The cradle of Cape Verdeanness

The island of Santiago, considered the most African of all and where the contrasts are sharper, offers a multitude of mountains and valleys, paths and trails, in what is the largest island and that accommodates half the country's population.

Cradle of Cape Verdeanness, the island offers a rich cultural, culinary and scenic, unique, as well as beautiful beaches. This is also where you will find the memories of other times, in the silence and the ruins of the Cidade Velha, ancient Ribeira Grande, the first Portuguese town. It also has beautiful bays and coves. The São Martinho, Praia Baixo and São Francisco, as well as the Tarrafal and the Ribeira de Prata, worth a visit ... and a mandatory diving. The market sucupira (popular market) and the vegetables in Praia are also required passages. The city of Praia is also positioning itself as a conference center and regional and international events. The island has an airport and international port with links to the main markets. Come on and let yourself in the contagious magic of most African island of the archipelago.

Discover the variety of leisure time in the capital

The artistic multiplicity of Cape Verde has strong expression in the capital, Praia. There is a wide range in terms of restaurants, bars, museums and cultural activities, sports and leisure.

In many existing restaurants, the cuisine is varied and unique tastes, offering from typical dishes such as cachupa, the specialties with fish and seafood, accompanied almost always live music on weekends Weekend. Take a stroll through the plateau, historic and neuralgic center of Praia, and discover the excitement of the legendary restaurant "Quintal da Música", which provides evening and unforgettable moments of conviviality, flavors, aromas and artistic wealth.

Venture into the unusual interior of the island

In addition to the capital of glow, Santiago is an island of rugged mountains, volcanic rocks and green valleys. In this journey through the mystical interior, be sure to visit the colorful market of Assomada, an important trading point, with a unique atmosphere, a mix between country and city.

Do not miss the valley of São Domingos, the Pico d'Antonia (the highest point on the island), nor forget to visit the Botanical Garden of São Jorge, "Rui Vaz," the Serra Malagueta Natural Park, Calheta de São Miguel and Santa Cruz, not forgetting São Lourenço dos Orgãos and São Salvador do Mundo.

Live here the history and culture of Cape Verde

Santiago is the island of all contrasts, from the balmy beaches, the unique landscapes, the traces of rurality inside, through the fragments of history that take us to distant times. Meet the cradle of Cape Verdean nationality - Cidade Velha - where reigns, imposing, the Royal Fortress of Saint Philip.

Visiting Santiago is discovering the roots of the country and the marks of the settlement, while you soak the morabeza and the frantic rhythms of drumming. A visit to the community of "Rabelados" (community that was many years isolated from the rest and kept ancestral ways of life) is necessary to the visitor. After a pleasant journey through the island, we come to a surrounded by coconut bay, where it is one of the most beautiful beaches around the Cape Verde Archipelago: Tarrafal. The county, which is located in the north of the island of Santiago, also has the Tarrafal concentration former camp, now a museum. Built by the Portuguese Government in 1936, the Cologne Criminal Tarrafal, also known as "Tarrafal Camp" was in place years of atrocities and human rights violations, to be closed in 1954.