Visit Cape Verde | The Next Crossing

Why visit Cape Verde? Cape Verde is more than its beach resorts on the islands of Sal and Boa Vista. Its islands, with their diverse microclimates, boast varying habitats serving many species of plants and animals. Its unique geography is home to both endemic and imported life forms. We also experienced varying types of deserts and rainforests, going from one island to the next.

Fogo Island, volcano, sunrise, Atlantic Ocean, Cape Verde — View of the Fogo volcano, across the Atlantic Ocean from Brava, just after sunrise

Charles Darwin Visited Cape Verde, Too

The islands were known to me due to their significant presence in Charles Darwin’s notebooks. They were featured in the first chapter of The Voyage of the Beagle. Notably, it was his comparison of flora and fauna between the islands of Cape Verde and the Galapagos that led to one of the keystones in his development of the Theory of Evolution.

Terra Boa, Sal Island, fata morgana, desert — The desert of Terra Boa, where most island tours of Sal will take you, to view the fata morgana

Being previously uninhabited, the islands’ fascinating history and culture began with their colonisation by the Portuguese in the 15th century. The UNESCO heritage town of Cidade Velha on Santiago Island is the first permanent European settlement in the tropics. Its long history as a Portuguese colony, with its tortured past as a key port along the trans-Atlantic slave trade route, has resulted in the island’s unique culture, which reflects its mixed African and Portuguese roots.

Brava Island, old house, papaya tree — An old abandoned house on Brava, overgrown with vegetation and several papaya trees

Sitting at a cafe in Ponta Do Sol, on the island of Santo Antão, listening to Morna played by a trio of musicians (the song was about the smell of a burning tyre being mistaken for a roasting pig), I asked our guide about the origins of Cape Verdean music and culture. “It all began here”, she told us. “When we arrived, there was nothing, and we had nothing. Everything started with us.”

Fajã de Agua, Brava Island, Cape Verde, old house — Houses in the fishing village of Fajã de Àgua, on Brava

Definitely More than Sun, Surf and Sand

Despite its rich culture and geography, island destinations, unfortunately, have most of their marketing done by resorts offering all-inclusive holidays with promises of cheap sunshine. For many, Cape Verde does not extend beyond the beaches on the island of Sal and the private pools of their resorts. The irony is that, just a little further, beyond the Martin Parr-esque dioramas on its beaches, there are breathtaking worlds that seem almost lost in time.