# eSIM for Cape Verde Viasimo's Cape Verde eSIM starts at $9.00 for 500 MB over 1 day, running on CVMOVEL with 4G LTE where available. Plans last 1 to 180 days, arrive by email in minutes and install from your phone's settings, with no app. Canonical page: https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/ ## Cape Verde eSIM prices | Plan | Data | Days | Price | Price per GB | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 500 MB, 1 day | 500 MB | 1 | $9.00 | $18.43 | | 1 GB, 1 day | 1 GB | 1 | $14.99 | $14.99 | | 2 GB, 1 day | 2 GB | 1 | $26.99 | $13.50 | | 10 GB, 1 day | 10 GB | 1 | $75.99 | $7.60 | | Unlimited, 3 days | Unlimited | 3 | $75.99 | - | | Unlimited, 5 days | Unlimited | 5 | $119.99 | - | | 1 GB, 7 days | 1 GB | 7 | $16.00 | $16.00 | | Unlimited, 7 days | Unlimited | 7 | $174.99 | - | | Unlimited, 10 days | Unlimited | 10 | $234.99 | - | | 3 GB, 15 days | 3 GB | 15 | $39.99 | $13.33 | | Unlimited, 15 days | Unlimited | 15 | $349.99 | - | | 3 GB, 30 days | 3 GB | 30 | $42.99 | $14.33 | | 5 GB, 30 days | 5 GB | 30 | $65.00 | $13.00 | | 10 GB, 30 days | 10 GB | 30 | $119.99 | $12.00 | | 20 GB, 30 days | 20 GB | 30 | $239.99 | $12.00 | | Unlimited, 30 days | Unlimited | 30 | $634.99 | - | | Unlimited, 60 days | Unlimited | 60 | $1,269.99 | - | | Unlimited, 90 days | Unlimited | 90 | $1,894.99 | - | | Unlimited, 180 days | Unlimited | 180 | $3,784.99 | - | ## Which networks does the Cape Verde eSIM use? - **CVMOVEL**: 4G LTE Your eSIM picks one automatically; you do not choose or switch between them. The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026. ## eSIM Details - **Data**: 500 MB – 20 GB or unlimited - **Validity**: 1–180 days - **Speed**: 4G LTE - **Hotspot / tethering**: Supported on most devices - **Activation**: Starts when you first connect in your destination - **Speed management**: Roughly 2-3 GB per day at full speed, sometimes less depending on the local carrier, then reduced - **Top-ups**: Add more data from your account, before the plan expires - **Text messages (SMS)**: Data only: use an app for verification codes - **Connects via**: United Kingdom - **Unused validity**: 180 days before it must be installed ## Cape Verde: what to know before you land Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/#destination-guide · Researched October 2026 by Viasimo In Cape Verde your eSIM connects to CVMOVEL, the mobile network of CV Telecom, which carries about two-thirds of the country's active SIM cards. You need internet before you arrive, too. Every visitor must pre-register on the government's EASE platform and pay the airport security fee at least five days before landing. ### Cape Verde: quick facts | Fact | Cape Verde | | --- | --- | | Emergency number | 132 (police), 130 (ambulance), 131 (fire) | | Main airports | Amílcar Cabral International Airport, Sal (SID); Nelson Mandela International Airport, Praia (RAI); Aristides Pereira International Airport, Boa Vista (BVC); Cesária Évora Airport, São Vicente (VXE) | | Plug types | Type C, F (220V) | | Currency | Cape Verdean escudo (CVE) | | Apps worth having | WhatsApp, Google Maps, Facebook Messenger | ### EASE pre-registration before you fly to Sal or Praia (Cape Verde · https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/#guide-ease-pre-registration-before-you-fly-to-sal-or-praia) Cape Verde requires every arriving traveller to complete a pre-registration form on the official platform, **ease.gov.cv**, and to pay the airport security fee (TSA) there. The UK Foreign Office says to do this at least five days before you arrive and to carry proof of confirmation. From 1 July 2026, anyone who has not pre-registered, or cannot show proof, pays double the TSA fee at border control. Children aged one and under are exempt. If you have booked a package, ask your tour operator whether it has registered you. Do this at home on a reliable connection, then save the confirmation as a PDF or screenshot on the phone itself. Don't count on reopening an email or the website at the immigration desk at Amílcar Cabral (SID) on Sal, Nelson Mandela (RAI) in Praia or Aristides Pereira (BVC) on Boa Vista. If several people are travelling, save a copy for each one, because each traveller needs their own confirmation. ### CVMOVEL