Location |
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 The
Cape Verdes are a group of ten islands located off the coast
of west Africa.
This former Portuguese colony gained independence in 1975,
Portuguese therefore is the official language although some
English is understood.
The privately owned Sambala resort is situated on Santiago
Island on a plateau near to the white sandy beach of Sao
Francisco.
Santiago is the largest of the islands, approximately twice
the size of The Isle of Wight.
A new international airport located near Praia (the capital)
will be served by direct flights from the UK.
Sambala is only a short drive north from the airport on the
newly constructed tarmac road.
Bars, restaurant's and sporting facilities are also located
within the development, although the busy metropolis city of
Praia is only 7kms away.
A 36-hole world class golf course, luxury hotels, villas, more
holiday villages and a marina is planned for the future.
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Climate top |
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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 22-27oC and the sea temperature
is 21-26oC, (around 3oC warmer than
the Canaries) with sunshine levels at 10 to 12 hours per
day. |
| Annual Weather Statistics: |
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Temperature °C day |
24 |
25 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
27 |
28 |
30 |
29 |
28 |
27 |
| Temperature °C night |
18 |
17 |
18 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
23 |
22 |
20 |
| Sea temperature °C |
21 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
24 |
25 |
25 |
24 |
22 |
| Hours of sunshine |
8 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
8 |
| Days of rain |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
0 |
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Fishing top |
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Cape Verde is a paradise for fishermen.
There are several companies offering fishing for blue
marlin, tuna, shark, wahoo, sailfish and spearfish.
It is possible to join local fishermen on their trips,
where they often only go out a few hundred yards, drop
anchor and fish for grouper and squirrel fish.
Some go fishing for moray eels.
The locals use harpoons to catch lobster, octopus and
parrotfish.
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Trekking top |
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Santiago is a great location for walking. There are many
interesting walks, particularly in the central mountain
region and ribeiras (dried up river valleys).
A lot of the walking can be on cobbled paths that have
been constructed on steep slopes, making the walking
easier than you would expect from the map.
A great website with many detailed walks can be found at reisetraeume |
Diving top |
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The waters of cape Verde are rich, colourful and plentiful
in sea life.
You can expect to observe many types of fish such
as snapper, parrot, trigger, trumpet and balloon fish to
mention a few.
It is also not uncommon to see turtles, humpback
and grey whales.
There are many ship wrecks with sunken hidden
treasure near to the coast to explore.
There is already an established diving school in the north
of the island at Tarrafal.
Sambala are also planning to run a diving school from the Sao Francisco beach in the near future.
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Windsurfing and Surfing top |
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The Island of Sal is the most well known and the best
location in Cape Verde for windsurfing, but with reliable
winds and warm crystal clear waters Santiago is also a
marvellous location.
The north of the Island at Tarrafal is particularly good
along with the islands other white sandy beaches such as
Baia de Sao Francisco, Ribeira da Prata and Porto Gouveia.
A good informative website can be found at surfcaboverde |
Golf top |
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Golf is still very much in it's infancy on Santiago, but 2 golf resorts are planned.
The first will be located at Sambala, where there will be a choice of two 18 hole championship courses.
The second will be at Santiago Golf Resort, which is located on the coast a short drive west of Praia near Cidade Velha.
The first stage was launched in 1999 but never really got underway, but the project has been re-launched by the Portuguese group Sacramento Campos as new capital has been raised for the project.
A shopping centre, a hospital, an 18 and a 9 hole course, swimming pools, a casino, discotheques, tennis fields and restaurants are planned.
The coast of the complex will include a marina with the capacity of 200 boats, two beaches, an Atlantic swimming pool and a seaside promenade with restaurants. Santiago Golf Resort |
Mountain Biking top |
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With it's rugged mountainous interior and ribeiras (dried up river valleys), Santiago is a wonderful place for all types of mountain biking.
There are many tracks, cobbled streets and paths just waiting to be explored.
A good map can be purchased from AB-Kartenverlag
Don't forget to bring your bikes and any spares you require, as you'll be hard pushed to find a good mountain bike shop here in Santiago! |
Santiago Films top |
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There are 5 good films about the Island's beaches, flora and fauna on the Sambala website which are well worth watching. They give a good idea of what to expect if you've never visited the Islands. |
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