Cabo Verde (Day1-2-3)

 Hi y’all!

I recently went to Cabo Verde for a short getaway, and honestly, it felt long overdue. For those who do not know Cabo Verde, it is an archipelago of 10 islands located in the Atlantic Ocean, a one-hour plane ride from Senegal. Those islands had been sitting quietly on my bucket list for years. Two years ago, my girlfriends and I even attempted to plan a trip there. But like many group trips, it remained exactly where it started: in the group chat.

This time, I booked through a small independent travel entrepreneur I had travelled with before. I hesitated for a while because, truthfully, the timing was not ideal for me; Eid al-Adha was right around the corner. But sometimes you just have to stop waiting for the “perfect moment” and go.

The package included flights, airport transfers, a visa, a hotel, and excursions for five days. It was admittedly pricey considering Cabo Verde is not known as an expensive destination. Still, I was willing to pay for the luxury of not planning anything myself. Usually, before every trip, I disappear into Google rabbit holes, researching restaurants, neighbourhoods, transport, random historical facts nobody asked for… This time? I surrendered control completely. A rare occurrence.

Day 1- Travel

We were a group of 5 people: 4 women and one man. I  only knew the organiser, but I quickly got along with everyone. We landed in Praia on Tuesday afternoon and immediately spent nearly 3 hours at immigration. Apparently, airport checks in Cabo Verde are not for the weak. Thankfully, everyone remained in good spirits. We laughed, exchanged jokes, and collectively tried to ignore the exhaustion creeping in. Our guide was waiting patiently outside with water bottles, which instantly felt like an act of kindness worthy of sainthood. We bought SIM cards with 10 GB data plan at the airport before heading to the hotel.

Boutique Hotel Chez Maria Julia 

I’ll save the hotel review for another post, but after checking in past 8PM,  all we wanted was food and sleep. We ate at the hotel restaurant. Dinner was both generous and delicious, exactly what weary travellers need after a long day. We also celebrated one of our travel mates' birthday with a surprise cake and a song before heading to bed around 11AM. Unfortunately, my brain decided 3 AM was the perfect time to finally relax.

Day 2- Cidade Velha

The next morning started with an impressive breakfast spread before we headed out to explore the old city with our guide. We visited the old city, Cidade Velha, starting with the old Fort Philippe II, once responsible for protecting the city, before wandering through charming paved streets lined with colourful houses overlooking the ocean. There was something deeply nostalgic about the place, almost frozen in time. We also saw the black sand beach, which felt surreal against the bright daylight. Of course, we saw Senegalese street vendors; they are everywhere. I ended up buying what might officially be the most expensive touristy tote bag of my existence. We visited both the oldest and the newest cathedral afterwards, and I kept pausing to admire everything: the old architecture, the tombs, the ruins, the sea views, the calm atmosphere. Cabo Verde has a softness to it that is difficult to explain.

Old city view from the fort

Cannon

The first church of Cabo Verde

with tombstones

The beach with black sand

A Senegalese vendor selling souvenirs

Tomb of a priest who fathered 27 children.

Inside the new church

Lunch took place at a local distillery, where I ordered maize pastels (meat pastries) with fried tuna, fries, and vegetables. I also tasted fresh sugar cane juice for the first time and genuinely enjoyed it. Afterwards, we toured the distillery to learn how grog (rum) is made from sugar cane. What fascinated me most was how every part of the sugar cane gets reused. I do not drink rum, so my interest remained mostly anthropological.

Sugar cane stick

Inside the distillery

By the time we returned to the hotel, everyone needed a break before our late afternoon stroll near the beach and shopping mall. We had ambitious plans to go out that evening, but fatigue won. Some grabbed takeaway while others quietly ate at the food court before retreating to bed.

Day 3- Tarrafal

The following day, we drove to Tarrafal through winding mountain roads that nearly took out a few members of the group, who were carsick. Meanwhile, I was perfectly content staring dramatically out the window, both excited and afraid because of my vertigo. 

We could literally touch the clouds.

We stopped in Assomada, a town sitting about 800 meters above sea level. The temperature drop shocked all of us. Thankfully, I had packed a jacket. The town itself was beautiful — colourful houses, cobbled streets, quiet charm. After buying souvenirs and wandering around for a bit, we were more than ready to continue toward Tarrafal.

Assomada city

Assomada produce market with our guide Ravi

Along the way, we visited the former concentration camp turned museum. The site once imprisoned Portuguese regime dissidents before later holding African freedom fighters from countries like Guinea and Angola. The visit was deeply emotional. Listening to stories of people being sent there to slowly die, isolated from their homes and loved ones, under harsh conditions, was heartbreaking. History has a brutal way of reminding us how cruel humans can be to one another.

This box, which represented a cell, was named Frigidaire, or fridge: 

It was hot during the day and cold at night.

Prisoners uniform

Another box built inside a cell called Holland

Tarrafal itself was stunning. The beaches were beautiful, though the weather was slightly chilly, leaving them mostly empty except for a few determined tourists. We had lunch at a rustic beachfront restaurant serving local dishes with an Italian twist. I ordered seafood pasta and immediately regretted it after tasting my travel mate’s paella, which was infinitely better. Thankfully, I redeemed the experience with a cheese flan afterwards, and the best lemonade I have ever tasted. For the first time in my life, I drank a lemonade that was neither offensively sweet nor aggressively sour. A miracle.

The president's beach

After lunch, we walked along the beach, taking photos while a few brave souls went swimming. Then we drove back toward Praia along the coast, enjoying the scenic sea view route back. By the time we returned to the hotel, exhaustion had fully taken over. Most of us disappeared into our rooms for the rest of the afternoon before heading out again around 8 p.m. for dinner.

We went to dine at S7ven restaurant near the shopping mall we visited the previous day. The restaurant had average food but incredible energy. A group of women performed Batuku, the traditional music and dance of Cabo Verde. Many of us from Dakar are familiar with it because of Cabo Verdean neighbours and friends. I had even danced it myself a few times at parties. But seeing it performed live was something else entirely. The place was effortlessly cool — filled with locals and tourists simply enjoying life. Beautiful people, music, laughter, movement. Pure joy.

We ended the night playing UNO, and most importantly, I did not come last.

Stay tuned for part 2 of my short trip to Cabo Verde.