7 Day Cape Verde Itinerary: Sal, Boa Vista, Cidade Velha | Fortrip
2026-11-09 · 11 min read
7 Day Cape Verde Itinerary: Sal, Boa Vista and Cidade Velha in Winter Sun
A day-by-day week across Sal, Boa Vista and Santiago, built around the inter-island flights, with a half day in Cidade Velha and adjustments for your own flight days.
Fortrip Editorial Team
This 7 day Cape Verde itinerary suits travellers who want winter sun, a change of landscape between islands, and one stop with real history, and who will let the flight calendar set the week. The pace is slow on Sal and Boa Vista, with one early start for Cidade Velha. You sleep in Santa Maria on Sal, Sal Rei on Boa Vista, and Praia on Santiago.
The trade-off is plain: two days are largely spent moving between islands, so you see three places lightly rather than one deeply. If you would rather compare other shapes for the week first, browse the .
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Sal (Days 1–2): Santa Maria, with Pedra de Lume or a beach day.
Sal to Boa Vista (Day 3): fly with Cabo Verde Airlines. The ferry is the fallback, and its published crossing is about 3 hours in the Boa Vista to Sal direction.
Boa Vista (Day 4): Sal Rei and the Viana Desert.
Boa Vista to Santiago (Day 5): fly if the airline runs the leg on your date. The ferry to Praia takes 7–8 hours.
Three islands in seven days works only if the inter-island hops line up, and the Sal to Boa Vista leg is the tight one. Cabo Verde Airlines is the carrier to check for both legs, and its flight days change by season.
No flight-day pattern is printed here, because the days shift from one season to the next. Check days, times and flight duration on the Cabo Verde Airlines website before you pay for any hotel on Boa Vista, and confirm that a Boa Vista to Praia flight runs on your Day 5.
How the week is built
Over 7 days in Cape Verde, this island-hopping plan uses Sal for Days 1 and 2, Boa Vista for Days 3 and 4, and Praia and Santiago for Days 5 to 7. Day 3 is the Sal to Boa Vista flight day, and Day 5 is the Boa Vista to Santiago day.
Flight-day check
Once you have the airline's timetable, find the first Sal to Boa Vista flight after your arrival. That date is your Day 3, and everything else shifts with it. The adjustments sit in the how to choose section at the end.
The ferry fallback
Fly where you can. The Boa Vista 2000 page, which carries the CV Interilhas ferry details, lists Boa Vista to Sal at about 3 hours and Boa Vista to Praia at 7–8 hours. It warns of night or dawn departures and weather cancellations, and it advises flying.
The page lists the Boa Vista to Sal direction, not Sal to Boa Vista, so the times and fares here apply to the reverse of your Day 3 trip. Confirm the Sal to Boa Vista sailing separately.
The ferry usually calls at Boa Vista twice a week, and tickets must be bought at least 1.5 hours before departure with passport ID. The foreign-passenger fare is 2,500 CVE one way from Boa Vista to Sal and 4,880 CVE from Boa Vista to Praia.
Day 1 — Sal: arrive, settle in Santa Maria, keep it light
Treat this as an arrival day, not a sightseeing day. Flight times vary, so build nothing fixed into the afternoon.
Morning and afternoon: Transfer from the airport to Santa Maria, the main resort town on Sal's south coast. It is where visitors cluster, so it has the most choice for dinner and the easiest walk to the sea. Before you leave home, ask your hotel to confirm the pick-up and send you the street address in writing. Check in and rest.
Evening: Walk to the Santa Maria pier, where the fishing boats come in, then eat early at a restaurant near the waterfront. Save your Day 3 flight confirmation offline on your phone.
Check entry requirements for your passport on official government and consular sources before you travel.
Day 2 — Sal: a full day on the island, Pedra de Lume or the coast
Choose by temperament. If you want one specific outing, take Pedra de Lume, the salt-crater site on Sal. If you want to do nothing, spend the day on the long beach in front of Santa Maria.
Morning: Pedra de Lume, or a first long stretch on the sand. The site's operator sets opening hours, entry fees and swimming rules, so ask the operator through your hotel before you commit a taxi to it.
Afternoon: Return to Santa Maria for lunch, or stay on the beach. Ask your hotel to arrange a taxi or hire car for the day, and agree the price before you leave.
Evening: Dinner in Santa Maria, then pack. Confirm your Day 3 flight time with Cabo Verde Airlines tonight.
Day 3 — Sal to Boa Vista: the flight day
This day falls on whichever day the airline flies Sal to Boa Vista. Fly, and keep the morning free so a time change does not break the plan.
Morning: Breakfast, checkout, airport.
Afternoon: Land on Boa Vista and head to Sal Rei, the island's main town. Keep the afternoon short: check in, then walk the harbour front.
Evening: Eat on the Sal Rei harbour front and look across to the Forte Duque de Bragança, the fort on the islet off the town. Ask locally whether and how the islet can be reached before you plan to visit it, then take an early night.
The ferry is a fallback only. The times, fares and ticket rules are in the ferry fallback section above.
If the flight changes
Contact the airline first, then ask the hotel to move your check-in date. Keep the ferry as the second option, not the first.
Day 4 — Boa Vista: Viana Desert and the coast
The Viana Desert is the landscape contrast with Sal, and Sal Rei is your base.
Morning: A half-day excursion to the Viana Desert with a local operator or a taxi driver. Confirm the route and price on the ground before you set off.
Afternoon: Back in Sal Rei, take a beach stretch near town or rest. This is the slack half-day if Day 5 travel needs to move.
