HISTORY:
The Cape Verde Islands were uninhabited when discovered by explorers commissioned by the Portuguese Crown in 1460. Africans (originally brought in under slavery) mixed with Portuguese, English and French, to create the Cape Verdean people. Intermittent periods of drought led to famine and emigration - even now more Cape Verdeans live overseas than on the Islands. In 1975, the Cape Verdean people were given independence from Portugal. In 1991, multi-party democracy began.
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FLIGHTS:
Cape Verde is five and a half hours from the UK and approximately six hours from Ireland - half the time it takes to get from Northern Europe to the Caribbean! There are currently direct flights from France, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Scandinavia. Direct flights from Ireland are now underway and the UK commence shortly.
Currently RHH developments are situated on the Island of Sal. Sal hosts the international airport and transfers to the resorts are in minutes.
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ENVIRONMENT:
The natural environment has always been important in Cape Verde. The large green turtles, now synonymous with the islands frequent its beaches to lay eggs. Colourful and unusual birds like the Passarinha kingfisher also call the islands home. There are no large mammals or snakes, but there are green monkeys and geckos. Offshore the ocean is stocked with dolphins, whales and yellow fin tuna.
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With the country's main economic drivers now firmly identified in the tourism and service sectors, the Cape Verdean Government has big plans for the archipelago in the years to come.
CULTURE:
Cape Verdean cuisine centres on the sea with lobster, tuna, squid, octopus widely available. The local dish is of Portuguese influence and is called 'Cachupa' - a form of stew typically made with meat or fish, coconut, maize, beans, cassava and sweet potato. Papaya, mango, banana, coconut, date and sugar cane are plentiful. Red and white wine are produced though most is imported from Portugal. The local made drink is called 'Grogue', which is a type of rum. Music underpins Cape Verdean life - Traditional music includes the Morna as sung by Cesária Evora.
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Cape Verde's policy of expansion for tourism and the consequential infrastructure improvements will ensure exceptional growth for the tourism economy.
The Islands developments for tourism are limited to only 4 islands.
The perfect all year round climate ensures maximum rental income!
Awareness of the Islands is growing rapidly, they were featured in the Channel 4 programme- 20 best places to buy in the sun.
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There are no mandatory innoculations required for Cape Verde. Visas can be purchased on arrival.
SERVICES:
There are private health clinics, dentistry clinics and pharmacies in Cape Verde. There is a good but expensive telecommunications infrastructure which includes broadband. There is also a mobile network which has roaming agreements with most continental European carriers. Though the currency is the Escudo, the Euro is the most widely accepted and easy to use currency. Visa and Mastercard are accepted in most hotels and banks.
INSPECTION TRIPS TO CAPE VERDE:
Trips to Cape Verde depart each week. The visit lasts for four days and three nights with accommodation in a four star hotel. Demand for inspection trips is high so early booking is advised. Inspection programme cost £399 (580€) per person.
Flights depart from Gatwick, Manchester
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CLIMATE:
With its year round climate, Cape Verde is an ideal holiday destination. On the same latitude as Barbados, it has a perfect tropical dry climate with very little rainfall. There is low humidity and a long dry season from November to July, equally there is no history of hurricanes. The average air temperature is 22-27C and the sea temperature is 21-26C, (3 degrees warmer round than the Canaries) with sunshine levels at 10 to 12 hours per day.
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Though Cape Verde will experience more development in the next decade some of the islands have been earmarked for eco-tourism which means that they will never have many tourist resorts. Equally on the more developed islands like Sal and Sao Tiago the government has strict planning regulations in place which not only stipulate high quality, low rise structures but also require all developments to have their own desalination and sewerage plants along with back up generators. |
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