15 1-Day Tours in Cape Verde Worth the Crossing

1.Santiago: Landscapes, Street Art, and Markets Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 316 reviews · 8 hours · from $70Our pick

Review of Santiago’s $70 day trip from Praia, with Assomada Market, Serra Malagueta, Tarrafal Beach, plantations, and local guides.

“We had a wonderful time with Bravo! He showed us all around the island, we tried tasty coffee from fogo, Cape Verdean rum, some fresh coconut and had a great lunch! We also learned a lot about the culture, played a Cape Verdean instrument, listened to the music, learned the local dance and played a typical game. Apart from that, we learned a lot about the island‘s history and Bravo always made sure we feel welcome. He answered all our questions and gave us insights on basically everything. 12/10 experience!! We would recommend everyone to do this great tour, thank you once again!”

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2.Sal island: Secrets of a Native Guide Day trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 139 reviews · 7 hours · from $65Best value

Explore Sal Island in one day with shark watching, Buracona’s Blue Eye, salt lakes, local culture, lunch, and a native guide.

“the walking with lemon sharks was definitely the highlight of the trip. Nany was a great guide”

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3.Sal: Full-Day Trip Around the Island with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 117 reviews · 8 hours · from $78

Explore Sal by 4x4, from the Blue Eye and shark bay to Pedra de Lume, with lunch, hotel transfers, and a local guide.

“Deze tour zou ik echt iedereen willen aanraden die naar Sal gaat. Je kijkt je ogen uit, vanaf het moment dat je opgehaald wordt totdat je weer terug bij je ophaalpunt bent. Complimenten aan onze tour guide Antonio D. want hij wist op alle vragen antwoord te geven en maakte zelfs grapjes als: kom we gaan nú zwemmen (bij Miragem/Fata Morgana). En dat in 4 verschillende talen! 👌🏼”

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4.Santo Antão Day Trip with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 101 reviews · from $147

Cross Santo Antão from São Vicente by ferry, with Cova de Paúl, Ponta de Sol, Vale de Paúl, local food, and a bilingual guide.

“It was an unforgettable experience. The tour guide, Maira, and the driver, whose name we don't remember, were lovely people and made our visit a unique experience. We saw breathtaking landscapes, ate at a very good restaurant, and they were very kind and affectionate.”

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5.Santo Antão Highlights: Day Trip by Car with Ferry from SV

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 84 reviews · 11 hours · from $135

Review of Santo Antão’s full-day highlights tour from São Vicente, with ferry crossings, mountain roads, local lunch, and Grogue tasting.

“Foi um dia maravilhoso! As paisagens são de cortar a respiração. Mas o melhor de tudo são mesmo as pessoas. Já tinha lido boas referências sobre o Madu, o nosso guia, mas superou todas as nossas expectativas. Tão simpático e atento às necessidades de cada um e à gestão do grupo. Mais do que um guia turístico, Madu revelou-se um extraordinário guia cultural, dando-nos a conhecer não só os ambientes mas a forma de vida das suas gentes. O orgulho colocado no seu património natural e humano e no percurso de desenvolvimento desta nação contagia e fez-nos crescer o respeito e a empatia com um povo que vive feliz com…”

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6.Santo Antão: Day Trip by Car or Trek

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 72 reviews · from $104Top rated

See Santo Antão’s mountain roads, green valleys, villages, rum distilleries, and coastal route on a full-day trip from São Vicente.

“Prima tour met prima gids die goede toelichting gaf, interessant en aangenaam. Zeker een aanbeveling.”

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7.Discover Santiago island in 1 day

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 39 reviews · from $92

See Santiago in one day, from Praia and Assomada to Serra Malagueta, Tarrafal, and scenic coastal villages, with guide and transport included.

“Wir hatten einen sehr schönen Tag mit einem sehr netten Guide. Er hat ganz viel erklärt und immer einen lockeren Spruch auf den Lippen. Wir würden jederzeit wieder über Viator buchen”

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8.Praia: Day trip by minibus for cruise passengers

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 38 reviews · 8 hours · from $82

Cross Santiago Island from Praia to Tarrafal, with markets, volcanic views, beaches, plantations, and a cruise-safe return to port.

“Interesting overview of Santiago Island. our Guide Ricardo was very friendly and informative, giving lots of background information, and we felt safe with our driver.”

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9.Sal Island Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 18 reviews · 6 hours · from $106

Explore Sal from Santa Maria with lemon sharks, Buracona, Palmeira, Espargos, and a float in Pedra de Lume’s salty crater.

“Muito boa experiencia mas o carro era pequeno, um pequeno citadino nada adaptado para o percurso (Reserva visita privada com 2 adultos e um bebe) O guia e o motorista foram 5 estrelas !”

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10.Boavista: Whale Watching half day trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 15 reviews · 3 hours · from $76

Search for humpback whales off Boa Vista on a three-hour Zodiac trip with a marine biologist, hotel transfers, and small-group wildlife viewing.

“We hebben meerdere walvissen gezien en daarnaast het gezang van walvissen gehoord. Heel bijzonder. er werd veel informatie gegeven gedurende de tour.”

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11.Sal island in one Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews

See Sal’s beaches, mirage, salt pans, shark bay, Buracona, and local towns on a private one-day island tour from Santa Maria.

“In one word great! Pleasant and kind Mr. Ola, who offered us a trip on the beach near the hotel and told us everything about the trip. The trip itself went great, pleasant guides, great places and a visit to a restaurant with good food. As a bonRead more”

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12.Natural Pools & Shark Bay Private Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 8 reviews · from $88

See Sal’s lemon sharks, float in Pedra de Lume’s salt crater, and visit Buracona’s Blue Eye on a private day trip from Santa Maria.

“Both guides were awesome, the tours were wonderful. Great atmosphere, we loved it!”

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13.Cova–Paúl Valley Trek: Santo Antão Day Trip by Ferry

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 11 hours · from $141

Cross Santo Antão from Cova de Paul to the Paul Valley on an 11-hour ferry and hiking day trip from Mindelo, with lunch and grogue tasting.

“Unser Guide Madù war wirklich überaus freundlich und zuvorkommend. Er konnte mit seinem Wissen überzeugen und wirklich alle Fragen zu Kultur, Flora & Fauna beantworten. Er ist voll und ganz auf unsere Bedürfnisse eingegangen und hat die Tour somit zu einem herausragenden Erlebnis gemacht.”

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14.Sao Filipe: Coffee Plantation and Natural Pools Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 6 reviews · 7 hours · from $100

Explore Fogo from São Filipe with coffee, volcanic views, Cova Figueira, Mosteiros, and a swim in Salinas natural pools.

“Very knowledgeable guide ( Elmar). Trip quite pricey. The ‘coffee plantation’ was just a few coffee bushes outside a plantation, no proper visit.”

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15.Ribeira Grande: Hiking Day Trip to Ribeira de Torre

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 4 reviews · 6 hours · from $100

Hike Santo Antão’s Ribeira de Torre valley, visit rural villages and a rum distillery, then swim beneath a mountain waterfall.

“João was an excellent guide, the chat with local people, the scenary”

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