and Unitel T+: the two mobile operators (Cape Verde · https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/#guide-cvmovel-and-unitel-t-the-two-mobile-operators) Cape Verde has two mobile operators. Figures from the regulator ARME for the first quarter of 2026 show **CV Telecom**, whose mobile brand is CVMOVEL, with about 68% of active mobile SIM cards and 72% of internet subscriptions. **Unitel T+** holds most of the rest, around 32% of mobile subscriptions. There are more active SIM cards than people, about 114 lines per 100 inhabitants, and mobile connections make up 86% of all internet subscriptions. For most residents, the phone is their internet. Your eSIM runs on CVMOVEL using 4G LTE. That is the larger of the two networks, so you are on the operator most locals, guesthouses and drivers also use. The same regulator data shows Starlink with a small share of internet subscriptions. You may come across it as the wifi at remote lodges on Santo Antão or Fogo, so ask whether your accommodation has it if you plan to work from an out-of-the-way place. ### Island-hopping on CV Interilhas ferries and CVsky flights (Cape Verde · https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/#guide-island-hopping-on-cv-interilhas-ferries-and-cvsky-flights) Moving between islands is where mobile data earns its keep. Inter-island ferries are run by **CV Interilhas** and cost considerably less than flying. The busiest crossing, Mindelo on São Vicente to Porto Novo on Santo Antão, takes about an hour, and you can pay by card or cash. Between December and March the sea can be rough, and strong winds cause delays and cancellations. Check departures on the morning you sail and keep in touch with your guesthouse on the other side over WhatsApp. The main domestic airline is **CVsky**. Travel writers advise booking directly on the airline's own website, and seats sell out quickly between November and April. Schedules can change, so make sure your booking email reaches a phone you will actually have with you. On each island, much of the local travel is by **aluguer**, shared minibuses or open pickups that leave when full rather than on a timetable. They are cash only, and you may wait half an hour or more. A live map helps you check you are heading the right way, and messaging your host lets them know when you will arrive. ### Sources for the Cape Verde guide - [Cape Verde travel advice: entry requirements (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cape-verde/entry-requirements) - [Cape Verde travel advice: getting help (GOV.UK)](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cape-verde/getting-help) - [Cabo Verde Q1 2026 telecom figures, ARME via Lusa (AMAN Alliance)](https://aman-alliance.org/Home/ContentDetail/105611) - [Getting around Cape Verde (The Trip Verdict)](https://www.thetripverdict.com/getting-around-cape-verde) ## Seven days in Cape Verde: Sal, Mindelo and the trails of Santo Antão 7-day itinerary · 7 days · Source: https://viasimo.com/destinations/cape-verde/#itinerary A week for walkers and music lovers who want more than a beach: a night on Sal, two days in Mindelo on São Vicente, and three days hiking the green valleys of Santo Antão. It needs two domestic flights and the inter-island ferry. **When to go:** November to June is dry and suits hiking, though December to March brings strong winds that can disrupt the Mindelo–Porto Novo ferry; the short rainy season from August to October turns Santo Antão greenest but can bring heavy downpours. ### Day 1 in Cape Verde: Sal: Santa Maria and Pedra de Lume - **Base:** Santa Maria, Sal - **Getting there:** Amílcar Cabral airport (SID) is about 20 minutes from Pedra de Lume and 20 minutes from Santa Maria by road. - **Plan:** Most international flights land on Sal. Head to the salt pans of Pedra de Lume in an old volcanic crater, where you can float in the brine pools, then drive south to Santa Maria. Walk out along the pier, where fishermen land and clean tuna in the late morning, and spend the rest of the day on the long white beach. If you have energy, watch kitesurfers at Kite Beach on the east coast. - **Mobile signal:** CVMOVEL 4G is reliable in Santa Maria and Espargos; coverage is fine at Pedra de Lume, though weaker inside the