Welcome to Cape Verde

The country of the warm ‘Morabeza’ welcome. There is a word you will not find in any Portuguese dictionary and yet any visitor to Cape Verde will understand exactly what it means.

The word is 'Morabeza'. It is a Cape Verde colloquialism that describes the inimitable welcome there is for visitors to their country, into their homes and to their tables.

This unmistakable charm wraps itself around visitors like the warm summer's breeze of these temperate tropical islands; a charm that exists in the smiling faces of Cape Verdeans, that exudes through their rhythmic dance and calls out through their music. It's a charm that was borne of a difficult colonial history, a charm that sustained them through it and a charm that is today flourishing amid an excess of spectacular indulgences available to visitors on this tropical archipelago.

In a frenetic world, Cape Verde is the quintessential island paradise retreat. Still largely undiscovered by the populist tourist trail, it is an unspoilt haven for people seeking to escape from hectic daily lives to a place where they can find can relax in an effortlessness and sumptuous environment.

The mix here on these islands is quite unbeatable. It is the tropical paradise with the golden and white sandy beaches, warm weather all year round, magnificent (dormant) volcanic mountains, exotic local cuisine, coastal flatlands and a rich indigenous culture celebrated with a great sense of abandon.

Cape Verde Islands are a republic in the Atlantic Ocean, 500km west of the 'bulge' of Africa. The archipelago is formed by ten sun-kissed islands and eight islets, which are divided into windward and leeward groups. The windward, or Barlavento, group to the north includes Santo Antão, São Vicente, São Nicolau, Santa Luzia, Sal, and Boa Vista; the leeward, or Sotavento, group to the south includes Santiago, Fogo, Maio and Brava. Cape Verde has a total area of 4,033 sq km.