The Cape Verde islands look alike on a map but feel like different countries: flat desert islands with long beaches, green mountain islands with terraced valleys and a volcano that last erupted in 2014. This comparison of all ten helps you choose, with the honest trade-offs of each and how easy it is to get there. For combining islands, see ferries and flights between the islands.
Sal Cape Verde's busiest beach island: Santa Maria, the Pedra de Lume salt crater, Buracona, Shark Bay, the wind and the all-inclusives. 
Boa Vista Cape Verde's island of dunes and long empty beaches: Sal Rei, Chaves and Santa Mónica, the Viana desert, the 1968 wreck and nesting turtles. 
Santiago Cape Verde's biggest and most African island: Cidade Velha, Praia, the mountains of Serra Malagueta, Assomada market and Tarrafal. 
São Vicente & Mindelo Mindelo's music, Cesária Évora and Carnival, the beaches of Baía das Gatas and São Pedro, Monte Verde and the ferry to Santo Antão. 
Santo Antão Cape Verde's hiking island: the Paul valley, the Cova crater, Ponta do Sol and the coast path, reached by ferry from Mindelo. 
Fogo Climbing Pico do Fogo, the village inside the caldera after the 2014-15 eruption, lava-grown wine, São Filipe and how to get there. 
Maio, São Nicolau & Brava Cape Verde's three quietest inhabited islands: Maio's empty beaches, São Nicolau's mountains and green Brava, and how to reach them. The archipelago falls into two groups: the Barlavento (windward) islands in the north, Santo Antão, São Vicente, Santa Luzia, São Nicolau, Sal and Boa Vista, and the Sotavento (leeward) islands in the south, Maio, Santiago, Fogo and Brava. The more useful split for a holiday is between the flat, dry eastern islands, built for beaches, and the high, mountainous ones, built for walking. The weather differs too: the high islands catch more cloud and rain, while Sal and Boa Vista stay dry; see the Cape Verde climate island by island.
Sal is the easiest choice and the most visited: the most international flights, a 20-minute transfer to the resorts, and a real town, Santa Maria, with restaurants and bars. The landscape is flat and stony, the wind is constant and the main beach is busy. Boa Vista has bigger, emptier beaches, the dunes of the Viana desert and some of the most important loggerhead turtle nesting beaches in the Atlantic, but its resorts are more isolated and there is less to do outside them.
Maio is the quiet alternative: long beaches, a small town and almost no large hotels, but few flights and ferries.
Santo Antão has the best walking in the country, with deep green valleys and paths along the north coast; there is no airport, so you take the ferry of about an hour from Mindelo. Fogo is a single volcano: you can climb Pico do Fogo from the village in the caldera and taste wine grown on the lava. São Nicolau has quiet mountain trails and few visitors, and Brava, the smallest inhabited island, is green, steep and reached only by sea from Fogo, so crossings can be cancelled in rough weather; both are covered in our guide to Maio, São Nicolau and Brava.
Mindelo on São Vicente is the most attractive town in Cape Verde, with colonial buildings, a busy harbour, live music and the best-known Carnival; it is the natural base for Santo Antão. Santiago is the largest and most populous island. Its capital, Praia, is a working city rather than a resort, but the island has Cidade Velha, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the inland mountains and the beach at Tarrafal.
Santa Luzia, the tenth island, is an uninhabited nature reserve between São Vicente and São Nicolau.
A first week works best on one beach island. With ten days or more, pair Sal or Boa Vista with São Vicente and Santo Antão, or Santiago with Fogo. Inter-island flights and ferries are limited and often delayed, so allow slack and a spare day before your flight home. For hotels on each island, see where to stay, and for the right season, the best time to visit.
Ten main islands, of which nine are inhabited; Santa Luzia is an uninhabited nature reserve. There are also several small islets.
Sal is the easiest first choice, with the most flights, short transfers and a lively town; Boa Vista suits those who want bigger, quieter beaches.
Sal has more restaurants, excursions and nightlife and a walkable town; Boa Vista has larger, emptier beaches, dunes and turtle nesting, but its resorts are more isolated.
Santo Antão, reached by ferry from Mindelo on São Vicente, has the best trails; Fogo is the choice for climbing a volcano, and São Nicolau for quiet mountain walks.
Suits first-time visitors who want an overview of Sal with a certified local guide rather than planning each stop. The tour takes about seven hours, so allow most of the day.
from €35 per person
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A guided drive around Sal for travellers who prefer an open vehicle to a coach. A local guide covers the island's landscapes, natural sights and everyday culture in Cape Verde.
from €29.99 per person
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A varied half-day on Boa Vista for visitors who like a mix of wildlife, landscapes and a little activity, finishing with a tasting. The tour lasts about four hours.
from €58 per person
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Cross Boa Vista on a cobbled track to a nature reserve with a beach and a huge old baobab, then visit a lighthouse and colourful villages. Drive of about 1 hour each way, with photo stops; minimum 3 people.
from €40 per person
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A full-day circuit of Santiago for travellers who want food and drink tastings plus a beach stop at Tarrafal. The tour lasts about 7.5 hours.
from €45 per person
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Guided visit combining Cabo Verde's capital with Cidade Velha, the first European-built town in the tropics. A good fit for a short stay on Santiago and an introduction to the island's history.
from €49 per person
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For animal lovers who want to give something back during a stay in Cape Verde. Helps dogs and cats cared for by Simabo and shows parts of the island most visitors miss.
from €15.39 per person
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A coastal walk between volcanic rock and ocean, with a village viewpoint at Fontainhas and a picnic at Praia das Aranhas. Swimming there depends on sea conditions.
from €78 per person
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Prices are indicative and may change. The final price is shown by the booking platform. Prices checked: October 22, 2026.
