Cabo Verde

Is Cabo Verde safe to visit?

Yes, for most travellers. Cabo Verde is a stable democracy with no terrorism history, the US rates it Level 1, and since January 2024 it has been certified malaria-free by WHO. Most visitors fly straight to the beach resorts on Sal and Boa Vista and have no trouble. The risks are crime in the capital, Praia, and around the resorts, a powerful Atlantic that drowns swimmers, and medical care that the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary calls very basic. We score Cabo Verde 68, above Senegal and Morocco but well below Mauritius.

Crime in Praia and the resort towns

Cabo Verde's homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is higher than its peaceful reputation suggests. The Polícia Nacional counted 29 homicides in 2021, about 5.9 per 100,000 people, after 36 in 2020; that is more than in Morocco or Tunisia. Neither the US nor the UK reports violence aimed at visitors beyond robbery.

For visitors, theft is the problem. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary lists pickpocketing, bag snatching, burglary and muggings, especially in Praia and on Sal and Boa Vista. Robberies tend to happen after dark on quiet streets and on isolated beaches. The FCDO advises keeping your bag in sight in bars and restaurants, avoiding beaches with poor visibility, and checking that hotel windows and doors lock. Sexual assaults are rare but have been reported.

In Santa Maria on Sal, the main resort town, walk between your hotel and town along lit streets rather than the beach at night, and leave passports and spare cash in the hotel safe.

Strong currents and rough seas

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary is blunt about the water: tides and currents around the islands are very strong, waves are unpredictable and have a strong undertow. Many of the long beaches on Boa Vista and Sal face the open Atlantic, and their resorts can look calm from the sun lounger while a rip runs offshore. Swim only where there is a lifeguard, and treat the flags as rules: red, no entry; yellow, you may wade but not swim; green, swimming allowed.

Ferries between islands are another weak spot. Sea conditions can be dangerous, and crossings to Fogo and Brava are often disrupted. Build spare days into a multi-island trip.

Roads, buses and the Fogo crash

The road numbers disagree. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 16.5 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, allowing for deaths that police counts miss, while police counted 39 deaths in 2024, about 7 per 100,000. WHO's older 2019 series was higher still, at 26.8. The mountain roads on Santiago, Santo Antão and Fogo are steep and winding, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says intercity buses can be dangerous because of poor driving.

On 5 September 2026 a bus carrying mostly children and young people on a school activity went off the road between Chã das Caldeiras and Campanas de Cima on Fogo and fell about 30 m into a ravine. Twenty-five people died and 14 were injured, and the government declared two days of national mourning and promised an inquiry.

If you hire a car, scooter or quad, check its condition and insurance. Helmets are compulsory on scooters and quads, and the FCDO warns that quad crashes often end in a medical evacuation that standard travel insurance may not cover.

Health care is the main gap

Malaria is gone, but dengue is not. The government has raised its civil protection warning for dengue on Santiago, Fogo and Brava, and CDC also lists Zika. Use repellent during the day. UKHSA has investigated a rise in Shigella and Salmonella infections in travellers returning from Cabo Verde; cases have fallen, but careful hand hygiene and food choices matter.

The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary describes medical facilities as basic and limited, with the largest hospitals in Praia and Mindelo. Boa Vista, one of the main resort islands, is particularly poorly served, and Brava and Santo Antão have no working airports, so air evacuation from them is extremely difficult. European health cards are not accepted. Bring the medicines you need and travel insurance with evacuation cover.

Volcano, floods and dust

Fogo is an active volcano, and the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says tremors are felt occasionally on Fogo and Brava. Heavy rain between mid-August and mid-October can cause floods and landslides. From December to February, Saharan dust storms (bruma seca) can disrupt flights, especially on Boa Vista. Hiking up Pico do Fogo also brings a risk of altitude sickness.

How to stay safe in Cabo Verde

• Use authorised taxis from ranks or booked by your hotel; on Sal and Boa Vista they are blue and yellow.
• Avoid isolated beaches and unlit streets after dark, especially in Praia.
• Swim only at lifeguarded beaches and obey the flags.
• Check your insurance covers quad biking and medical evacuation.
• Call 132 for police and 130 for an ambulance.

How we scored it

Conflict (92) is the strongest factor, reflecting decades of peaceful politics. Road safety (51) is the weakest, scored on WHO's 2021 estimate of 16.5 deaths per 100,000; the police count is much lower, but the 2026 Fogo crash shows the risk on mountain roads. Health (60) is held back by basic hospitals and dengue despite the end of malaria. Confidence is medium because the latest homicide count is from 2021 and the two road death figures disagree widely.