Insider tips from my circle of friends: Cape Verde and the Azores

This page follows a different rule from the rest of my site: I have not been there yet. What you read here was told to me by friends who have just come back or even live there – and I have checked their information against flight schedules, climate data and current prices. As soon as I go myself, the destination moves to its own page with my photos. Until then, every tip says who it comes from.

Cape Verde: the warm alternative to the Canaries

Friends of mine were in Cape Verde in November 2026 and came back delighted: sun every day, warm sea, beaches without hotel blocks. The archipelago lies 500 kilometres off West Africa, and that is exactly what makes it interesting for the Swiss winter. Where the Canaries offer 20 degrees in January, Sal and Boa Vista have 25 to 27 degrees by day, the sea is 23 degrees – and it practically never rains. Add a steady wind that makes the heat bearable and draws kitesurfers from all over Europe.

Sal – Santa MariaNon-stop flight from Zurich with Edelweiss, 6¾ hours · 8 kilometres of pale sandy beach

The island with the best connections and the most hotels. Santa Maria is a small town with a beach promenade, fishermen on the pier and restaurants – enough for a week, not too much. Excursions: the salt pans of Pedra de Lume, the sharks in Shark Bay, the «blue cave» of Buracona.

Hotels in Santa Maria Ausflüge auf Sal

Boa Vista – Praia de ChavesNon-stop flight from Zurich with Edelweiss (winter schedule) · dunes down to the sea

Quieter than Sal, more nature: sand dunes running down to the water, turtles laying eggs on the beach in summer, desert landscape inland. If you mainly want to read, swim and walk, this is the place; if you want a choice of restaurants in the evening, pick Sal.

Hotels auf Boa Vista

Cape Verde in figures

When to go: November to June is dry and warm (24–30 degrees), July to October more humid with a few rainy days. Wind strongest from December to March.
Price: a week in a 4-star resort with flights from Zurich starts at about CHF 800–1,200 per person; all-inclusive is the norm on the two beach islands. That puts Cape Verde just above my list «Into the warmth for under 800 francs», but beach weather is guaranteed.
Practical: time difference minus two hours, euros accepted almost everywhere, Swiss citizens enter with a passport and online pre-registration (EASE). Drink bottled water only.
Honestly: the islands are barren – if you want green landscapes you need to travel on to Santo Antão (ferry from São Vicente). The beach islands are about the beach, not the sights.

Bathing in the salt pans of Pedra de Lume on Sal — Pedra de Lume, Sal: bathing in the salt lake of the old volcanic crater – you float as in the Dead Sea. (Photo: 197travelstamps.com)

Kitesurfers at Kite Beach on Sal — Kite Beach near Santa Maria: the trade wind brings kitesurfers from all over Europe. (Photo: 197travelstamps.com)

View over the salt pans of Pedra de Lume — The salt pans of Pedra de Lume with the old cableway – Sal does not mean «salt» for nothing. (Photo: 197travelstamps.com)

Surf on the rocky coast of Buracona on Sal — Buracona on Sal's west coast: surf, lava rocks and the «blue cave». (Photo: Iwoelbern, Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

Sand dunes at Praia de Chaves on Boa Vista — Boa Vista, Praia de Chaves: dunes down to the sea. (Photo: Horst, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Palm trees on a beach in Cape Verde — Evening light on the beach – Cape Verde is barren, but never cold. (Photo: Unsplash)

My friends' report and photos will follow here as soon as I have them: where they stayed, what it cost and what they would do differently next time.

The Azores for riders

A friend of mine has emigrated to the Azores and works with horses there – riding holidays and courses in the middle of the Atlantic. She says she is overjoyed, and when you see the photos you understand why: green pastures down to the cliffs, crater lakes, hydrangea hedges along the lanes and hardly any traffic. The Azores are not a winter-sun destination (14 to 17 degrees from December to February, often rainy), but from May to October they are one of Europe's finest riding regions.

Riding on São MiguelMain island, Ponta Delgada airport · crater lakes Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo

This is where most of the riding stables are: day rides to the crater lakes, multi-day trails from farm to farm, beginners' courses and dressage on Lusitanos. Plus thermal baths in Furnas, whale watching from Ponta Delgada and hiking trails along the levadas.

Hotels auf São Miguel Mietwagen Ponta Delgada Ausflüge São Miguel

My friend's riding farmIsland, farm and programme to be added once she has agreed

Riding holidays in the Azores usually work like this: accommodation in a quinta or country hotel near the farm, two to four hours in the saddle each day, time in between for the thermal baths or the coast. Expect about CHF 1,500–2,200 per person for a week with flights, accommodation and riding programme – Lusitanos, small groups and the location set the price.

The Azores in figures

Getting there: from Zurich via Lisbon or Porto to Ponta Delgada, 6 to 7 hours in total; in summer there are a few direct flights from Switzerland.
When to go: May to October with 20 to 25 degrees; July and August are driest. The weather changes fast – a rain jacket belongs in every saddlebag.
Price: flights from about CHF 350 return, country hotel or quinta from CHF 90 a night in a double room, rides from CHF 60 an hour, multi-day trails from CHF 1,200 excluding flights.
Honestly: the Azores are green because it rains. If you want guaranteed sun, choose Cape Verde; if you want nature, peace and horses, this is the place.

Horse on a lane on São Miguel, Azores — São Miguel: horses are part of everyday life here – in pastures, on lanes and at small farms. (Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Sete Cidades crater lake on São Miguel — Sete Cidades: the most famous crater lake of the Azores, destination of many day rides. (Photo: Gonçalo Torres, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Lagoa do Fogo from the air — Lagoa do Fogo, the «lake of fire» – a nature reserve with a pale sandy shore. (Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Horses in a pasture in the Azores in evening light — Pastures to the horizon, evening light over the Atlantic. (Photo: Jules Verne Times Two, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Surf on the lava coast of the Azores — Lava coast with tidal pools – a sea bath after the ride. (Photo: Willem Schwertmann)

Waterfall in Terra Nostra park in Furnas — Terra Nostra in Furnas: thermal park with iron-rich water at 38 degrees. (Photo: Kritzolina, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

City gates of Ponta Delgada — Ponta Delgada: the three city gates by the harbour, arrival point on São Miguel. (Photo: Gerard Mahieu, Flickr)

Lane with white and blue houses in the Azores — White and blue houses, basalt paving: a village on São Miguel. (Photo: Gerard Mahieu, Flickr)

My friend's first name, island and farm, plus her photos, will follow here once she has agreed.

Why this page

Normally I only write about places I have been to myself – that is the heart of this website. But some of the best leads come from friends and acquaintances, and it would be a shame to keep them to myself. Hence this page: clearly labelled as second-hand tips, with figures I have checked, and with the promise that I will visit each destination myself as soon as I can. Cape Verde is at the top of my list for the coming winter.

Your insider tip

Do you know a destination nobody has on their radar yet – or have you been to Cape Verde or the Azores yourself? Write to me. I check the tips and publish the best ones here with your first name.

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