Africa

Cape Verde

Quick facts

  • Full name: Republic of Cabo Verde
  • Capital: Praia
  • Largest city: Praia
  • Official language: Portuguese
  • Area: 4,033 km2
  • Population: 539,560 (2016)
  • Currency: Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) 1 (CVE) = 100 centavo
  • Foreign tourists: 600 thousand (2016)
  • Travel risks and hazards: Crime, dangerous animals.

Cape Verde like most small island nations heavily focuses on tourism. The orientation makes the country provide visitors with a variety of attractions ranging from water activities to incredible leisure resorts and vibrant nightlife and much more. The incredible beaches of Cape Verde are a perfect destination for those enjoying sunbathing.

Traveling info

All visitors traveling to Cape Verde are required to have a valid passport. Entry requirements to Cape Verde are rather lax. Citizens of several African countries including Timor-Leste, Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore enjoy visa-free access to the islands while all other countries may obtain a visa upon arrival. Visitors who wish to drive in Cape Verde may do so, using their national driving permit however an international driving permit is recommended. IDP will make interaction with local police much easier and will also aid visitors in renting a vehicle. Visitors must beware that an IDP does not substitute for the original driving permit and is only a translation of it. Both documents must be with the driver at all times.

Traveling hazards

Cabo Verde has an extensive road system. Asphalt roads previously were relatively uncommon, except for airport connector roads. However, on the islands of Santiago, Sal, and São Vicente, many urban and rural roads are now asphalt. On the other islands; Fogo, Brava, Maio, São Nicolau, and Boa Vista, some roads are still narrow, winding, and mostly cobblestone, though an increasing number of roads are asphalt. Although a clear improvement in terms of the country’s overall transportation infrastructure, the new asphalt roads often lack speed bumps and as a result enables a degree of reckless, high-speed driving previously unseen in Cabo Verde. During the rainy season, cobblestone roads are especially slippery, and mud and rock slides are common on roads that cut through mountains. Houses are often located adjacent to roadways, and drivers must be on the lookout for pedestrians, especially children, as well as herds of livestock. Roads and streets are often unlit, so driving at night is hazardous. Most accidents result from aggressive driving, excessive speed, passing on blind curves, and/or on inclines or declines in the rain. Full-service gas stations are available and quite modern, often with their own convenience stores. Taxis and buses generally offer clean, dependable service on all islands. Bus service in Praia is inexpensive, and most buses are fairly new. Intra island service usually consists of minivans or converted pickup trucks that have benches along the edges of the pickup bed. However, interisland service can be dangerous because some drivers overload their vehicles, exceed the speed limit.

Environmental hazards

The islands of Cape Verde are safe from the large and dangerous animals of the African continent. There are however several smaller animals which might be potentially dangerous to people. Dangerous land creatures are almost exclusively snakes. Despite the distance of Cape Verde from the African coast, some common lethally venomous snakes can be found on the islands. These are the puff adder, the cape cobra, the rinkhals or most venomous of them all the boomslang. All of these can bite and deliver lethal venom however due to the proximity of hospitals and clinics on the islands most bites go without any death toll. Leaving a bite untreated mostly results in death. Apart from snakes, there are no dangerous land creatures in Cape Verde. Since the island’s beaches are very popular with tourists, people make more contact with marine creatures, some of which are potentially dangerous to people. Sea urchins, which can be found in various places around the world are not aggressive and do not attack anyone. The only danger they pose is when they are stepped on. Their long spikes can pierce the skin and most of the time shatter into small pieces which can later infect the wound and have severe consequences. People should not remove the spikes themselves and rather seek medical attention for spike removal. Portuguese man-o’war can be found in Cape Verde. This jellyfish is capable of delivering a sting which causes excruciating pain and may cause pain shock. Sting is very rarely fatal but deaths have been recorded. Shark attacks are rare, in fact, there are 3 records of such incidents and two are dating back to the early 20th century. Such incidents, however, cannot be ruled out and visitors must beware that swimming far offshore may have deadly consequences.
There are different hazards affecting various islands of Cape Verde. Although many of Cape Verde volcanoes are dormant, one is still active and has erupted as recently as 2015. Pico de Fogo is the stratovolcano on the island of Fogo and may erupt anytime. Other islands do not experience volcanic activity however droughts and floods affect them severely. Although droughts occur most often, it is flooding that claims most damage and carries the biggest death toll of all of these natural hazards.

Health hazards

There is no risk of yellow fever in Cape Verde. The government of Cape Verde requires proof of yellow fever vaccination only if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. Apart from the yellow fever vaccination, there are no other required vaccines. There are however several recommended vaccines. These are the routine vaccines aka MMR vaccines, hepatitis A and B, typhoid and rabies vaccines. Unfortunately, there are no vaccinations against malaria or Zika virus. There are however alternative ways to protect against contracting either of these. Since these are transmitted through mosquito bites it is advised to use mosquito repellents and mosquito nets to protect against contracting the disease. There is also medicine on prescription against malaria which should be available after consulting your local general practitioner. Pregnant women are advised to avoid travel as contracting Zika guarantees severe birth defects. Health care facilities are extremely limited in Cape Verde. Expats living on the islands of Santiago and San Vicente can receive basic medical care at the local public hospitals in Praia and Mindelo, respectively. Other islands in Cape Verde have medical clinics, funded by the government, where very basic medical care can be received. The public healthcare system in Cape Verde provides free access to hospitals and medical clinics to all citizens and visitors from overseas. However, the medical care provided in these public facilities is very basic. Due to the increase of tourism on the island of Sal, a private medical clinic has been built in Santa Maria. Designed for foreign patients and staffed by international doctors, the medical clinic provides basic health care services.
In case of an emergency dial 130.

Crime

Both violent and petty crime is on the rise in Cape Verde. Pickpocketing, burglary, and armed robbery are the most common types of crimes encountered by travelers in Praia. Such crimes are typically motivated by financial gain. Criminal activity in Cabo Verde has been fueled, at least in part, by high unemployment and the growing drug trade. Many crimes are perpetrated by groups of youths who are immune from prosecution until they reach 16 years of age. Crimes are becoming more violent. Crimes involving firearms had been rare, however, they have been increasing in frequency. Even though special permission is required in order to possess a firearm, the availability of firearms has grown. There have been reports of victims of being shot during the commission of crimes. There is no risk of terrorism in Cabo Verde. Narcotics are strictly illegal in Cabo Verde however the islands are one of the major routes of smuggling to Europe. Police often lacks sufficient funds to effectively fight the trafficking and distribution within the country.

Summary

Cabo Verde is certainly a place for those who enjoy their outdoor leisure on sandy beaches with turquoise waters. Remember that planning your trip with Travset.com will give you the quickest information about nearest emergency services and will also help you purchase indispensable travel insurance for the trip of your lifetime. Please feel free to comment and share the experiences of your travels with Travset.com.

Sources

(Visa)
https://www.capeverdeislands.org/visa/
(Vaccinations)
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/cape-verde