IslandGastronomyGuess

what the

most popular food here is? You guessed right, it's fish. The best are the half-cheese tuna steaks and servers. It's definitely better to eat them in local restaurants - they're not as dry as they often are in hotels. The national dish is kachupa - crushed corn and beans of all colours. Other ingredients are anything you can think of. From bananas to pork to pumpkin.