crater. ### Day 2 in Cape Verde: Fly to São Vicente: Mindelo - **Base:** Mindelo, São Vicente - **Getting there:** Domestic flight Sal–São Vicente takes about 50 minutes; book directly with the airline and check for schedule changes. - **Plan:** Take a domestic flight to São Vicente and spend the afternoon in Mindelo, Cape Verde's cultural capital. Walk the Avenida Marginal along Porto Grande bay, visit the fish market and the produce market in the old Praça Estrela area, and see the Torre de Belém replica on the waterfront. In the evening, listen to live morna and coladeira, the music Cesária Évora made famous, which you can hear in bars around the centre most nights. - **Mobile signal:** Mindelo's centre has good 4G; make sure your flight booking emails reach the phone you are carrying. ### Day 3 in Cape Verde: Ferry to Santo Antão and the Cova crater - **Base:** Ribeira Grande or Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão - **Getting there:** Ferry Mindelo–Porto Novo takes about 1 hour, with two or three sailings a day; Porto Novo to Cova is about 45 minutes by road. - **Plan:** Take the morning ferry to Porto Novo on Santo Antão. From there, take an aluguer or hire a driver up the old mountain road (Estrada da Corda) to the Cova crater, a farmed volcanic bowl high on the ridge. Walk from the crater rim down into the Paul valley, a descent of about three hours past terraces of sugar cane, bananas and small grog distilleries. Arrange transport from the bottom of the valley to your base on the north coast. - **Mobile signal:** Expect weak or no signal on the ferry's mid-channel crossing and on the upper Paul trail; 4G returns in the lower valley villages. ### Day 4 in Cape Verde: Ponta do Sol to Fontainhas and Cruzinha - **Base:** Ribeira Grande or Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão - **Plan:** Start in Ponta do Sol and climb the cliff path to Fontainhas, a village of coloured houses perched on a narrow ridge above a gorge. Continue along the coastal path through Corvo and Formiguinhas to Cruzinha da Garça, a walk of several hours with drops to the sea, so set off early with water and sun protection. Arrange an aluguer back from Cruzinha with your guesthouse in advance. - **Mobile signal:** Ponta do Sol has 4G, but the coastal path has long sections with no signal; message your guesthouse your plan before you start. ### Day 5 in Cape Verde: Ribeira Grande and the Ribeira Torre valley - **Base:** Ribeira Grande or Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão - **Plan:** Take a gentler day. Walk up the Ribeira Torre valley from Ribeira Grande, following a path through farmed terraces to the village of Xôxô, then return the same way. In the afternoon, explore Ribeira Grande, the island's largest town, and its small churches and lanes, or rest in Ponta do Sol's harbour. If you want one more viewpoint, drive up to the pass at Delgadinho, where the road runs along a knife-edge ridge. - **Mobile signal:** 4G in Ribeira Grande and Ponta do Sol; the Ribeira Torre valley is narrow and steep-sided, so signal is unreliable once you are inside. ### Day 6 in Cape Verde: Back to São Vicente: Monte Verde and Baía das Gatas - **Base:** Mindelo, São Vicente - **Getting there:** About 45 minutes by road from Ribeira Grande to Porto Novo, then the 1-hour ferry; check sailings that morning, as winter winds can cause delays. - **Plan:** Return to Porto Novo along the coastal road and take the ferry back to Mindelo. In the afternoon, drive up Monte Verde, the island's highest point at about 750 metres, for views over Mindelo and towards Santo Antão on a clear day. Continue east to Baía das Gatas, where a natural rock barrier makes a calm lagoon for swimming, or go south to São Pedro beach, known for its wind and turtles in season. - **Mobile signal:** 4G in Mindelo and at Baía das Gatas; the summit of Monte Verde has masts nearby, so coverage is usually good there. ### Day 7 in Cape Verde: Mindelo morning and departure - **Base:** Mindelo, São Vicente - **Getting there:** São Vicente airport (VXE) is about 15 minutes from Mindelo by road; Sal is about 50 minutes by air. - **Plan:** Spend the morning around Mindelo's centre: the colonial Palácio do Povo, the Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design, and