Sailing trip Cape Verde

Every day of ocean sailing is followed by a full day on one of Cape Verdean Islands. On the islands we organize excursions with local guides. During the sailing trip you are invited to help with all the activities on board, like hoisting the sails, steering and navigating. Life on board is pleasant and comfortable due to the efforts of the ships cook and the crew. A holiday to Cape Verde to remember!

Islands Cape Verde

Cape Verde is situated in the Atlantic Ocean, about 600 kilometers before the coast of Senegal. The archipelago has about 450.00 inhabitants and exists of 9 habited and a few inhabited islands. We will go island hopping from island to island. On and around the Cape Verdean islands are many things to explore. The waters are full of fly-fish, tuna, sea turtles and whales. The diverse landscapes consist of steep terrace fields with bananas and coffee plantations, sand deserts, black volcano’s and a fierce deep blue ocean.

Climate Cape Verde

The tropcial climate and the tradewinds make Cape Verde a real sailor’s paradise. After a day of sailing, a full day at one of the islands is spend. The crew will show you the most beautiful places of the archipelago.

SAL, SANTIAGO AND SÃO VICENTE

The Cape Verde holiday starts on the island Sal. At the end of the afternoon you will embark and the crew welcomes you on board. After a good night’s sleep, we will set sail towards the island Santiago. In the early morning of day 3 we will drop anchor in Tarrafal. After a full day and night on Santiago we set sail towards São Vicente. We might spot the active volcano Fogo when the weather is clear. We spend the night at sea. At sunrise, there will be land in sight. First São Vicente and soon afterwards Santo Antão. We anchor in the bay of Mindelo, the second largest city and port in Cape Verde. There are restaurants, an indoor market, cafés and souvenir shops. In the afternoon there is time to explore the town.

SANTO ANTÃO

Santo Antão is considered the most beautiful island of the archipelago. It is also the greenest and most fertile of the islands. We make a hike through the diverse landscape, on the edge of the volcano and the breath-taking views make this an unforgettable excursion.

SÃO NICOLAU

The destination on São Nicolau is also called Tarrafal. We drop anchor just in front of the harbour. Tarrafal is a peaceful fisherman’s village where we will be welcomed with open arms. There is barely any tourism here, and at least half of all fisherman sail instead of using motorized boats. On São Nicolau, we visit the beautiful worn basalt formations and drive up to the last remainders of a primeval forest in the national park ‘Monto Gordo’ for a hike. There are Grogue distilleries here and if a distillery is open, we will make a stop to see how this process works.

BOA VISTA

Boa Vista is well known for the beautiful beaches and for its remarkable moving sand dunes. Our guide is waiting for us amongst the local fishermen on the pier of Sal Rei. He tells us about the island, the history and the turtle protection program he’s working for. They try to protect the second largest population of loggerhead turtles. He will show us around the island in 4×4 trucks.

Cape Verde Holiday | 2025-2026

Island-hopping in Cape Verde 1 | 18/12/2025 – 29/12/2025 | Christmas voyage
Island-hopping in Cape Verde 2 | 30/12/2025 – 10/01/2026 | New Year’s voyage
Island-hopping in Cape Verde 3 | 11/01/2026 – 22/01/2026
Island-hopping in Cape Verde 4 | 24/01/2026 – 04/02/2026
Island-hopping in Cape Verde 5 | 05/02/2026 – 16/02/2026
Island-hopping in Cape Verde 6 | 18/02/2026 – 01/03/2026

You can read our extensive day-to-day description in our Cape Verde Brochure.

Level 2

Level 2-voyages are suitable for anyone in good health and a reasonable level of fitness, without mobility issues. On these voyages, you can expect days with strong winds or high waves, but most of the time the conditions will be good. A harbor is not always nearby and (medical) help from shore is therefore not always available.

We would like the ‘Oosterschelde’ to be accessible to as broad and diverse an audience as possible, but you must realize that you are embarking on a sea voyage aboard a sailing ship. This requires more from you than a daily walk. Moreover, some voyages are more challenging than others. With different levels (the waves), we provide an indication of how demanding the trip might be. If you’re unsure whether a particular voyage is suitable for you, please contact our shipping office to discuss it.