Cape Verde

Eco-friendly travel guide to Cape Verde advises how to be a responsible tourist. Learn how to travel in a sustainable way and how to respect the local people and culture. Make your trip green by supporting locally owned hotels, organic restaurants and other businesses. Read more on how to protect the environment by making conscientious choices and how to travel green in Cape Verde, Africa.

Vale do Paúl, Santo Antão, Cape Verde

Air quality: 3 / 5

Bus connections: 3 / 5

Train connections: 3 / 5

Hitchhiking: 2 / 5

National parks: 3 / 5

Outdoor activities: 3 / 5

Locals' English level: 3 / 5

Safety: 3 / 5

Accommodation: US$20 - $40

Budget per day: US$30 - $80

Responsible Travel

Cape Verde is an archipelagic nation, made up of ten volcanic islands lying 500km off the West African coast. The country has a rich Creole cultural heritage with fantastic variety of traditional food and music. Tourists can plan to visit Cape Verde at any time of the year as the climate in this part of the region is extremely favourable and adequate for tourism all around the year. While traveling in and around Cape Verde, you must try to go off-road and explore the hidden gems of the particular place. It would be best if you stayed in eco-friendly or locally-run accommodations to know deeply about the place and their culture.

Air Quality and Pollution

As the country faces an enormous threat to air pollution, it is impossible to say whether air quality in Cape Verde is good or bad. According to World Health Organization (WHO) reports, the country's air quality and pollution level vary from moderate to poor. The fumes from exhaust, traffic and industrial smoke lead to this catastrophic atmosphere. Also, one of the main reasons for air pollution is the garbage which gets thrown away without proper sanitation. It would be best to consider such small-small things to prevent Cape Verde's population from any harm. Thus, being a responsible tourist, be aware of such situations and adopt protective measures to travel safely in this region.

Respect the Culture

The musical traditions, cultural institutions, and many others contribute to explain the Cape Verde's population's lifestyle. The Portuguese and African colonial culture has a more significant influence on Cape Verde’s cultural life. Numerous holidays are celebrated in Cape Verde – including Easter, All Saint's Day, the Feast of the Assumption, and Christmas. Such occasions and festivals reflect that the country's majority follow Roman Catholic tradition. Cape Verdeans enjoy various sports; football (soccer) is perhaps the most popular among locals and nationwide. The people here have distinguished themselves in sports and athletic achievements, especially in soccer, basketball, and boxing. Being a responsible tourist, you must respect the country’s culture and traditions.

Top 10 Places to Visit

Sao Filipe: Home to the island of Fogo, Sao Filipe is a fantastic location to see the black lava beaches with the picturesque surrounding. Apart from the volcanic craters nearby, the place has a large plaza, bustling markets, and brightly colored buildings seeking every visitor's attention in this part of the region. You can also find beautiful and much cleaner beaches at a bit of distance from Sao Filipe.

Vila Nova Sintra: Vila Nova Sintra is a small town in Cape Verde with a lot of beauty and one of the country's most beautiful islands. You can find this town in the Brava mountains. The place has two-story houses with their private gardens and is the most expensive places than the rest of Cape Verde. Do not miss Christopher Columbus's ship's stone replica, which guards the town's eastern entrance.

Ribeira Brava: Ribeira Brava is the capital of Sao Nicolau's island – a small city with a grand backdrop – surrounded by mountains; the city is a lively place to begin your tour to Cape Verde. While exploring this part of the town, you will come across various colorful buildings that line the town center's streets. It is the best place for tourists to visit as it has ample accommodation options, in addition to a modern market hall where clothing, food, and other amenities are available.

Porto Novo: Located on Santo Antao's island, Porto Novo is home to a great museum detailing the lives of Porto Novo's past kings and their belongings. The city also houses a royal palace and various government and colonial buildings that are worth visiting. To know more about African royal lifestyle, you must start with the royal palace, which King Toffa formerly occupies. This place also has several ruins of some old African palaces, including the old Portuguese cathedral.

Mindelo: The city of Mindelo is a must-visit place for travelers hoping to experience lively nightlife in the country. It is located on Sao Vicente's island and is the shelter for many people living in slums. Despite these circumstances, Mindelo retains its claim of being the cultural capital of Cape Verde. There are a lot of bars and clubs present here that you can visit to enjoy the nightlife of this place. During daytime, the fish market and harbor in the city are worth exploring.

