February vs April

Best match

Carnival transforms Mindelo — one of the Atlantic's great street festivals.

• ↑The Mindelo Carnival (São Vicente island, February or early March depending on the calendar) is the finest carnival outside Brazil and Trinidad in the Atlantic world: the city of 70,000 erupts into costumed processions, live morna and funaná music, and street dancing that continues for four days. Cesária Évora's music fills every bar along the waterfront, and the cultural energy of Cape Verde's creative capital is at its annual peak.
• ↑Sunshine increases very slightly from January and the islands feel at their most vivid in February's clear pre-harmattan light. The loggerhead turtle nesting beaches at Boa Vista's Curral Velho are active from February — guided night walks to watch nesting females are among the great wildlife experiences of the Atlantic islands.

Best match

The quietest month with the best sunshine — an underrated gem for those in the know.

• ↑April sees the highest sunshine hours of the year (9.0 per day) and the lowest tourist volumes: European package tourism has wound down from the winter peak and hasn't yet been replaced by summer visitors. The Sal resort area is calm, prices are competitive, and the wind sports infrastructure is fully operational.
• ↑The Cidade Velha UNESCO site on Santiago island is best visited in April's dry season light: the ruined Portuguese colonial city (founded 1462) — the oldest European settlement in sub-Saharan Africa — has extraordinary atmosphere at the Pillory Square and the Cathedral ruins. The Saturday market on the road from Praia is a genuine cultural experience.