About Cape Verde

Sara and John say...

Sitting some 500 miles off the coast of West Africa, this collection of islands has a unique climate - uniquely popular to the many thousands of tourists it attracts each year!

Lying well and truly within the tropics, it’s warm, but also dry. The persistent trade winds that blow from the northeast across the relatively cool ocean provide a boon to windsurfers and kitesurfers, especially across the more northern Barlavento (or Windward) Islands during the period from December to June.

The more southern Sotavento Islands receive most of the rain that’s on offer, with the period from July to November being the wettest and most humid. But even then, wet days are relatively rare. The islands further north, meanwhile, are very arid indeed.

So for much of the year, sunny skies and a constant breeze prevail. Temperatures at the capital, Praia, range between the mid-20s Celsius at the beginning of the year, to near 30 degrees between August and October. The northern islands are a little cooler, especially on rare cloudy days. But occasionally, much hotter, dustier winds can blow directly from the Sahara across the Cape Verde Islands.

Very occasionally, remnant hurricanes can brush close to the more southern islands, mostly in the period from August to October; but damaging wind and rainfall are rare.

Enjoy Cape Verde, but don’t let the constant cooling breeze fool you. The sun is extremely strong at any time of year. Sunscreen is essential.