Things to Do in Cabo Verde in August
August weather, activities, events & insider tips
August Weather in Cabo Verde
Is August Right for You?
Advantages
- Trade wind season peaks - consistent 15-20 mph (24-32 km/h) breezes make 84°F (29°C) feel like 78°F (26°C) on the beaches
- Empty waves - surfers get Sal's world-class breaks (including Ponta Preta's 1.2-mile/2 km right-handers) with 70% fewer boards in the lineup
- Giant sea turtles arrive - nighttime nesting walks on Boa Vista's 12-mile (19 km) Ervatão Beach run August-September with 80% encounter rates
- Music festival season - São Vicente's Baía das Gatas beach party (mid-August) draws 30,000 people for three days of live coladeira and funaná
Considerations
- Humidity hits 85% during brief but intense afternoon storms that roll in fast - you'll want shelter by 3 PM when thunderclouds build over Santo Antão's peaks
- Some restaurants close - particularly family-run places in Santa Maria and Mindelo shut for seasonal break, reducing dining options by 30%
- Dust from Sahara arrives on harmattan winds - visibility drops to 3 miles (5 km) on worst days, affecting photography and sunset views
Best Activities in August
Wind-based water sports
August delivers Cabo Verde's most reliable winds for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Sal's Santa Maria Bay gets 20-25 mph (32-40 km/h) side-shore winds 80% of days, creating butter-flat water inside the reef and 6-foot (1.8 m) waves outside. The combination of steady wind and warm 79°F (26°C) water means you can ditch the wetsuit entirely.
Volcano hiking at golden hour
Fogo's Pico do Cano erupts 2,829 m (9,281 ft) above sea level, and August's clear morning skies offer 50-mile (80 km) views to neighboring islands. Start the 5-hour round-trip ascent at 5:30 AM when temperatures sit at 64°F (18°C) - by 9 AM they've climbed to 82°F (28°C) on the black lava fields.
Turtle nesting night walks
Loggerhead turtles weighing 250 pounds (113 kg) haul themselves onto Boa Vista's beaches every night in August. The 2-mile (3.2 km) walk from Ervatão to Curral Velho happens under starlight - no flashlights allowed - and you'll hear the turtles before you see them, their breathing sounds like distant steam engines on the sand.
Colonial architecture cycling
Cidade Velha's 15th-century streets stay cooler in August morning air - the UNESCO site's stone walls hold yesterday's chill until 10 AM. The 4-mile (6.4 km) coastal route from Forte Real de São Filipe to the Pelourinho slave market passes banana plantations where farmers still use ox-carts, unchanged since the 1800s.
Deep-sea fishing for blue marlin
August's warm 81°F (27°C) waters bring Atlantic blue marlin within 3 miles (4.8 km) of São Vicente's coast. The fish average 400 pounds (181 kg) and fight for 45 minutes - the sound of the reel screaming at 50 mph (80 km/h) becomes your heartbeat while you battle fish bigger than most humans.
Music bar hopping in Mindelo
Mindelo's cobbled Rua de Lisboa comes alive after 10 PM when morna music drifts from colonial doorways. August's festival atmosphere means impromptu jam sessions - you'll hear the metallic twang of cavaquinho guitars mixing with voices singing in Krioulu about saudade and the sea, all while sipping grogue that's smoother than it has any right to be.
August Events & Festivals
Baía das Gatas Music Festival
São Vicente's full-moon beach party transforms the fishing village into Cape Verde's biggest outdoor concert. Three stages host coladeira, funaná and zouk until sunrise, with 30,000 people dancing barefoot in the sand while grilled lobster and cold Strela beer fuel the party.
Fogo Wine Harvest
The island's 120-year-old vines yield August's harvest of sweet, volcanic-soil wines. Locals stomp grapes in traditional stone lagares while musicians play morna - the purple juice stains both feet and flagstones in São Filipe's 19th-century wine cellars.