Sal Rei: Sal Rei is the capital city of the Cape Verde's easternmost island. It has some beautiful beaches to explore, a townhouse, the central plaza with a distinctly African texture and colorful flowers. The plaza is a perfect spot for shoppers to buy souvenirs, wooden ornaments, or even vivid fabrics. You can also visit the baroque-style church, one of the main tourist attractions here.

Praia: Situated on Santiago's fertile island, Praia is the capital city of Cape Verde and the country's economic and political home. It might not be a great place for tourism, but the city sure does have plenty to places to explore. You can visit the old colonial buildings in the city's old town, which is worth exploring, followed by the churches, a presidential palace, and the parliament building. There are beautiful and clean sandy beaches near the city.

Palmeira: Responsible for many of Cape Verde's imports and exports, Palmeira is a busy harbor town on Sal's sunny-sandy island. Tourists come here in thousands of crowds as this place is worth exploring than most tourist destinations. Numerous restaurants, beautiful architectures, and bars are some of the main attractions of Palmeira. You can also experience underwater diving in its underwater caves and reefs located just off the town's coastline. You can also enjoy salt baths for soothing relaxation.

Sal: Famous as Cape Verde's hottest island, Sal houses several sandy beaches that make this island a natural tropical paradise for those looking to relax by the sea. It is one of Cape Verde's archipelago's ten islands with the most extensive tourism infrastructure, including an international airport. You can visit Santa Maria beach to find clean white sands – suitable for snorkeling and sightseeing.

Fogo: Fogo, meaning "fire," is an island in the Sotavento group of Cape Verde with a maximum altitude of 2,900 meters above sea level. The main attraction here is the volcano Pico de Fogo which dominates the island's landscapes as the highest elevation of Cape Verde. The beaches on the island are stunning and worth exploring. Sao Filipe is the largest city on Fogo island and also is the fourth largest city in the country. It also houses the island's airport, which is available only for domestic flights.

Sao Filipe

Explore

Cape Verde is a group of 10 islands (9 inhabited) in the Atlantic and has a lot to offer its visitors. Above all mountains and deserts, each island offers something different, beautiful beaches, lush green forests, all in a tropical climate. Cape Verdeans speak Portuguese and Creole mostly in the entire country. They are very friendly and welcoming. Cape Verde entertains every person with tons of activities from hiking, diving, surfing and swimming. Apart from the craze for music, dancing, and arts, this country's islands are trendy for the lively nightlife one can experience. It is a lovely country to visit. There are some worth visiting places given below you might want to add to your travel book:

City Parks

Very few islands in this archipelago consist of city parks. There are a handful of such places where you can walk around and enjoy the peaceful environment. Below is a list of some city/public parks in Cape Verde. City parks give you a platform to breathe fresh air, walk around the greenery, and a place where you can relax and take a break from your busy life. You can find such parks in Praia, Santa Maria, Mindelo, Ponta Verde, and few other Islands.

Mshwar pecine

Parque 5 de Julho

Aislan Park B Transport, LDA

Parque infantil de Ponta verde

Mshwar pecine

National Parks

Cape Verde is a fantastic tourist destination if you are looking for national parks and natural reserves. It houses several such conservatories where you can see floras and faunas in large numbers. Here is a list of some places you must take a look where you can immerse yourself in the flora and fauna of the Islands:

Fogo National Park: The main attraction of Fogo National Park is the Fogo Volcano that lies within the national park. It is the highest point of all the islands in the Cape Verde archipelago at 2,829 meters. Nevertheless, it provides an exciting ecosystem like the other national parks in this archipelago. It also provides a haven for hikers and mountaineers who take on the challenge of reaching the 'Pico do, Fogo.' The volcano area is an important place where you can spot birds like Boyd's shearwater, Fea's petrel, and Cape Verde swift.

Serra Malagueta Natural Park: In this archipelago, this national park offers a diverse opportunity for nature enthusiasts and hikers alike. As the exclusive home to thousands of rare species, including vervet monkeys, purple heron (or garca vermelha), the park also boasts some of the island's last forest areas. The park is spread across 774 hectares, and with Monte Malaguets reaching 1,062 meters high, the national park is a great attraction for nature lovers and hikers alike.

