Hi everyone,

I am trying to reconnect with a very dear friend from Cape Verde whom I haven’t been able to find for years. I am hoping someone in this community might recognize him, his family, or his friend. Here is everything I know about him:

Name: Ben (Benjamin Dominic or Domenic) Lopes.

Origin: Cape Verde (mulatto).

Occupation: He was a seafarer working on cargo ships. Around 2005 and 2006, his ship operated on a regular liner shipping route and docked in the Export Port of Riga, Latvia every 3 weeks.

Age: In 2005, he was around 33 or 35 years old (which means he was born around 1971–1973 and should be about 53–55 years old now in 2026).

UK Connection: At that time, he used a UK mobile number starting with +44. It’s highly possible he has been living in the UK, but maybe not, just variation.

Friend/Colleague: He was always accompanied by a close friend and fellow seafarer named Flo (Florian or Floriano), who was roughly the same age.We used to hang out and dance at the "Pepsi Forums" club in Riga. He was a very kind and warm person, and he even sent me a Christmas greeting SMS in 2006, but unfortunately, I lost his number over the years. Since Cape Verdean and seafarer communities are often tightly knit, I am really hoping someone might recognize this story, remember a Ben and Florian who sailed to the Baltics, or perhaps know him in the UK or Cape Verde. Any leads or advice on where else I could post this would mean the world to me. Thank You so much!

I’m traveling to Cape Verde (Sal Island) on September 17th for 6 days, and it’s my first time there. I’d love to get some advice from people who live there or have visited recently.

A few questions:
🌤️** Weather: What’s the weather usually like around September 17–23? Is it very hot/humid, windy, or rainy? Anything specific I should pack?
💉 **Vaccines: Are there any vaccines that are recommended or required when traveling to Cape Verde from Morocco?
📱 SIM/eSIM: What’s the best mobile operator for tourists? Is it better to buy a local SIM in Santa Maria or use an eSIM? Which option has the best coverage and prices?
💶 Money: Should I keep my money in euros, or is it better to exchange some money into Cape Verdean escudos (CVE)? Can I easily pay with euros everywhere, or is cash in CVE more convenient? Are cards widely accepted?
🏝️** Activities: I’ll have around 6 days on Sal. What are the must-do activities and places you recommend? I’m interested in beaches, nature, local culture, food and adventure activities.
💰 Any other tips for **saving money, avoiding tourist traps, or things I should know before arriving?

I’ll be staying around Santa Maria.
Thanks a lot for your recommendations!

I’m thinking of doing a honeymoon to Cape Verde.

It looks like an incredible place, really picturesque with great beaches, somewhere I can see myself spending two weeks lazing about getting drunk and eating nice food.

Just wondering if anyone had travel advice?

It’d be mine and my finance’s first trip there and wondering about what time of year to book and good top tier hotels people could recommend and anything else it would be handy to know for a first trip.

Hi, I’m going to Cape Verde at the end of September and staying at Riu Palace Santa Maria in Sal.
I’ve recently seen quite a few reviews/posts from people saying they became ill with diarrhoea, sickness or food poisoning while in Cape Verde, including people who stayed at this hotel. I’ve also read about the gastrointestinal illness outbreaks that have affected tourists in Cape Verde, so it’s made me a bit nervous about going.
For anyone who has been recently, how common is it actually to get ill? Did you or anyone you travelled with get sick?
Also, is there anything you’d recommend doing to reduce the chances of getting ill? I’ve already been told to only drink bottled water and to be careful with buffet food, salads, ice, etc., but I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually been there.
Especially interested in experiences from anyone who has stayed at Riu Palace Santa Maria recently (2026).
I’m really looking forward to the holiday and don’t want to scare myself out of going 😂 Just want to know how worried I realistically need to be and what precautions are worth taking.
Thanks!

I am trying to find out what happened to a man, he got kicked off a TUI flight on the 21st Dec 2018 at the Amílcar Cabral International Airport in Cape Verde.

He got removed from the flight, leaving behind his wife and children. From what I understand there were no more flights in or out of Cape Verde until after Christmas and I have always been intrested in what happened after we took off!?

Hi, I've been trying to find the recipe for a food my mother used to make for years. I have no family left to ask. Hoping someone in here will recognize it or be able to point me in the right direction.

It was almost like a tamale; it was either steamed or boiled, and would come tied up in corn husk. We'd unwrap the husk and there was savory, salty meat inside and what I believe to be corn meal. Sometimes, we'd cut it up and fry it the next morning to have with eggs.

She would pronounce it something like "Shed-deng-nah-cop".

Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hello! I know this may seem like it doesn’t belong here, but I visited Sal earlier this month and it was honestly very healing in terms of natural hair. It was so beautiful to see people who look like me, with hair like mine living care free and wearing their hair out everywhere and not letting it stop them from doing any activities. It was just normal and that’s what I aspire to. I swam with my hair loose, just like I saw everyone else do and I loved it. However, I did not love the knots, tangles and detangling afterwards!

So my question is how do Cape Verdeans care for their hair whilst swimming? I would love to learn more about your routines so I can hopefully emulate them.

Obrigada! 💙

We are planning to visit Cape Verde at the end of March 2027, but I'm getting a bit worried about whether we will actually be able to book and plan our trip properly.

The new domestic airline, CVSky, has currently published its schedule only until March 27, 2027, while we would like to travel between the islands after March 27.

I read that the previous schedule was only published around 1–2 months before the first flights of the new schedule. That would be quite late for us, as we need to book our international flights and accommodation well in advance.

Does anyone know if CVSky is expected to publish the summer schedule earlier, or will we really have to wait until only 1–2 months before the flights?

