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Original post

Nonorigole

RegularLiffré · 114 posts

2025-02-01

Hello,

I just booked the flight tickets for two people. We arrive on July 21st in the afternoon in São Vicente and will leave again on August 11th from Praia.

I was thinking of staying around 4 days in Mindelo to explore São Vicente using shared aluguers. Then take the boat to Santo Antão, stay there for about five days to do different hikes, staying in Ponta do Sol. After that, it gets a bit tricky—we’ll return by boat to São Vicente to reach São Nicolau. I wanted to know when the ferry leaves in terms of days and times? Or the plane? We’ll stay there for about four days, then take the ferry or plane to Santiago. Same question—what days does the ferry leave and at what time? Or the plane? Finally, we’ll end our trip in Santiago; I’m thinking of staying in Tarrafal. I also wanted to know where in São Vicente we can exchange euros for Cape Verdean escudos. I was planning to use shared aluguers for all our travel.

Thanks in advance for your answers—I’ll probably have more questions later. Nolwenn

Ptitortue Veteran ·2025-02-24

Hi Nolwenn, For ferries, check out the CV Interilhas website. For flights, it's on the Cabo Verde Airlines site. But I doubt the schedules are already posted for July yet—you’ll probably need to wait a little longer.

For exchanging money in São Vicente, there are several banks: BCA, BCN, BAI, Caixa Económica, etc. There’s also a currency exchange office at the Porto Novo dock on Santo Antão (at the bottom of the escalators), plus other banks on that island. Just be prepared to be patient sometimes!

Have a great trip

Faites que le rêve dévore votre vie afin que la vie ne dévore pas votre rêve.

TE Texavery ·2025-03-09

Hi there, Actually, for flights it's the Cabo Verde Airlines website, but I can't manage to pay for the inter-island ticket I'm trying to buy. I've tried twice, and each time the payment fails. Yet my account is properly funded :-) I've sent two emails to the airline but no response. Does anyone have any ideas?

As a result, I'm looking for an alternative. The ferry between Santiago and Santo Antão... it's quite long, but the trip seems to be overnight. Are there any berths?

Thanks!

Ptitortue Veteran ·2025-03-09

Hi Sophie, Maybe try a little trick to see if it works better. It’s just an idea, but who knows? Right at the start, when you open the Cabo Verde Airlines homepage, in the top right corner, choose the price in CVE (Cape Verdean escudos) instead of euros (EUR). At least it doesn’t offer the same payment card options, so who knows... let us know if it works... or not! ;O) Some ferries have cabins (for a higher price, of course), but not all ferries on the routes do. But I can tell you it’s no picnic—it’s often pretty rough, and a lot of people get seasick.... In any case, you’ll have to stop in São Vicente and switch ferries to Santo Antão (those ones don’t have cabins). Marie

Faites que le rêve dévore votre vie afin que la vie ne dévore pas votre rêve.

NO Nonorigole Regular ·2025-03-10

Hi there,

You have to call them—you can buy the domestic flights that way. That’s what I did because the Cape Verde Airlines website wasn’t working for me either.

Nolwenn

TE Texavery ·2025-04-09

Hi there, Thanks for your tips. I had to put the project on hold for a while, but tonight I’m trying again—and it worked!!! It finally worked like a charm :)

Noirenvoyage Regular ·2025-04-11

Hi there,

I hope you're doing well. To get around between the islands by ferry, you can check the schedules on the CV Interilhas website, but keep in mind that delays or cancellations can happen. For domestic flights, you can also fly with BestFly, which connects the main islands. For more remote islands, ferries are available, particularly with CV Interilhas, though their frequency and reliability often depend on the weather.

You’ll find more practical info about Cape Verde here

Voyager Autrement est Possible Un Voyage à votre image Voyages en immersion et éco-responsables

Ptitortue Veteran ·2025-04-14

Hi Tega, I’d like to make an important correction: BestFly has not operated in Cape Verde for a year now. For domestic flights, it’s now exclusively with Cabo Verde Airlines. You might want to update your blog. Marie

Faites que le rêve dévore votre vie afin que la vie ne dévore pas votre rêve.

Noirenvoyage Regular ·2025-04-14

Thanks for the info—I was there in February 2024. This happened just after I left!

Voyager Autrement est Possible Un Voyage à votre image Voyages en immersion et éco-responsables

Ptitortue Veteran ·2025-04-15

Hi there, Yes, things evolve and change *very* quickly here. Transport, but also hotels/guesthouses or restaurants that open or close at lightning speed! By the way, on blogs it’s always a good idea to clearly note the date of your trip (maybe you already do that on yours—I didn’t pay attention). So, yeah, between roughly March and May there were *huge* issues with BestFly (delays, complete cancellations without notice and without rebooking people), then Cabo Verde Airlines was allowed to resume domestic flights, and BestFly threw in the towel, leaving a lot of travelers stranded and without refunds. It caused quite a mess here. Marie

Faites que le rêve dévore votre vie afin que la vie ne dévore pas votre rêve.

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Questions about inter-island transport and currency exchange in Cape Verde

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