Evening: Return to the Sal Rei harbour front for dinner, and pack for the longest travel day of the week.
Kitesurfing is a draw on the island. Wind and sea conditions change, so check with local schools and official forecasts rather than assuming winter conditions.
Day 5 — Boa Vista to Santiago: the long transfer to Praia
This is the hardest leg of the week, and flying is the sensible option. Ask Cabo Verde Airlines for the Boa Vista to Praia schedule and flight duration for your dates before you book. If no flight fits, add a night on Boa Vista, as the table at the end shows. The ferry fallback and its 7–8 hour crossing are covered in the ferry section above.
Morning: Early departure from Sal Rei by air, with a margin built in.
Afternoon: Arrive in Praia, the capital and the base for Santiago, and check in. Walk down to Prainha, the city beach, to stretch your legs.
Evening: Climb to the Plateau and have dinner around Praça Alexandre Albuquerque, then an early night. Stay in Praia for the transfer night so Day 6 starts early.
Day 6 — Santiago: Cidade Velha, the old colonial town
Morning: Walk the old town's main street, then climb to Forte Real de São Filipe above the village. Hours and entry fee for the fort are set by the site operator, so confirm them locally the day before, and go in daylight.
Afternoon: Lunch in the village, then return to Praia.
Evening: A quiet dinner in Praia. Tomorrow is a buffer.
Cash and getting there
Carry small notes for entry, snacks and taxis, since card acceptance at the site is not confirmed. Arrange the taxi both ways with your hotel, and agree the price before you leave.
Day 7 — Praia: markets, the Plateau and departure
Treat the last day as a buffer. The inter-island legs are the risk, so schedule nothing ambitious.
Morning: Walk the Plateau, Praia's old centre, and browse the Sucupira market for food and small souvenirs.
Afternoon: Return to your hotel to collect bags, then take a taxi to the airport, with check-in times confirmed with your airline.
Evening: If your flight is late, stay on the Plateau near Praça Alexandre Albuquerque rather than heading back out to the coast.
As a margin rule, leave a full day between the last inter-island flight and any onward international flight. Book the international leg on a fare that allows changes if you can, since an inter-island delay is the likeliest thing to move.
How to choose: who should cut, swap or extend a day
Start with the airline's timetable, since it decides where Day 3 lands.
Your situation
What to do
A Sal to Boa Vista flight leaves on Day 3
Works as written
The first flight leaves one day later
Add a night on Sal and fly on Day 4; drop one Boa Vista day
The first flight leaves two or more days later
Cut Boa Vista and spend the week on Sal and Santiago
No Boa Vista to Praia flight on Day 5
Add a night on Boa Vista, or use the ferry only as a last resort
Run your own dates through the itinerary validator to see where a flight day breaks the sequence.
Flights line up
The plan works as written. Check the Day 5 leg with the airline as well.
The first flight is a day late
Do not rely on a same-day connection. Add a night on Sal and take the later flight on Day 4. Drop one Boa Vista day, since Day 4 already has slack.
Cut a day
Short on time? Cut Boa Vista altogether and spend the week on Sal and Santiago, which removes the hardest leg. Confirm with the airline that a Sal to Praia flight runs on your dates first. The other cut is the Day 2 beach day on Sal, but only if your Sal to Boa Vista flight can leave a day earlier.
Swap a day
If winter winds or the sea make beach days unappealing, swap the Sal beach day for Pedra de Lume or an extra Cidade Velha visit.
Extend a day
If you can add one, put it on Santiago. It separates the long transfer from Cidade Velha and leaves room for delays. If you want help rebuilding the nights around your own flight days, Fortrip's AI trip planner can redraw the week.
Fly or ferry?
Fly. The ferry is a fallback for a cancelled flight, not a plan, given its night or dawn departures and weather cancellations.
Before you go: checks and sources
Confirm these before paying for anything non-refundable:
Cabo Verde Airlines days, times and flight duration for Sal to Boa Vista and Boa Vista to Praia.
Entry requirements on official government sources for your passport.
Pedra de Lume and Forte Real de São Filipe hours and fees, with each site's operator.
Check Sal and Boa Vista attractions, winter weather and kitesurf conditions with local operators and official forecasts.
Frequently asked questions
Is a 7 day Cape Verde itinerary across three islands realistic?+
Yes, but only if the inter-island flights line up. Two days are largely spent moving, so you see Sal, Boa Vista and Santiago lightly. The Sal to Boa Vista leg is the tight one, so check the airline's timetable before booking hotels.
Should I fly or take the ferry between islands?+
Fly. The Boa Vista 2000 page that carries the CV Interilhas ferry details warns of night or dawn departures and weather cancellations, and it advises flying. Treat the ferry as a fallback for a cancelled flight.
How long is the ferry from Boa Vista?+
The published times are about 3 hours from Boa Vista to Sal and 7–8 hours from Boa Vista to Praia. The page lists Boa Vista to Sal, not Sal to Boa Vista, so confirm that sailing separately.
Is Cidade Velha worth a half day?+
Yes. It is the UNESCO-listed Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande, inscribed in 2009, and it gives the week its history. Go in daylight and arrange the taxi from Praia both ways.
What if my first Sal to Boa Vista flight leaves a day late?+
Add a night on Sal and fly on Day 4, then drop one Boa Vista day. If the first flight is two or more days late, cut Boa Vista and spend the week on Sal and Santiago.
Make this itinerary yours
Fit “7 day cape verde itinerary” to your dates, pace, and hotels, then check every transfer before you book.
