A CRUISE AROUND THE CAPE VERDE ARCHIPELAGO WITH VARIETY CRUISES
by Petra Shepherd
Cape Verde is a volcanic archipelago of 10 islands located on the West Coast of Africa and there's no better way to explore them than by boat. The former Portuguese colony and slave trade outpost is a fascinating country that packs in an incredible amount of diversity, offering a spellbinding blend of African and Portuguese influences in their architecture, food, customs and traditions. No two islands are the same, each offering widely different experiences and vibes ranging from volcanoes to desert dunes and wide deserted beaches, verdant valleys and lush hills.
I'm cruising with Variety Cruises on board the 49-passenger yacht Harmony V to get some much-needed winter sun. The Harmony V is a sleek, 179-foot mega-yacht with 25 outside-view cabins offering an intimate, upscale yachting experience. The Cruise starts at Sal, Cape Verde's most popular island renowned for year-round sunshine and white sand beaches. I've visited Sal before and found very little to do there, other than just fly and flop at an all-inclusive hotel. I'd therefore always had an itch to explore what the other islands had to offer and Variety Cruises Cape Verde Cruise was the ideal way to do it.
The thing with a small boat cruise is to be relaxed, always go with the flow and be aware that the itinerary may well change. The Atlantic Ocean was extremely rough, properly rockin' and rolling for the duration of our cruise and whilst navigating yourself around the deck was good for your core muscles, it wasn’t so good for the captain and itinerary. Sadly, we missed out on our first port of call Boa Vista, home to Sahara-like desert dunes and stretches of white sand lapped by turquoise waters and headed straight to Santiago.
There's a big focus on excursions on this cruise and I'd recommend taking as many as your budget allows. The islands are not easy to explore independently and unlike a Greek island cruise, there's not a lot to see and do in the small ports the ship moors up in. Santiago is the largest island in Cape Verde known for its African-influenced Creole culture and home to the capital Praia, the beating heart of the island. This was the most African and authentic of the islands, a world away from the mass market resorts on Sal. I loved the colourful market, the vibrant and edgy street art (the latter can be found throughout Cape Verde) but above all a sobering visit to Cidade Velha. Half an hour away from the capital, Cidade Velha, a UNESCO world heritage site (formerly called Ribeira Grande) was the first capital of Cape Verde and is where slaves were once sold to America. Here we visited the fortress of Sao Filipe, the Church of Nossa Senhora do Rosario (one of the oldest colonial churches in the world) and strolled the cutely named "Rua de Banana"
It was my birthday on the cruise and as memorable birthday experiences go, having lunch literally inside a volcanic caldera was up there with the best. Fogo (the Island of Fire) has perhaps Cape Verde's number one attraction and absolute must see, Pico do Fogo. Pico do Fogo, a single giant black active volcano (it last erupted in 2014 and 2015) stands at 2,829 metres and is the highest peak in Cape Verde. It's every child's image of a volcano and is Cape Vere's most photographed site, dominating every view and didn't disappoint.
We visited one of the two villages destroyed in the eruption, 98% of the houses, schools, restaurants and hotels were destroyed and enjoyed a typically Cape Verdean home cooked lunch at Marisas whilst admiring the incredible volcanic landscape. The traditional Chas da Caldeiras wine and the local red wine, known as Manecon were also pretty special. The excursion starts at San Filipe, an extremely picturesque small town, where immediately you feel you're transported to Portugal. There's the Nossa Senhora da Conceicao Church, a typically blue-coloured Catholic church and all manner of colonial buildings, spilling over the streets in a riot of colour.
Sao Vincente is the one island that you can easily leave the ship and walk to restaurants, bars and beaches. Mindelo, the island’s capital and port also has the prettiest crescent shaped harbour and more importantly for this aquaphile, a gorgeous white sand beach with calm, azure water a mere 5-minute walk from the dock. Unlike Variety Cruises Mediterranean cruises, on the Cape Verde Island hop, it's not possible to swim from the boat (it's just too rough and dangerous) and there are consequently no swimming stops. However, if like me you're dying for a dip, then Mindelo is the place.
On the island tour there were photo opportunities a plenty, from the incredible view from the Natural Park Monte Vere (the highest point of the island at 744 metres) to the vast, golden sand dunes along the Northeast Coast Road. Mindelo is also the birth place of Cesária Évora (1941–2011) known as the "Barefoot Diva" for performing without shoes. She bought the traditional, melancholic morna music to international fame and an island tour includes a visit to her grave.
One of the key selling points of a Cape Verde cruise is the diversity of landscape with each island having a distinct personality, none more so than Santo Antao, a green jewel amongst the islands. A Santo Antao tour showcases the striking contrast between the arid southern region, the forested highlands and the lush vegetation in the North. Here, we saw sugar cane plantations and visited a home distillery to taste "grogue”, the traditional Cape Verdean sugarcane spirit, recognised as the national drink. The highly potent tipple was not to everyone's taste but wrapped up perfectly a particularly scenic island tour.
With Boa Vista of the agenda, we had the opportunity to fit in another island and one of the lesser visited ones. A tapestry of rugged mountains and verdant valleys, Sao Nicolau is a nature lover's paradise and home to the famous "Dragon Blood Trees”. The large and prehistoric looking tree is one of the oldest species that exists and is almost extinct. So named for the deep, crimson red, sap-like resin it produces when its bark is cut. This thick, blood-like substance, known as "dragon’s blood," has been prized since ancient times for use in medicines, dyes, varnishes, and ritual magic. Whilst Praia has a distinctly African feel, Sao Nicolau's historic, colourful capital Ribeira Brava is straight out of the med, all cobbled squares, cafes and colonial buildings. The whole town evokes a deep sense of calm and was a restful place to while away a few hours before our final tumultuous sea crossing.
I'd so enjoyed a Variety Cruise around the Cyclades Islands back in August and therefore was thrilled to be invited back on board a Variety ship. Rather than dealing with the unknown, it was all comfortably familiar. "No Stress " is the unofficial national motto and lifestyle philosophy of Cape Verde, embodying a "no rush" approach to life and was also perfectly adopted by the amazing crew on Harmony V who handled the heavy seas and changes in itinerary with ease.
While the experience on board a variety ship was similar with a mix of a la carte and buffet meals, welcome drinks and Captain's dinner, a sun deck to soak up some much-needed vitamin D and friends made and stories shared, the Cape Verde cruise couldn't have been more different, it was a proper adventure. Folklore says that the 10 islands were created by God after creating the earth and dusting off his fingers. the dust fell into the Atlantic Ocean forming these 10 beautiful islands. A cruise around Cape Verde opened up a vibrant and colourful world and was a memorable way to explore the unique blend of African and Portuguese cultures carried here on the trade winds
Petra Shepherd March 2026 Picture credits Petra Shepherd and variety Cruises
Factfile
Petra travelled to Sal, Cape Verde with EasyJet https://www.easyjet.com/en/ and was a guest of Variety Cruises
For more information and to book visit https://www.varietycruises.com/
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