the Praça Nova square where locals gather. Buy grogue or local coffee from Fogo at the market, then fly back to Sal for your international connection, or out directly from São Vicente if your airline flies there. - **Mobile signal:** Good 4G in Mindelo and at both airports for checking in and confirming your onward flight. ### Staying connected on this Cape Verde route - Complete EASE pre-registration at ease.gov.cv at least five days before you fly and keep the confirmation on the phone itself. - Download offline maps of Santo Antão's trails before the ferry; valleys and the north-coast path have long dead zones. - Check ferry and CVsky departures on the morning you travel, and keep your host updated over WhatsApp. - Some remote lodges on Santo Antão use Starlink for wifi, so ask if you need to work in the evenings. ### Sources for the Cape Verde itinerary - [Wikivoyage: Santo Antão](https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Santo_Ant%C3%A3o) - [GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Cape Verde entry requirements](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cape-verde/entry-requirements) - [The Trip Verdict: getting around Cape Verde](https://www.thetripverdict.com/getting-around-cape-verde) - [GOV.UK foreign travel advice: Cape Verde getting help](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cape-verde/getting-help) ## About this eSIM Ten islands, one roaming partner. Cape Verde connects through CVMOVEL on 4G LTE, and that single-network reality shapes everything about how a data plan behaves across the archipelago. Where CVMOVEL has built, which is the towns, the resort zones and the ports, you get a perfectly ordinary connection. Where it has not, which is a lot of very vertical volcanic terrain, you get nothing, and there is no second operator to try. ### Getting online when you land Get the profile installed at home. The islands are small and the arrivals halls are smaller, and the last thing you want is to be troubleshooting a QR code at Amílcar Cabral on Sal or the airport outside Praia while your transfer waits. After landing, turn the line on, allow data roaming for it, and set it as your data default. Give it a minute; island networks can be slower to hand a visiting device its first connection than a big mainland carrier. Keep your existing SIM in place, data off, for voice calls and any code your bank insists on sending by text. ### The networks you'll be on CVMOVEL is it. On 4G/LTE in Praia, Mindelo, Espargos and Santa Maria you can work, video call and upload holiday photos without thinking about it. Move away from those centres and 3G is what you get: adequate for messages and a map, slow for anything else. Because there is no alternative network, wifi is genuinely part of your connectivity plan here rather than a convenience. Hotels, aparthotels and beach bars in the resort areas nearly all have it, and it is often faster than the mobile signal outside. Ask for the password on arrival and use it for anything large, and do your backups and photo uploads there rather than over mobile data. ### Where coverage holds, and where it thins Reliable: Praia and its suburbs on Santiago, the resort strip at Santa Maria plus Espargos and the airport area on Sal, Sal Rei on Boa Vista, and Mindelo on São Vicente, which has the best connection in the northern islands. Weak or absent: almost everything with a gradient. Santo Antão is the clearest example, since the hiking that draws people there runs through the Paul and Ribeira Grande valleys where the ridges block signal completely. On Fogo, the town of São Filipe is fine and the crater at Chã das Caldeiras is not; the climb up Pico do Fogo is offline. The arid interior of Santiago, the dunes and back tracks of Boa Vista, and the smaller islands of Maio, Brava and São Nicolau all have coverage clustered in a couple of settlements and little in between. Ferries between islands lose signal in open water, sometimes for hours. ### What you'll actually use data for here Inter-island logistics, mainly. Ferry departures shift with the sea state and small domestic flights get rescheduled, so being able to check and rebook from your phone is the difference between a lost day and a