Ten islands off the coast of Senegal, warm every month of the year, and barely an hour off UK time in winter. The winter-sun destination British agents consistently under-sell.
Six hours instead of four, and about four degrees warmer in January.
The Canaries sit at 21–22°C in midwinter. Cape Verde is 25–26°C, with sea around 22–23°C, and the time difference is small — one hour behind the UK in winter, two in summer. What you give up is variety: Sal and Boa Vista are flat, dry, windswept islands where the resorts are the destination and there's comparatively little else. If you want long guaranteed sun and don't need much beyond the beach, it's excellent value.
Beaches, wind, and turtles in season.
Eight kilometres of pale sand and a pier where the fishing boats land each afternoon. The island's main resort and beach.
Reliable trade winds year-round make Sal and Boa Vista world-class. Schools everywhere and conditions that are dependable rather than occasional.
Boa Vista is one of the world's largest nesting sites. June to October, always with a licensed guide and never with lights.
A flooded crater on Sal where you float like the Dead Sea. Odd, brief and worth doing once.
A different Cape Verde entirely — green, mountainous and terraced. A ferry from São Vicente, and the best walking in the archipelago.
São Vicente's port city, and the home of morna. Live music most nights, and the cultural capital of the islands.
Two islands take the UK flights. They're similar, and not identical.
The main resort strip, most restaurants and the widest hotel choice. Busiest and easiest.
Bigger beaches, fewer people, and resorts spread further apart. Less to walk to.
No beach resorts, but the music and the food. Reached by internal flight.
Green, mountainous and dramatic. Ferry from São Vicente, and nothing like the beach islands.
Warm all year, with November to June the driest and most settled.
Temperatures sit between 24°C and 29°C every month. August and September bring the short rainy season — brief and light by tropical standards, and humid. Wind peaks from December to April, which suits kitesurfers and matters if you want calm. Turtle nesting on Boa Vista runs June to October.
6 hours direct to Sal (SID) or Boa Vista (BVC), year-round from UK airports.
One hour behind the UK in summer, the same in winter. Effectively no jet lag.
Cape Verdean escudo, pegged to the euro. Euros widely accepted; cards less so outside hotels.
UK passports need a pre-registration (EASE) or pay an airport security fee on arrival. We'll confirm current rules.
We'll pick between Sal and Boa Vista, price it against the Canaries, and write the payment plan out in full.
Cape Verde is warmer, further and quieter with less to do. The Canaries have more variety and a shorter flight. For pure winter warmth, Cape Verde wins.
On Sal and Boa Vista, not a great deal beyond the beach and watersports. That's the appeal for some and a limitation for others — we'd rather say so.
Yes here. Resorts are spread out and eating elsewhere means a taxi, particularly on Boa Vista.
Warm sea, big beaches and short-ish flights. Check the currents at your resort's beach — some are exposed Atlantic.
Flights, accommodation and transfers as one package. Every one can be reshaped — different dates, different board, a different airport, or a stopover on the way.
Guide prices, per person, based on two sharing, including return flights, accommodation and transfers. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, board basis, departure airport and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
Ready-built itineraries with flights, transfers and internal hops booked as one package, ATOL protected. Every one can be reshaped around your dates.
10 nights · May–Jun, Sep–Oct · from £1,449pp
11 nights · May–Jun, Sep · from £1,149pp
10 nights · Mar–May, Sep–Nov · from £849pp
11 nights · Apr, Oct · from £2,699pp
12 nights · Jun–Oct, Jan–Feb · from £3,399pp
12 nights · Jul–Oct · from £3,099pp
11 nights · Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb · from £1,799pp
11 nights · Nov–Apr · from £2,199pp