Monte Gordo National Park: The Monte Gordo National Park exists to protect the typical humid mountain ecosystem and is one of the few places in the Cape Verde archipelago where the original vegetation is preserved. You can see forests of Eucalyptus, Pinus, and Cupressus species, including plant species such as Nauplius smithii, Sonchus daltonii, and many more. Fauna includes Cape Verde warbler, Fea's petrel, Cape Verde wall gecko and it is also an important Bird Area under BirdLife International.

Fogo National Park

Beaches

With ten islands to offer, Cape Verde's beach diversity can be a great destination for those in search of beautiful beaches to relax. Here are some top-notch beaches in Cape Verde for all the beach lovers, where you can sit back, soak up the warm African sunshine and relax or take part in any water sport. Such beach destinations in this part of the nation are an excellent spot for both relaxing and water sport enthusiasts.

Santa Monica Beach, Boa Vista: On the southwest island of Boa Vista, Santa Monica Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches of Cape Verde's archipelago. It's an ideal location where the white sands are perfect for long, romantic walks at sunset and during the day enjoying an occasional dip in the refreshing azure water. There are several sunbeds available where you can relax in the sunshine. It is a perfect destination to swim or partake in water sport activities.

Praia de Chaves, Boa Vista: It is worth a visit to experience a beach setting in Praia de Chaves. Located in the western part of Boa Vista's island in Cape Verde, the beach is 5 km long and close to town Rabil. In the northern part of the beach, you will find some fantastic tourist resorts; meanwhile, you can also enter into Morro de Areia Nature Reserve on the southern side.

Sao Pedro Beach, Sao Vicente: For water sport enthusiasts, Sao Pedro Beach is a perfect choice to spend the day. It is undoubtedly one of the world's finest beaches for speed windsurfing. Along with the beauty of this magnificent beach, you can see small clusters of volcanic rocks and impressive, rustic mountains that dominate the coastline's views. There is a shower, paid sunbeds and umbrellas, and many other facilities on Sao Pedro Beach.

Santa Monica Beach

Landmarks

The main highlights of Cape Verde are its historical towns with numerous colonial architectures and remains/ruins of several ancient buildings and palaces. With ten unique islands in Cape Verde's archipelago, there are plenty of historical landmarks for you to explore and learn about this part of the nation's African history. Here are some of the landmarks in Cape Verde you must visit on your tour:

Cova Rodela dragon tree: It is a village in the middle of the island of Brava where you can find good walking paths to the island's tallest mountain Monte Fontainhas. In the main street, you will see an ancient dragon tree in this picturesque village. The dragon tree is the main attraction that lures tourists to visit Cova Rodela, but several cobblestone streets are also worth visiting to see its ancient architecture.

Cidade Velha: Located in Santiago, Cidade Velha is an old European town situated south of the Sahara. Since 1462, the city is well-preserved, where you can see many old buildings with street networks and part of structures, including the oldest colonial church in the world (1495). While exploring, you will come across various marble pillars from the 16th century in the central square. Other than the original street layout, you can also spot a royal fortress of those times.

Plateau of Praia: It gets its name because it is present on a plateau overlooking the port of Praia, not to mention that it is also a historic center of the capital city of Praia on the island of Santiago. With numerous public buildings, including the Presidential Palace, the city hall, the cathedral, and the Ethnographic Museum, the Plateau of Praia is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Cape Verde.

Cidade Velha

Museums

The archipelago houses one of Cape Verde’s beautiful old colonial houses devoting to the country’s rich past as a cultural crossroads. Such museums in Cape Verde display a wide range from the history of fishing and traditional Panos (woven cotton fabrics) to this African country's cooking and musical history. Here are some places you might want to visit to learn more about the island's history:

Sao Filipe Municipal Museum: Located in the historic center of Sao Filipe on the island of Fogo, the museum gathers pieces, photographs, and maps of the island of Fogo. It would be best to visit Sao Filipe Municipal Museum to learn more about Fogo Island's history. The museum is a colonial building that houses several artifacts and documents related to those times.

Museu da Tabanka: Museu da Tabanca is in the municipality of Santa Catarina, in Cha de Tanque's locality – a village that keeps the centennial tradition of Tabanka. The museum dedicates to local culture, including its traditional Tabanka music. If you want to learn more about the Tabanka traditions, you must visit this museum. Here, apart from local culture, you can witness many old belongings of this tribe.

Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design: Located on Sao Vicente's island, Centro Nacional de Artesanato e Design is a museum in Mindelo that houses exhibits works of popular culture, crafts, and designs. The museum houses historical and cultural preservation and knowledge by Cape Verdean artisans and several new craftsmen. You can witness plenty of such artworks in this museum.

Sao Filipe Municipal Museum

Eat

The Cape Verdeans cuisine usually consists of local fresh ingredients and also fresh fish and meat. The traditional and national dish over here is the cachupa (a vibrant meat stew). Like Cape Verde's history, the country's food also showcases Portuguese and West African influences, which is the reason for its unique gastronomy. You can expect explosions and combinations of flavors and aromas that you have never experienced before. To understand the local culture of any country, tasting local food is essential. Here are some Cape Verdeans dishes you must try while exploring your way to some of its famous restaurants or street food shops:

Buzio

Morreia – Fried Moray Eel

Bol of Cus-Cus

Goat Cheese with Papaya Marmalade

Percebes

Jagacida – Rice and Beans Stew

The larger towns in Cape Verde offer an increasingly wide variety of restaurants and eateries serving delicious delicacies and traditional food that you must explore. Such restaurants set a great example to honor African lifestyle and cuisine. Tourists have a significant number of options to taste the best local seafood dishes and traditional cuisine. Some of the famous restaurants in Cape Verde are:

Barracuda (Sal)

Quintal da Musica (Santiago)

Beramar (Boa Vista)

Bodeguita de Mindelo (Sao Vicente)

Bar Tropikal (Maio)

Cabo Café & Restaurant (Boa Vista)

Creperie Sol Doce (Sal)

Drink

Due to Portugal's vast influence, West Africa, and Brazil, the island's cuisine came into existence, including drinks from Brazilian cocktails to German-style beers. The local people also drink a lot of tea, commonly served with corn paddies, couscous, and tropical fruit jams. Wine and coffee from the island of Fogo are the popular drinks that every customer asks for; here are some drinks to look out for when visiting the archipelago:

Grogue – a rum-like drink made from sugar cane; also, it is the national liquor of Cape Verde.

Strela Beer – brewed by CERIS in Praia on Santiago.

Fogo Wine

Fogo coffee

Caipirinha – made with grogue, sugar, limes and crushed ice

Caipiroska

Tap-water

This country's tap water is not good enough, and even it is not safe for direct consumption. Therefore, please purchase bottled water from the nearby shops to consume pure water. You can use the tap water for bathing or other domestic purposes. If you live in an apartment, you can contact the local water dealers to supply water or boil the water and then cool it for direct consumption. One of the main things you must keep in mind is that this country faces scarcity of water and there are many reasons for that. Other than this, this country's water is harshly polluted, and even the water treatment plants are insufficient in cleaning the water. A few desalination plants present in this country can remove salt from the water and clean it for further consumption. One of the main reasons for not getting good water quality is that it does not have advanced and updated water purifiers. The major cause of water scarcity is the growing population and illiteracy rate of this country. Along with this, the temperature and climate of a place also affect the availability of water. If the country has a hot climate, there will be water scarcity because a lot of water will get evaporated, and precipitation will be less. If the country has a humid climate, then the country will receive plenty of rainfall. Please should not pollute and waste the water.

Activities

There are a lot of activities which you can perform in this country. The first activity which you can perform in this country is hiking. There are even a lot of hiking tours where you can enroll yourself. These tours are best if you are traveling alone to this country. Many people visit this country and enroll in these tours; therefore, you will get good company here. There are hiking tours to the mountains through which it can also be a form of good exercise. You can even learn and try out horse riding in this country in Sal Beach. This activity involves horse riding on a beach. You can even discover various caves and can visit there exploring new things. There are few desserts in some parts of this country where you can visit on a dune buggy and enjoy a thrilling and adventurous ride on the sand. Some of the water sports involve diving deep in water to see what lies in water and the beach's marine life, and you can dive or snorkel in Sal island present in this country. Other water sports involve kite surfing which can be seen on Marina Beach. For all these activities you would be required to pay a specific amount. If you want to know how different things are made, you can check abandoned salt mines active in the 18th century and learn how salt is prepared; there are small ponds, and the water present in that pond has a high concentration of salt . You can also explore various activities by yourself when you visit the place.

