Arriving in Cabo Verde during World Cup celebrations, Ros Freeman finds a dry, windswept island nation full of warmth, football pride, salt flats, lemon sharks and an irresistible commitment to taking life slowly.
How can you not love a country whose motto is 'No Stress'? Arriving in Cabo Verde we were greeted with fluttering flags and smiles as wide as faces would allow. There are two significant days of celebration in Cabo Verde: National Independence Day and the day we arrived, the day that Cabo Verde faced World Cup giants Argentina . . . and really gave them a scare!
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| Santa Maria, on the island of Sal |
Until a few months ago no-one had heard of Cabo Verde. Cabo Verde? Where's that? This tiny island nation hit the headlines in May 2026 when M.V. Hondius was stranded off the coast, due to a deadly outbreak of hantavirus. There were fears of an epidemic. The ship continued to the Canary Islands then to Holland.
The next time Cabo Verde appeared in the news the reasons were joyful. There was a sense of euphoria amongst Cabo Verdeans when their country debuted in the World Cup, even making it to the second round.
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| Where is Cabo Verde? |
Flying into Cabo Verde, the first thing you notice is that it isn't very verde at all. It isn't even a cape. Had the pilot taken a wrong turn? The passengers didn't seem perturbed, so we must be on course. The name Cabo Verde was originally given to the west coast of Senegal, and then for lack of a better choice the island nation was bestowed that name. Cape Brown, after all, doesn’t have quite the same appeal!
The country is a brace of ten islands and five islets. The archipelago was once a volcano. Total area is 4000 square kilometres, population 500,000. It was uninhabited until the 15th century when, during the Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers first arrived. The islands were considered ideal for crop production. Slaves from west Africa were brought across to work the land. Crops were planted; however the arid conditions weren’t favourable. There is little rainfall, no rivers and frequent droughts. Cabo Verde is one of the world’s driest countries. It relies on desalination plants for its fresh water.
There’s a sense of excitement around town. Football fever was in the air. Many footballs were in the air too. Children, teenagers and adults were playing the game on the cobbled streets of Santa Maria. That evening eyes were glued to screens around the township. It was a nail-biting game, one-all, two-all, but finally Argentina won. The following day the mood was still elevated. The little nation of Cabo Verde had shown the world its might.
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| 1% Chance, 99% Faith |
Cabo Verde is the perfect destination to unwind. There’s little to do here, which suited my travel pal Tee and myself. We meandered down town and along the beach. Tourism is Cabo Verde’s main income stream. Quality hotels and resorts line the beach, with more being constructed. The country is politically stable and has one of the highest qualities of life in west Africa. However, due to famine and lack of water more Cabo Verdeans live abroad than on the actual islands. They are located mainly in the United States and Portugal.
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| Harvesting salt |
One day we toured the island of Sal. Things are never as you’d expect. Danny, our guide, arrived and beckoned us to his Ute. ‘Do you want inside or outside?’ Fortunately, we had a choice. As we bumped along the cobbled roads, I tossed a thought to the four in the back of Ute, shaken and stirred. Sal is very barren and, as its name reflects, is known for its salt. Salt water rises, evaporates, leaving salt deposits. The island has its own Dead Sea, where you can easily float, salinity is 26%. Normal seawater salinity is 3.5%. Fishing is a mainstay of the islands, it’s part of the islanders’ diet and is also exported. As for the kooky pufferfish, they are dried and make interesting decorator pieces! Lemon sharks hug the coastline. A popular tourist offering is to wade amongst the lemon sharks. Everyone is issued with a pair of Crocs, ensuring they return with all toes intact.
Wherever Danny went, there was much waving and tooting of horns. Everyone knew Danny, he was a popular guy. He’d just returned to work after a length rehabilitation. After a bout of drinking, he had a sand-bugging accident, spent six days in a coma, was hospitalized for five months and spent two months in a wheelchair. He was happy to be back at work. Danny expanded on his life. He has seven children to seven different women. Two of his children were born a week apart, he proudly declared. He first became a father when he was 15. Yes, he was a very popular guy.
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| Artful, two hours of intricate plaiting |
Apart from sand-bugging, surfing and board-riding are popular on the islands. The sandy and windy conditions on Sal make it an internationally acclaimed hotspot for windsurfing and kitesurfing. For Tee and myself, our favoured pastime was observing. We found a perfect bar on the water-front and each evening we sipped our cocktails to the gentle sound of lapping waves as the tide came in. After all, if the country’s motto is ‘No Stress’, and we simply had to abide by that.
Shortlink: https://bit.ly/_cabo_verde_
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Ros Freeman travelled independently and at her own expense, but would not go anywhere unless Kirsty at Flight Centre Eastgardens booked her flights. ,
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Disguised as a mild-mannered corporate employee, Ros lives a secret life as a world traveller and adventurer amassing a count of more than 150 UN-recognised countries. |
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