Domestic Travel

DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Most islands have an airport served by scheduled flights, with the exception of Santo Antão and Brava. The domestic flights in Cape Verde are operated by BestFly Cabo Verde. Some routes do not have scheduled services every day and flight times are subject to change on occasion. Flight times vary between the islands with the shortest only 15min (Santiago to Maio) and longest being about 55 min (Praia to São Vicente). Check-in closes 40 mins before the scheduled departure time. Although the airports are not large, it is recommended that you arrive in good time. The airport in Praia, the capital city, is the main hub for internal flights.

Checked-in luggage is included up to 23kg. Hand luggage must not weigh more than 5kg and maximum dimensions are 55 x 35 x 25 cm. One piece of hand luggage only.

It is advisable to book your tickets in advance. There is a link to the BestFly website below. Tickets can also be booked through local travel agencies.

Covid

There are no longer any covid travel requirements.

Bestfly

This is the domestic airline for the Cape Verde Islands. The BestFly Cabo Verde schedule is available on their website. BestFly Cabo Verde tickets can also be purchased on their website. It should be noted that there aren’t flights to each island every day. Some islands only have two flights a week.

It has only possible to pay for flights through the BestFly website if you have a Cape Verdean Vinti4 card. However, it seems that some people have managed to book using Visa or MasterCard. If you have problems, flights can be booked through travel agencies in Cape Verde. If you would like details of a travel agent, please contact us and we can give you details.

There are different types of BestFly ticket:

Promo ticket (the cheapest option) – the flight can’t be changed and if you cancel there is no refund.
Flexi ticket – you can change, or cancel for a fee of €10; but if you cancel within the 24 hours before the flight the fee is €26 because you are classed as a ‘no show’. More information.

Our partners can book all flights (international and domestic) together with your accommodation to create a full holiday package.

CAPE VERDE FERRIES

The ferries are operated under one company – CV Interilhas (Inter-island), the link to which is below. The islands of Brava and Santo Antão can only be reached by ferry. The main Cape Verde ferry routes are shown on the map below. Ferry services are subject to change and so you should always check with the operator. Ferry tickets can be purchased through CV Interilhas. As with internal flights, ferries do not operate on each route every day, with one or two exceptions, such as São Vicente to Santo Antão. Ferry sailings can also be subject to cancellation because of rough seas. Some crossings can also be quite choppy, so if you are inclined to be ill on boats, we would suggest you take the flight where possible.

Covid

There are no longer any covid travel requirements.

CV Interilhas

CV Interilhas covers all the internal Cape Verde ferry routes. Tickets for ferries can be booked through their website. Timetables for the various routes are also available on their website.

Marine Traffic – live arrivals and departures

This site provides live departures and arrivals for the main ports in Cape Verde. These include Praia (Santiago), Furna (Brava), Mindelo (São Vicente), Porto Ingles (Maio), Porto Novo (Santo Antão), Tarrafal (São Nicolau), Sal Rei (Boa Vista), Palmeira (Sal). On this site you can see the location of shipping in port and at sea, together with a map of the port and expected arrivals and departures.

Port information

Enepor is the port authority in Cape Verde. Information on the various ports in Cape Verde can be found here. In addition there is information on tides, cruise traffic, cargo, tariffs and regulations relating to shipping.