Cape Verde

An online pre-registration completed at least five days before you arrive, which is also where the airport security fee is paid. It stays valid for a year, or until your passport changes. Canadian passport holders need no tourist visa for stays up to 30 days; the rules for other nationalities changed recently, so we confirm yours in writing before you book.

Santo Antão is why the island is on the itinerary, and its trails are old cobbled paths cut along the valley sides: long, sometimes exposed, more descent than climb. Half a day on your feet with real elevation is the usual shape of a walking day. Tell us your pace when you write and we build the days around it, shorter routes included.

Not this itinerary. São Vicente and Santo Antão are about music, mountains and Creole life rather than resorts, and the postcard beaches of Cape Verde are on Sal and Boa Vista, which are other islands. If you want both, say so and we look at adding days at the end.

Because Santo Antão has no working airport: the crossing from Mindelo is the way in, about an hour, and it can be lively when the trade winds blow. The ferry and every transfer are included in the price.

Portuguese is the official language and Cape Verdean Creole the everyday one; French is widely understood in Mindelo. The escudo is pegged to the euro and euros are accepted in many places, but cards often are not. Carry cash once you leave Mindelo.