Cabo Verde

Hi, I've cycled (and hiked) extensively through Santiago, Maio, Brava, Fogo, Sal and São Vicente. Santo Antão and São Nicolau I know fairly well on foot and in the saddle too though my rear wheel was on the verge of collapse by that stage so my wanderings were a little more limited. I'd go back in a heartbeat, its a fascinating place but cycling is hard work - outside of the cities and a few stretches of airport connections its all cobblestone and gradients can be very steep (I can recall numerous times having to lean over my front wheel whilst ascending to prevent it bouncing off the cobblestones). I wouldn't want to discourage you but certainly at times the bike felt like a millstone around my neck - and for the more rugged western islands, I found the hiking the most rewarding, there are foot trails that go all over the place or you can just follow the ribeiras, I walked over most of Santiago this way just heading down a ribeira, walking along the coast and heading up the next one to climb and descend to the other side.

Food and accommodation can be a bit hard outside of the larger towns (though if you ask around often there'll be an unmarked bakery and possibly some unmarked house where cooked meals can be arranged) failing that there are always sausages and bananas to fill you up. People are great though the kids do get into a bit of rock throwing in the mountains as many highland youngsters of the world seem wont to do. If you're going to bike then Santiago is a great place to start (not sure where you plan to fly in to) - take the moutain road to Tarrafal and come back along the coast (you'll need the leg stretch in the mountains to be ready to deal with all the ribeiras on the coast). The coastal loop around Fogo is less demanding though going up to the caldera on a loaded bike would be a challenge (I left the bike in Sao Filipe and hiked up as I wanted to hike the trail that descends to Mosteiros on the other side). Beyond that the western routes to the two Tarrafals in Santo Antão and São Nicolau look enticing (I haven't biked them though) - just the ascents from the ports crossing to the capitals on those two islands were incredible.

Mercifully the distances are short, so you can take it real slow, stop in every town, interact with the locals, its really a fascinating place. Anyway if there's anything specific you want to know just ask.

Suerte.