Cape Verde · Cape Verde
May
Near-perfect and uncrowded — the best month almost nobody knows about.
Best match
#2 of 12 months
May is one of the best times to visit Cape Verde.
Climate
High
27.8°C
Low
21.2°C
Rain
1mm
Sun
8.8hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How May scores in Cape Verde
Weather
Outstanding
Value
Excellent
Crowds
Very good
Events
Above average
Atmosphere
Excellent
What you gain in May
- ↑May is Cape Verde's secret: outstanding weather (1mm rain, 8.8 sunshine hours, 27.8°C), low crowds, and affordable prices across all the islands. The combination of warm but not-hot temperatures and consistent sunshine makes it the most comfortable month for walking the volcanic interior of Santo Antão or hiking Fogo's active caldera.
- ↑Fogo island in May is extraordinary: the 2,829m Pico do Fogo (most recently active in 2014) can be summited in a long day with a guide from Chã das Caldeiras village — the lunar landscape inside the caldera, with vineyards producing one of the world's most unusual wines from volcanic soil, is completely unlike anywhere else in Africa or the Atlantic.
- ↑Loggerhead turtle nesting on Boa Vista's beaches peaks from May through October: the protected beaches at Curral Velho and Morro de Areia host one of the largest loggerhead rookeries in the Atlantic, and the Turtle Foundation runs guided night watches at no cost to visitors.
What you sacrifice
- ↓The trade winds are softer in May than the January-February window: reliable for competent kitesurfers but potentially frustrating for beginners who need consistent 5+ Beaufort wind.
- ↓June-September humidity begins creeping up — May is at the comfortable limit before the slightly muggier summer period on the wetter islands (Santiago, Santo Antão).
How May compares to April (best month)
| Factor | May | April ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 9 | 9 |
| Value | 8 | 8 |
| Crowds | 7 | 7 |
May in other destinations
Lisbon (20.7°C)Barcelona (20.8°C)Tokyo (23.8°C)Bali (31.2°C)Santorini (19.8°C)Paris (18.1°C)New York (20.4°C)Marrakech (26.4°C)Amsterdam (16.4°C)Maldives (31.5°C)Rome (21.7°C)Bangkok (32.6°C)Istanbul (20.7°C)Vienna (19.7°C)Seoul (21.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.9°C)Rio de Janeiro (26.2°C)Kyoto (25.2°C)Phuket (32.6°C)Cape Town (18.9°C)Prague (21°C)Amalfi Coast (23°C)Mexico City (27°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (18°C)Sydney (19°C)Iceland (10°C)Tulum (32°C)Dubai (38°C)Singapore (33°C)Hoi An (33°C)Chiang Mai (33°C)Miami (30.6°C)Florence (23.1°C)Queenstown (11°C)Madrid (21.7°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (15°C)Copenhagen (16°C)Budapest (22°C)Kraków (20°C)Tbilisi (23°C)Palawan (32°C)Hanoi (31°C)Osaka (25°C)Goa (33°C)Cusco (20°C)Buenos Aires (19°C)Mykonos (23°C)Zanzibar (28°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (27°C)Cancun (32°C)Krabi (33°C)Athens (25°C)Seville (27°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (34°C)Havana (30°C)Split (22°C)Taipei (30°C)Kuala Lumpur (33°C)Valletta (24°C)Ho Chi Minh City (34°C)Hawaii (29°C)Cappadocia (22°C)Dominican Republic (31°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (23°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (28°C)Jordan (28°C)Azores (21°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (22.8°C)Cairo (34.8°C)Kenya (26.1°C)Jaipur (40.2°C)Las Vegas (33.8°C)San Francisco (17.5°C)Madeira (23°C)Vancouver (17.8°C)Muscat (40.1°C)Lima (20.5°C)Cinque Terre (21°C)Kotor (22°C)Tel Aviv (27°C)Santiago (17°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (17.8°C)Penang (33.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Fez (27.8°C)Kerala (33°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (28°C)Oslo (17°C)Auckland (17°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Cape Verde, not across destinations. Methodology →