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Inter-island ferries

Cape Verde ferries: routes, tickets and what to expect

Short answer

One company, CV InterIlhas, runs the inter-island ferries. Buy your ticket at least 1 h 30 before departure, online or through its agents, and check in at least an hour before with a photo ID. Mindelo–Porto Novo is the 40-minute crossing; most other legs take hours and do not sail every day.

Three lines that behave very differently

The operator publishes its schedule by date, a few weeks ahead, together with a crossing-time table for every pair of islands.

  • Barlavento: Mindelo – Porto Novo, 40 minutes. On 14 October 2026 the schedule showed two sailings each way.
  • Sotavento: Santiago – Maio 1 h 45, Santiago – Fogo 5 h 05, Fogo – Brava 50 minutes. On 14 October 2026 it sailed Santiago – Maio and back, and nothing to Fogo or Brava.
  • Redonda: on 14 October 2026 it sailed Sal – São Nicolau and São Nicolau – São Vicente. Sal – Boa Vista takes 3 h 05 by the crossing table, but no sailing between them appeared that day.
  • The fleet: five ships for 164 to 300 passengers each — Praia d’Aguada, Sotavento, Kriola, Liberdadi and Inter-ilhas.

Sources: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and crossing timesPassenger frequently asked questions

Buying a ticket

Tickets must be bought at least 1 h 30 before departure and cannot be bought on board. Online, the operator accepts Visa, Vinti4, Mastercard and American Express. The agents Polar (every island except Boa Vista and Sal) and Navex (Boa Vista, Santiago, Sal and São Vicente) also sell tickets, for cash in escudos or by card. Seats cannot be reserved.

Sources: CV InterIlhasTicket purchase rulesPassenger frequently asked questionsPassenger rules: check-in, luggage and assistance

Check-in, ID and luggage

Check in at least one hour before departure with a photo ID that matches the name on the ticket, or boarding may be refused.

  • Hand luggage: two items free, each up to 55 × 40 × 25 cm and 8 kg. A bigger item becomes checked baggage at 300 CVE.
  • Checked baggage: up to two items of 33 × 55 × 85 cm and 25 kg, handed in at least 30 minutes before boarding. A third item needs approval and costs 1,000 CVE.
  • Pushchairs and other items for children under two travel free.

Sources: CV InterIlhasPassenger rules: check-in, luggage and assistance

Fares are set by the government

The passenger tariff, in force since 1 February 2024 under Despacho 01/2024, has a national and a higher non-national column. It lists no child fare.

  • São Vicente – Santo Antão: 1,500 CVE non-national (950 national).
  • Sal – Boa Vista: 2,500 CVE (1,700).
  • Santiago – Maio: 2,300 CVE (1,530).
  • Santiago – Fogo: 4,450 CVE (2,980).
  • Fogo – Brava: 1,500 CVE (950).

Sources: CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)

When a sailing is late or cancelled

CV InterIlhas says passengers are told about delays and cancellations, and that a delay of more than three hours entitles you to a free meal. If it changes a sailing for force majeure and you do not accept the change, your fare is refunded. To cancel yourself with a full refund, tell the operator at least 24 hours ahead.

The domestic airline CVsky is the fallback for Santiago, São Vicente, Sal, Boa Vista and Fogo; a ferry ticket does not transfer to it.

Sources: CV InterIlhasPassenger rules: check-in, luggage and assistanceCVsky (LACV)Domestic airline routes and booking

Rough seas

Sea conditions around Cape Verde can be dangerous, the UK government says, and travel by sea to Brava and Fogo in particular can often be disrupted. Follow local advice, and never put a same-day flight after a ferry.

Sources: UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development OfficeCape Verde travel advice: safety and security

Inter-island ferries

The three CV Interilhas lines at a glance

One national ferry concession connects the nine inhabited islands on three lines. Mindelo–Porto Novo is the short crossing, with sailings both ways on the day we read the schedule; the operator publishes every line’s sailings date by date, a few weeks ahead.