It's quite frustrating because at the moment, I can't really plan the trip properly. I don't know on which days domestic flights will operate, so I don't know which islands we can realistically visit.

Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks! :)

Hello, I will be visiting Cape Verde next month - and I was wondering how to get data there? Where is the best place to get an eSim? Or is it easier to get a physical sim?

I am finding lyrics for this very good song, if someone can put it here 🙏

Hey! My name is Nathan from Australia and I’m hoping to cook a meal from every country in the world and soon up for me is Cape Verde ☺️ I wanted to ask what are a couple of the most iconic and beloved Cape Verdean meals 🇨🇻

I was also wanting the video to include:

1 - something you love about your country (I'm sure there is more than just your brilliant World Cup performance!!); and then

2 - something you wish other people knew about Cape Verde! :)

Sandrine Billiet - Tokyo 2020

Hi everyone! 👋
I’ll be in Sal with a friend from September 5th to 16th, staying at an all-inclusive resort in Santa Maria.
What places/activities do you recommend that we absolutely shouldn’t miss? 🏝️🌅
Any hidden gems, great beaches, nightlife spots or local experiences?
Also, what should we bring from Morocco (clothes, essentials, SIM/eSIM, cash, etc.)?
Would love your best local tips to make the trip amazing! 🇨🇻❤️

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to book domestic flights with CVSky for a trip to Cape Verde in September, but I’m having a persistent payment problem on their official website.

I can complete the whole booking process normally, select the flight and fare, enter my passenger details, and reach the Vinti4/SISP payment page.

After I enter my card details and try to pay, I get the error:

“Invalid Fingerprint”

The payment does not go through and I am not charged.

Has anyone had this exact “Invalid Fingerprint” error and managed to solve it?

Hey everyone.
I want to visit Cape verde for the first time next month (September) as a solo traveler.
Does anyone have any recommendations as a solo traveler there? Best islands for such trip?

I saw some videos, and it seems that this is mainly for couples but I might be wrong.

Hi im a 20 year old women visiting Cabo Verde for the week. I want to go out with my cousin to like a club, bar, or shisha lounge. We are going for an upbeat crowd from like 20-35 years old. Please anyone let me know if they have any suggestions.

Hello everybody! My friend and I are planning to visit the beautiful island of Sal this September, and we don’t really have a solid plan yet.
Could you please share some activities and recommendations with us so we can get the full experience?

Hi im planning a solo trip to Sal and i will be staying in airbnb within minutes of santa maria praia. Any tips or things to look out for? Also any recommendations to try cape verde cuisine not the tourist trap spots. Also senegalese food since they are neighbours im sure there should be senegalese restaurants

Hi everyone! I'm from Angola and I'm curious to know what people around the world think about my country.

Have you ever visited Angola, or would you like to visit someday? What would you most like to see or experience there?

Okay so I’ve been looking at tropical destinations and Cape Verde keeps coming up. I’m very tempted because I’d rather visit places before they become the next painfully mainstream Instagram destination lol.

But I need honest opinions from people who have actually been

I need my pretty beaches, nice hotel, good food and a little bit of civilization. I’m not expecting Dubai-level luxury, but I do like having good restaurants and different food options because I’m sorry but I refuse to spend a week eating sad buffet food like I’m on a school trip 💀

Also, how bad are the mosquitoes/insects? I genuinely cannot handle them and will reconsider an entire destination if I’m going to get eaten alive. Nature is beautiful from a distance, thank you.

How easy is it to get around without speaking Portuguese? Is English enough in the touristy areas?

And for anyone who’s travelled there alone as a woman ...did you feel comfortable? Especiall going out for dinner, walking around, meeting people etc. I’ve heard mixed things about safety and would rather hear from actual women who have been.

Is Sal the obvious choice or is there somewhere that feels a little more exclusive secret island?

Basically I want the tropical fantasy without having to sacrifice all my little comforts because unfortunately I have standards and I intend to keep them 💗 Thank youu

Hello, we're a young couple and we had the wrong date on the CVSky ticket that would bring us to Sal today, August 22nd. Today we'll try to get into the flight through the in-person waiting list at the Sao Felipe airport very early in the morning, and if that doesn't work we'll go to the CV Interilhas office in town, to try to get tickets to Praia, at least (the CV Interilhas website says 'product not available' for any kind of ticket, and we don't understand if something is wrong with the site or everything is fully booked).

This is a nightmare because we need to catch our flight home in Sal. Any help is greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: we managed to get in the Praia flight through the in-person waiting list. As soon as we get to the Praia airport, we’ll see our further options.

UPDATE 2: in the Praia airport, the CVSky staff at the helpdesk tells us that the only way is to do waitlists again and again until success. We then head to the CV Interilhas office in Plato, near the port. The lady there is barely talking, zero effort of any kind, no way to get a ferry to Sal until September 8th, way past our flight to get back home. Great. Back to the airport, checking €1000+ options, and we notice the people at the helpdesk changed. I explain the whole thing again, and the guy tells me that there is a free place tomorrow, and another one three days from now. WHAT? I booked the first one for my girlfriend and the other one for me. Of course, I will also try all the waiting lists until my reserved flight. We did it, but holy cow, the ‘no stress’ country had us on a chokehold.

Hi everybody!

Me and a couple of friends are planning a trip to Cape verde for new years eve.

It seems like Tarrafal might be the best destination (based on flights and hotels prices).

Is it better to stai in tarrafal or move to Praia and celebrate NYE there?

Also, besides the most popular activities, are there things to do in Tarrafal that are not quite known and advertised?

Thank you all in advance!