São Vicente is a beautiful island and the most cultural of the islands with a rich tradition of music and art. Situated to the north-west of the archipelago the interior of the island has a dramatic mountainous terrain, and the coastal areas offer golden sand beaches. Visitors are almost always guaranteed sunny skies with a warm, dry climate and no hurricane season. There are also no mosquitoes.
Mindelo
Mindelo is the most cultural and picturesque town in Cape Verde. Enclosed between mountains and the ocean, the bay, Porto Grande, has been classified as one of the most beautiful in the world by UNESCO. Outside the bay the small island named the Ilhéu de Pássaros with its old lighthouse rises up from the sea.
Mindelo is a lively, beautiful, cultural town and a perfect holiday destination. Small cobbled streets lead onto wide avenues lined with palm trees, colourful buildings and architecture from the Portuguese and British colonial era. Mindelo has two tennis clubs and Cape Verde’s only golf course – the world’s only baked dirt golf course, a legacy from the British.
Food in Mindelo
Mindelo has a vibrant cafe culture and a variety of good restaurants and bars to choose from. Local food in Mindelo is fresh, especially the fish, and there are also good restaurants in other towns around the island.
Nightlife in Mindelo
Mindelo has a vibrant nightlife with a lively buzz of music throughout the pubs, restaurants and nightclubs. The distinctive and beautiful Morna music is a trademark of Mindelo and Cape Verde. But one definitely needs someone with local knowledge to help you find your way. Without it you will be wondering where the exotic dancing nights and supposedly nice restaurants can be found. Europeans living in São Vicente can help you get the picture.
Beaches of São Vicente
São Vicente has some fantastic stretches of sandy beach, often deserted. The nearest beach to Mindelo is Laginha, a stretch of golden sand with aqua-marine water. This beach is popular with tourists and locals. San Pedro, 10 minutes from Mindelo, has a breathtaking sweep of golden sand and Baia de Salamansa is one of the best places in the world for kite surfing. Baia das Gatas and Calhau are also beautiful beach areas. Holiday-makers should get advice before you attempt to swim anywhere off the beaten track as some areas have strong currents.
Festivals and Music in São Vicente
São Vicente has a thriving music scene and this is embodied in the vibrant and colourful carnivals that take place throughout the year. The colourful Brazilian-style Mardi Gras carnival in February sees people from all over the world descend on Mindelo for 3-4 days of music, costumes, samba dancing, and partying. There is also a large music festival in August on the first weekend of the full moon at Baia das Gatas, and the MindelAct theatre festival in September. New Year is another reason for a carnival. People travel from all over the world to experience these events. Mindelo was home to the famous Cape Verdean singer Cesária Évora, known as the “Barefoot Diva”. Grammy Award winner Évora sang a form of blues called Morna, a beautiful, sad and haunting music which is the national music of the Cape Verde islands.
History of São Vicente
Early days
São Vicente was discovered and colonised by the Portuguese on the 22nd January, 1462 (Saint Vincent’s feastday). However it remained uninhabited throughout most of the era of the transatlantic slave-trade. In 1795 there was an attempt to occupy the island but without much success due to the lack of water.
The British era
Then in the early 1800s the British established a consulate on the island and in 1838, a coal deposit was established in Porto Grande, where ships from Cardiff brought coal, used to refuel ships sailing from Europe to the Americas. Porto Grande grew into the largest port on the Atlantic, and fourth largest coaling station in the world. Seamen stopped off in Mindelo to enjoy themselves in Mindelo’s music bars. Sao Vicente was also used as a switching station for the first transatlantic telegraph cable and had a Royal Mail station and the English left their mark through a golf course, the tradition of afternoon tea and some English words which were adopted into Creole. However the local economy still remained underdeveloped and the local people lived in poverty.
1900s and beyond
The early 1900s saw a movement against Portuguese colonial rule. With the end of steam-driven shipping the coaling station shrank and Mindelo’s importance declined. In 1947/8 a severe drought caused the deaths of over 20,000 people and many more fled the island. Over the years Sao Vicente has seen immigration from Santo Antao and other African countries. Over recent years Sao Vicente has slowly emerged as a tourism hub which an international airport, hotels and bars, and a developed marina.