changed plan. WhatsApp is how you reach a guesthouse, a driver or a hiking guide, and how they reach you back. Beyond that: maps for the aluguer shared-taxi routes that do most of the moving around on each island, translation if your Portuguese is thin and Creole thinner, weather and wind forecasts if you are on Sal or Boa Vista for kitesurfing, and the ordinary business of uploading photos of Mindelo during Carnival or the black-sand beaches to people at home. Music is worth a mention too: live morna and funaná nights are advertised informally rather than on a listings site, so a local social feed tells you more about tonight than any guide will. ### Before you fly Download offline maps for every island on your route, and specifically download hiking routes on Santo Antão before you get there, because you will not be able to fetch them once you are in the valleys. Save ferry and flight confirmations as screenshots, along with your accommodation address and a phone number for whoever is collecting you. Check your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked. Bring a power bank, especially for hiking days and long ferry crossings, and treat the crossing itself as offline time. If your trip depends on a specific connection between islands, confirm it the day before over wifi rather than trusting that you can sort it out on the move. And plan a buffer day at the end near Praia or Sal, because a missed boat in this archipelago is not a delay you can drive around. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does an eSIM work in Cape Verde? Yes. Your Cape Verde eSIM connects automatically the moment you arrive, with no roaming fees and nothing to set up at the airport. The host networks it can use are CVMOVEL. Coverage runs on 4G LTE. There is no 5G on our host network in Cape Verde yet. ### Do I get 5G in Cape Verde? No. CVMOVEL do not yet offer 5G to visitors in Cape Verde, so your eSIM connects over 4G LTE or slower. Anyone claiming 5G for this destination is quoting a spec sheet, not the network you will actually get. ### What is EASE and do I need it to enter Cape Verde? EASE is Cape Verde's online pre-registration system at ease.gov.cv, where you also pay the airport security fee (TSA). Every traveller over one year old must complete it at least five days before arrival and carry proof. Since 1 July 2026, anyone arriving without it pays double the TSA fee at border control. Save the confirmation on your phone in case there is no signal. ### Which mobile network is biggest in Cape Verde? CV Telecom, which runs the CVMOVEL mobile network, had about 68% of active mobile SIMs in early 2026 according to the regulator ARME. Unitel T+ had about 32%. Your eSIM connects to CVMOVEL on 4G LTE, the same network most residents and businesses use. There are only two mobile operators in the country. ### Do Cape Verde ferries get cancelled in winter? They can. Between December and March, crossings run by CV Interilhas, including the roughly one-hour Mindelo to Porto Novo route to Santo Antão, are often rough, and high winds cause delays or cancellations. Check the day's departures before you leave your accommodation, and keep your onward guesthouse or driver informed over WhatsApp. ### What are the emergency numbers in Cape Verde? Dial 132 for the police, 130 for an ambulance and 131 for the fire service. Your eSIM is data-only, so make these calls from your home SIM while roaming or from a hotel landline. Save the numbers before a hiking day on Santo Antão or Fogo, where you may need to walk back towards a village to get a signal. ### How much data do I need for 7 days in Cape Verde? For 7 days in Cape Verde, Viasimo sells 1 GB for $16.00 and unlimited data for $174.99. Our sizing recommendation, not a measurement: maps, messaging and the occasional lookup, about 1 GB a week; maps, social, photos and some browsing, about 3 to 7 GB a week. The data calculator on this site works it out from how you actually use your phone. ## Information and verification - **Prices and plans**: Every price and allowance on this page is read from the live catalog, not typed in. Verified October 30, 2026. - **Host networks**: The operator list comes from the network partner that carries this eSIM. Verified October 30, 2026.