Cape Verde Islands: Discovering something special

Oct 13 2009 By Edward Stephens

As the Boeing 757 came in to land at Sal International Airport I got my first glimpse of the landscape of one of the newest destinations for UK holidaymakers. Until then I, like a lot of other first time visitors to The Cape Verde Islands, was unsure of what to expect. Palms, plantations, forest or a more harsh environment?

In effect the landscape looks like the Canary Islands before building work started there in earnest. There are few trees, just mile upon mile of desert landscape fringed with pure white beaches and the pounding Atlantic Ocean.

It's situated some 372 miles off the coast of West Africa, with the nearest country being Senegal. And during my week there in May the thermometer stuck to a steady 24 degrees but a coastal wind reminiscent of the one which prevails on the Canary Island of Fuerteventura made it feel cooler at times. It rains just two or three days each year in Sal so you are guaranteed sunshine, although that wind means you need to take an extra layer with you for evenings.

The next big holiday destination for Europeans
Sal is one of 12 islands in the Cape Verde group and most of the island is still virgin territory. It, and the island of Boa Vista, have been singled out as the next big holiday destinations for Europeans because of their spectacular beaches and climate.

And as its reached in just six and a half hours from Birmingham it is not considered a long haul destination a bonus for package tour operators like Thomson Holidays who dont have to overnight their air crews there. The bonus from the visitors point of view is that you dont need inoculations or malaria tablets, its politically stable and is not in a tornado or hurricane zone.

The islands are also proving a big attraction for Brits looking to invest with property prices currently starting from around 40,000 euros for a studio apartment. But be warned, the world recession has taken its toll even here and building work has come to a halt on many developments.

As it was formally a Portuguese colony the official language of Cape Verde is still Portuguese, although children learn three or four languages in school so quite a few speak some English.

Measuring some 19 miles long by 7 miles wide Sal is very much an island of contrasts. For while the landscape looks Canarian the towns reminded me of many I have seen in different West African countries. For some tourists it can be a bit of a culture shock but for others keen to break away from the Mediterranean resorts for the first time it offers the taste of adventure they are looking for.

Wander into Santa Maria, one of the main towns in the south of the island, for example, and you will find markets selling a wide variety of beautifully carved African masks and hand made beaded necklaces while street vendors carry their wares in huge bowls on their heads to their shops a sections of pavement on a street corner.

Only 60 per cent of the local population have running water and electricity but things are improving quickly helped by the revenue from tourism.

Close to the town along the coastal strip are some of the first hotels on the island as well as low rise apartment blocks which are springing up. Government officials anxious to promote tourism visited the Canary Islands and witnessed the damage done by too much development. Now building on any of the Cape Verde Islands is strictly controlled and nothing except the brewery is allowed to be more than two storeys. Development in the last few years has been rapid and tourism, while still in its infancy, has taken off and I couldnt help thinking that the phrase from the cult film Field of Dreams, If you build it, they will come, was particularly appropriate to Sal.