OUR DESTINATIONS
Let us help you find your perfect holiday by phoning us on
We offer holidays to the four corners of the globe. If you want specialist advise please phone our travel team and we will be happy to help.
Alternatively, check out some of our holiday offers below.
- Destinations
- Africa
- Cape Verde
- Santiago Island
Santiago Island
The largest island in the archipelago, boasting the best
scenery, Santiago is also the most populated. Its residents are
more African in culture, which is reflected in its musical
traditions, markets and the many festivals held during the
year.
Santiago is the site of Cape Verde's capital city, Praia, and
the picturesque fishing town of Tarrafal. Praia has an interesting
marine archaeology museum dedicated to documenting the various
shipwrecks that have occurred around the islands. While not a
popular tourist destination in its own right, Praia is the site of
Cape Verde's busiest airport, and the walking around the city is a
pleasant way to spend an hour or two before taking a ferry to the
other islands.
The interior of Santiago is characterised by two towering chains
of mountains, while the coastline sports small sandy palm-fringed
coves. Other sites of interest on the islands include the historic
old port city, Cidade Velha, was a major slave-trading post and
retains cobbled lanes and stone buildings in the shadow of its old
15th-century fortress and Cathedral.
Information & Facts
Language
The official language is Portuguese and a patois known as
Crioulo.
Money
The unit of currency is the Cape Verdean Escudo (CVE), broken
down into 100 centavos. As this is a local currency it cannot be
obtained before arrival and cannot be reconverted outside of Cape
Verde. There is a bureau de change at the airport, and local banks
will change travellers cheques and foreign currency, although there
is a high commission on travellers cheques. ATMs can be found at
the airport and in Sal, Praia and Sâo Vincent. Major credit cards,
particularly MasterCard and Visa are currently accepted in a few
main resort hotels and restaurants. Banks will give cash on credit
cards but commissions are high.
Time