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How to get to Santo Antão from Mindelo

· Travel

** This blog post was updated on 27/11/19, to provide you with correct information

Mindelo - Porto Novo / São Vicente - Santo Antão

For people doing research on a possible island hopping trip to Cape Verde finding out that the distances between the different islands are pretty big, can be very dissapointing. A flight from the island of Sal to the capital Praia can take up to 40 minutes. Getting from Boa Vista to Mindelo by boat (not the fast ferry) will take about 20 (!) hours.

The fact that Cape Verde's second biggest city Mindelo and the island of Santo Antao are practically each others neighbors is a huge advantage for travellers. Porto Novo, Santo Antão's harbour city is only one hour away from Mindelo by ferry. Together, with their very different caracteristics, the two islands are a perfect combination for people who want to get to know Cape Verde on a deeper level.

Accommodation in Ponta do Sol, Santo Antão: Casa Familiar (Sissi's B&B)

The ferry's to Santo Antão leave from the Porto Grande harbour in Mindelo. The harbour is located along the Avenida Marginal. By foot the harbour can be reached within 10 minutes from the city centre. In case you have a lot of luggage taking a taxi is a better option. Price for a taxi to get to the harbour is only CVE 150 (or CVE 200 in the early morning and at night).

Tickets for the ferry can be purchased on the day of departure. Make sure to be extra early in case you need to buy your tickets. Arriving last minute when you still have to buy tickets could mean you miss the ferry if there's a line at the ticket office. Although it is not always required, it might be a good idea to buy your tickets in advance, like a day or two before. With tickets already purchased you can easily arrive at the harbour half an hour before departure.

Today, the only company running the ferry operations in the country is CV Inter Ilhas. Before this, the companies Armas and Polaris were both running the ferries between São Vicente and Santo Antão. This also means that there are some serious changes to the ferry schedule between Mindelo and Porto Novo.

The Armas Ferry ready to departure from Porto Novo back to Mindelo - Cape Verde

The ticket offices of both ferry companies are located at the harbour. When arriving at Porto Grande, you'll find one office on the left, and the other (now) CV Inter Ilhas office on your right. Both offices are located left of the terminal entrance. Tickets cost CVE 800 one way, with reduced fares for children. Important note: Before the change to CV Inter Ilhas, one of the two companies would leave at 07:00, and the other at 08:00. Today, there is only the 07:00 ferry to Porto Novo from Mindelo in the early morning.

If you are crossing the canal of São Vicente with a car, a one way trip to Porto Novo will cost you CVE 5.000, which includes the passengers ticket. Of course you can also rent a car upon arrival in Porto Novo. You can find the stand of a car rental company inside the terminal, in front of the Armas ticket office.

Both the terminals (in Mindelo and Porto Novo) have places where you can enjoy a light breakfast before getting on the ferry. Both terminals also have an ATM machine. Upon arrival in Porto Novo many drivers will ask you for your destination. Tell the drivers where you need to go, ask what time they will be leaving and what the price is. You can choose to go to places such as Paúl, Ribeira Grande, Corda (through the old mountain road) and Tarrafal de Monte Trigo.

Current Schedule ferry São Vicente - Santo Antão

  • São Vicente - Santo Antão: 07:00
  • Santo Antão - São Vicente: 09:00
  • São Vicente - Santo Antão: 11:00 
  • Santo Antão - São Vicente: 13:00
  • São Vicente - Santo Antão: 15:00
  • Santo Antão - São Vicente: 17:00

Office Hours CV Inter Ilhas

Office Hours Mindelo:

Monday to Friday, 06:00 to 17:00

Saturday & Sunday, 06:00 to 15:00

Office Hours Porto Novo:

Monday to Friday, 06:00 to 17:00

Saturday & Sunday, 06:00 to 15:00

Ferry Terminal Services

Mindelo Terminal:

  • BCA ATM Cash machine
  • Two CV Inter Ilhas ticket offices
  • Bar/Restaurant
  • Toilets

Porto Novo Terminal:

  • BCA ATM Cash machine
  • Mestre das Ribeiras souvenir shop
  • Bar/Restaurant
  • CV Inter Ilhas offices
  • Rent-A-Car
  • Tourist office
Hi, I'm Freddy!

Hi, I'm Freddy, the creator of the MindeloCaboVerde blog! Thank you for reading! Thousands of travelers have used the blog to plan their stay in Cape Verde. How may I help you today?