Getting There & Away
Flying is the only realistic option for getting to and from Cape Verde. There are infrequent sea services, but they'll probably end up costing as much as a plane ticket. There are regular flights from Lisbon and less frequent flights from other European centres

Getting Around
There's a network of expensive internal flights between the islands; between Praia, Mindelo and Sal there are flights at least once daily.

Travel on the islands is by bus or truck. Taxis are generally very expensive and there aren't many of them. You can rent cars on São Tiago, Fogo, São Vicente and Sal. You'll need an international driver's licence; driving is on the right

Currency: Escudo Caboverdiano

Culture
The vestiges of Portuguese culture are much more evident than those of African culture, although this is less true on São Tiago Island, which has a significant number of people of African ancestry. Most people in Cape Verde are creole; about a quarter are of African descent.

Portuguese is the official language. People also speak Crioulo, an Africanised Creole Portuguese. For its tiny size, Cape Verde has produced a wealth of literature. The works written prior to independence focused on liberation and were mainly in Crioulo. Postindependence, the themes expanded to include the mass emigration from the islands by the 'Americanos' (those Cape Verdeans who've gone to the Americas) and racial discrimination. Some writers, such as Kaoberdiano Dambara, continue to write in Crioulo, while others, such as Onésimo Silveira, write in Portuguese, the dominant literary tongue.

Cape Verde is home to a variety of musical styles. One of the most popular is the foot-stomping funana, a dance beat popular in Praia and other cities and towns; morna, the national songform, typically slow, moody and in a minor key; and coladeira, a fast-moving, fluffy style of dance music.

When to Go
The best time to visit Cape Verde is from August to October, when the weather is pleasantly warm, though the winds are pretty stiff year round, so bring a windcheater. The rest of the year is much cooler