What to take with you to Cape Verde: short

Featured items:

• Documents: passport valid for at least 6 months. An online and/or offline copy of your passport is always useful.
• Money: euros are the best to take with you and can easily be exchanged for Cape Verdean Escudo. A debit card in case you need more.
• Care: sunscreen and sun cream with a high factor – the sun is merciless.
• Outdoor and practical: cap or hat and sunglasses. The sun is bright, the shade is scarce.
• Clothing: light, airy clothing all year round. Light colors of linen and cotton are best. A warm layer for the evening, in the mountains or when the wind picks up. Swimwear. Long clothing for the evening against mosquitoes.
• Shoes: good walking shoes for the stony paths (more about mountain boots or hiking boots), sandals or flip-flops for the beaches and villages.
• Medicines and travel kit: a small first aid kit with plasters, painkillers, diarrhea pills, motion sickness pills (if you are taking the boat), ORS (dehydration is a thing) and mosquito repellent.
• Technology and equipment: world plug with type C & F. Power bank when you are visiting the small islands and the power goes out.
• Woman: tampons and menstrual products (are hard to find).

What are some other options for packing as well?

• Reusable water bottle with filter.
• Quick-drying travel towel.
• Water shoes and snorkel set for all aquatic life.
• Headphones/earphones with noise-cancelling – handy on the ferry or in noisy guesthouses.
• E-reader or something else to do offline!
• In the months of August-October a light raincoat.
• International driving license, when you want to rent a car. A kite, to get the most out of the wind on Sal and Boa Vista!

Are there mosquitoes in Cape Verde?

• The Cape Verde Islands are subtropical, so there are mosquitoes present, but not in huge numbers.
• It also helps that it is very windy - that makes it a bit more difficult for the mosquitoes to find a suitable spot.
• Mosquitoes like the period from July to December the most - then they are present in large numbers.
• On Sal and Boa Vista - the popular, dry sandpit islands - they are much less active, but not completely absent. You can still expect buzzing, especially around stagnant water (think: leaking taps, flower pots or tanks).
• The mosquitoes can also transmit serious diseases such as dengue, malaria and chikungunya.

Are there sandflies in Cape Verde?

• Sand flies and leishmaniasis are a small risk in Cape Verde and there are only rare cases of leishmaniasis.

Can you buy DEET, or other mosquito repellents, in Cape Verde?

• The chance that you can buy DEET or other mosquito repellents in Cape Verde is small.
• When you find a mosquito repellent, it is most likely not as strong as the one you have at home.
• Brands like Jungle Formula and Off! are for sale on Cape Verde and natural repellents like Incognito (DEET-free) and Avon Skin So Soft.

Can you buy a joint or weed in Cape Verde, or take it with you to Cape Verde?

• Cannabis is illegal and having anything to do with it can be expensive. Use can lead to arrests or fines, and there is no exception for tourists.
• So bringing cannabis with you is not a good idea either.