Holidaying in the paradise of
Palmeira Da Cruz
1, The paradise location:
Palmeira Da Cruz Eco-Lodge is located on the island of Santo Antão.
Santo Antão is located north of the Cape Verde archipelago near the island of São Vicente. Santo Antão does not yet have its own airport. São Vicente does have an airport with several destinations.
From Mindelo, the major city and port on São Vicente, you take a ferry to Santo Antão. A direct flight to Santo Antão would be more practical, but the ferry transfer is an attraction in itself that you should not miss. It is part of your vacation and you enjoy a beautiful view.
The explanation below is also intended for travelers departing from other countries. In this case, search for the suitable flight from your country to Sao Vicente.
domestic flights
BEST FLY.
Inform yourself before booking your flight. Best Fly is often fully booked.
Belgium-Netherlands - São Vicente (we give this as an example, of course there are also flights from other European countries and continents)
Which flights fly to Sao Vicente from Brussels Airport and Schiphol Amsterdam?
TAP and Tui are two airlines that fly to SAO VICENTE Cape Verde.
TAP flies from Brussels and Amsterdam and has a stopover in Lisbon or Porto. The flight lasts approximately between 7 and 10 hours with stopover included.
Tui flies directly from Schiphol, Amsterdam. This flight takes about 6 hours. Sometimes Tui briefly lands on Sal or Boa Vista to drop off or pick up travelers. As a result, the travel time can take up to 20 minutes longer.
Due to the pandemic, there are many shifts in airline schedules and this information may not be completely up to date.
The prices of the airline tickets can differ greatly. The price drops outside the school holidays. So take into account the school holidays in Belgium and the Netherlands. Sometimes you can make interesting bargains because these holidays are not coordinated.
Sao Vicente - Santo Antao
With a ferry you travel from Mindelo to Porto-Novo. This boat trip takes about 50 minutes.
There are two different ferries that depart. cvinterilhas.com . you can book online. The new ferry is Armas ( https://nosferry.cv ). The website is online but you can't book online yet. You can buy the tickets for the ferry on site at a counter. The price is 800 CVE (8€) per person. We recommend booking Nosferry (Armas) as this transfer is much more comfortable than the Dona Tututa ferry currently sailing for CV Interilhas.
If you cannot combine the ferry on arrival at São Vicente, you will have to book a night in Mindelo. We can also provide you with interesting customized information.
Porto Novo - Palmeira Da Cruz (Cruzinha)
How do you travel from Porto Novo, the port where you arrive by ferry, to Palmeira Da Cruz?
The drive to Palmeira Da Cruz is fairytale-like. During the 1.5- to 2-hour drive, the scenery is very varied and spectacular. You drive along the coastline through a rocky colourful mountain range, past an oasis of greenery, right through the mountains to the other side of Santo Antão.
(The last part of the route is closed. Do NOT drive to the village of Chã de Igreja but drive along the riverbed towards Cruzinha. We do not know how long the road will remain closed. We expect it to last until June 2023, ask for the pdf I can send you with extra information and photos).
There are three different ways to get to Palmeira Da Cruz.
- There are local vans (Colectivo) that travel cheaply to Cruzinha. The driver will drop you off at Palmeira da Cruz. You pay per person and luggage is strapped on the roof.
- You can hire the taxi or Aluguer privately for about 75€. The taxi can be ordered through us if necessary and the driver will wait for you at the ferry.
- Or you can hire a car and explore the island's roads yourself at your own pace.
TIP: If you spend more than 3 days on Palmeira Da Cruz, we recommend renting a car. Rent-a-car Vale & Montanha (FB) keep in mind that there will be a road diversion 30 minutes before arrival. Please contact us for an accurate road description.
2, COVID-19 :
Our Archipelago was also colored red under Africa, which was not right. Santo Antão has the pandemic well under control. The population strictly adheres to the Covid rules. Vaccinations are going well and almost all the population of Santo Antão have been vaccinated.
The mouth mask is quietly disappearing from the streets. There is still a mouth mask requirement in some shops, in hospitals and pharmacies.
With regard to Covid-19 documents that you need to enter or leave the archipelago, it is best to contact the local authorities.
3, Travel documents :
† To travel to Cape Verde you need a valid travel passport that is valid for at least another 6 months.
- Visa: EASE is now the name for the registration: You can register online at https://www.ease.gov.cv . You pay about 30€ for this and your stay is valid for 30 days. It is also possible to buy an EASE at the airport. Be among the first to leave the plane and join the purchase counter as soon as possible. Long queues are unavoidable here.
- Check the website of the airlines when you need to fill in extra documents to enter Portugal and/or Cape Verde.
4, Currencies :
The Cape Verdean currency is Escudo. 110 Escudos is 1€. In most hotels 100 CVE is counted as 1€.
On arrival in Cape Verde you can withdraw money with your payment card in Escudo. You can pay in many shops with Euros. We accept both Escudos and Euros in cash.
5, Golden Tips :
Communication :
- Always say Ola, bom dia… and nod kindly to the people you cross or meet. This is an important custom here in Cape Verde that has become a bit lost in Belgium.
- We have Wifi but sometimes it is useful to use a telephone card on the island. Two providers are available: Unitel or CVMovel. You can already charge your card for 1 week and use 3G. The telephone card is valid for 3 months. The seller will arrange it for you.
Health :
- The African sun burns strongly, provide sun products with a high factor to protect you well. Also bring a hat.
- Ask the doctor for a medicine against diarrhea. The water on Palmeira Da Cruz is drinkable for the local population, but Palmeira Da Cruz uses bottled water to make coffee and tea. We also recommend using bottled water to brush your teeth.
- At Palmeira Da Cruz we sometimes suffer from mosquitoes. In other places it is best to provide a product against the mosquitoes. We recommend buying DEET from the pharmacy.
Walking and hiking on the island:
- A hiking map is available with us. We recommend downloading an offline App Maps.me on your smartphone. It is a handy App that you can also consult at home to plan walks in advance.
- You can buy walking maps on arrival in Porto Novo (in the souvenir shop in the hall of departure). You can also order the walking map at home via De Zwerver .