Schematic map of the Cape Verde archipelago showing the three CV Interilhas ferry lines: the Barlavento shuttle between São Vicente and Santo Antão, the Sotavento line linking Santiago with Maio, Fogo and Brava, and the Redonda line, which on the day we read the schedule sailed Sal – São Nicolau – São Vicente, and whose crossing table includes Sal – Boa Vista. Santo Antão Porto Novo São Vicente Mindelo São Nicolau Sal Boa Vista Maio Santiago Praia Fogo Brava
  • Barlavento — Mindelo ↔ Porto Novo, 40 minutes; two sailings each way on 14 October 2026
  • Sotavento — Praia – Fogo – Brava, plus Maio (crossing table); sailings published by date
  • Redonda — Sal → São Nicolau → São Vicente on 14 October 2026; Sal – Boa Vista 3 h 05 in the crossing table

Line shapes are schematic. Sailings and fares are published by CV Interilhas — always check the current week before planning around a crossing.

What things cost

Praia city buses

Sol Atlântico publishes prepaid bundles of 5, 10 and 15 trips at 215, 430 and 645 CVE — 43 CVE a trip. Its fares page lists no separate single ticket.

  • Monthly passes: 2,900 CVE general, 2,300 CVE student, 2,100 CVE senior.
  • First card 300 CVE; a no-name prepaid card is 250 CVE.
  • Passes and trip packages are sold online and through the vinti4 network; the card itself is collected in person.

Sol AtlânticoTariffs, cards and passes

Ferry fares are law, not pricing

CV InterIlhas passenger fares are fixed by government order and published as a full island-to-island table. Non-nationals pay a separate, higher column throughout: 1,500 CVE against 950 CVE on São Vicente–Santo Antão, 2,500 against 1,700 on Sal–Boa Vista.

  • Santiago–Fogo: 2,980 CVE national, 4,450 CVE non-national.
  • Fogo–Brava: 950 CVE national, 1,500 CVE non-national.
  • Santiago–Maio: 1,530 CVE national, 2,300 CVE non-national.

CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)

Aluguer fares are not published

No operator publishes a route fare for a shared minibus seat. The airport company gives only an approximate minimum per trip — about 100 CVE on its English page, 130 CVE on its Portuguese one. The fare is agreed in cash before departure, and the same vehicle can be sold as a seat or as a private charter.

  • Ask what a seat costs, not what the trip costs.
  • Carry small escudo notes; cards are not accepted.
  • A quoted “whole car” price is a charter, not the shared fare.

Governo de Cabo VerdeNational transport services portalCabo Verde AirportsPublic transportation at the airportsPublic transport (Portuguese page)

Money and payment

The escudo is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate published by the Banco de Cabo Verde, so euro prices barely move. City bus cards top up through vinti4, ferries take cards online and cash at the counter, and aluguers take cash only.

Banco de Cabo VerdeExchange-rate statisticsCV InterIlhasPassenger frequently asked questions

Questions travellers ask

Can I do Santo Antão as a day trip from Mindelo?

Often, yes. The crossing is 40 minutes, and on 14 October 2026 the schedule had a morning sailing out of Mindelo and a late-afternoon sailing back. Check your date, buy both legs at least 1 h 30 ahead, and save the return time where you can read it offline.

Sources: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and crossing timesTicket purchase rules

Do the ferries run every day?

Not on every line. The operator says its schedules depend on the destination; on 14 October 2026 there was no Sal–Boa Vista sailing at all. Open the schedule for your exact date.

Sources: CV InterIlhasRoutes, schedules and crossing timesPassenger frequently asked questions

Do children pay less on the ferry?

The published tariff has national and non-national columns only, with no child fare. Ask CV InterIlhas on +238 350 033 0 before you buy.

Sources: CV InterIlhasPassenger tariff (national and non-national)Passenger frequently asked questions

Can I bring a dog or an assistance dog?

Guide dogs and other assistance dogs travel free and may stay in the passenger areas, with the required documents. Pets travel as checked baggage in a carrier you bring yourself.

Sources: CV InterIlhasPassenger frequently asked questions