Accommodation

There are many different types of accommodation available in this country as the tourism rate o this country is good. Some of the best and the most famous types of accommodations are mentioned here. Residencial Savana is present in Sao Filipe. You can even watch a horse race which starts in front of the hotel. Therefore, there will be a lot of crowds present in this place. This hotel is built in the traditional style of Sobrado house. There are balconies attached in two of its suites from where you can see the sunset. The rooms of these hotels are air-conditioned and also have a television for your entertainment. You can even access the free Wi-Fi facility and can relax in the pool . Casa Cavoquinho is a Bed & Breakfast type of accommodation which is also available in this country. It is resent in Santo Antao. The best part of this is its terrace where you can find tables and chairs along with a beautiful view. Another famous hotel is Kira's Boutique Hotel. The building of this hotel was built during the Portuguese era. There are 11 rooms in this hotel, and each of the rooms is well decorated. This hotel was first opened in 2013. This hotel's rooms have various facilities that include a private bathroom, air conditioner, internet, a locker, and a telephone . You also get a mini-fridge where you can store some things. This country even have resorts, and one of the famous resort present in this country is Hilton Sal Resort, a modern resort, and in front of this country, there is a beach. This resort is rich in facilities, and the customers feel a sense of importance and enjoy the luxurious lifestyle. The rooms of these resorts are fully air-conditioned, and for entertainment, there is a flat television. There is a personal locker in each of the rooms in this country. There is a bar where you can enjoy your evening. The staff is highly professional and the room service too. There is a spa in this resort along with free Wi-Fi.

Green Hotels

Green hotels are also known as sustainable hotels because of these methods they adopt to conserve nature and provide natural comfort to their customers. There are not only sustainable hotels but also sustainable resorts present in this country. The Casamarel is a house restored for accommodation, and it is present in Mindelo city. It is present at such a height where you can see the whole city, including its bay. This place even has a restaurant and a bar attached to it. You can visit the restaurant if you miss your home, especially the food because the food is delicious and homemade. It is a sustainable hotel; therefore, as a source of electricity, solar energy, and the pool are filled with salt water. This hotel also has ideal water-saving tips. The only problem with this is that these hotels only have ten rooms. Therefore, you have to book them in advance. It is not a hotel but a lodge where you can stay. It is a sustainable lodge, and to support the environment, there are no air conditioners installed in the rooms, and the rooms have proper natural ventilation and a ceiling fan. This lodge or hotel reuses its wastewater by recycling it. This lodge has 10 to 11 rooms. This hotel has a breakfast facility but they don’t offer lunch and dinner. Therefore you have to visit the nearby cafe for your food needs.

Hostels and Guest Houses

Hostels here are generally rooms offered with a kitchen, a common washroom and very little facilities. It is specially made for backpacker tourist who generally travels solo. There is a Surf House hostel which has a per-day rent of 30 to 35 dollars. As hostels are often equipped with low facilities, you will get only free Wi-Fi and basic facilities . There is a beach near to this hostel so that you can relax there or can perform various activities. You can meet a lot of people in this hostel. Another backpacker’s hostel is Simabao’s Backpacker's Hostel. This hostel's specialty is that the rooms of this hostel have a kitchen attached to it to cook your food or otherwise, there are restaurants and cafes which are also present near to this hostel. Smoking inside the hostel is strictly prohibited, and you might have to pay a certain fine if you are caught smoking on the premises. There are guesthouses which are also present in this country. Guesthouses are a type of accommodation in which you get a whole house on rent. There is a famous guesthouse present in this country which is called Blu Guesthouse. It is present in the center of Santa Maria.

Apartments

Apartments are best for those who are traveling with a large group or with family. There is a beautiful apartment near the beach, and it is called Surfzone Beachside Apartment. This apartment has two floors and ten flats that are available for rent. The terrace of this apartment has a sunbathing chair, and from the terrace, you can see a beautiful view of the ocean. This apartment is highly secured with cameras and guards. You will get free Wi-Fi facilities available. If you want to work on your fitness, then there is a beach gym present in this apartment. Along with this, you were classes where you guys start in this apartment, but for that, you would be required to pay some extra charges and book your classes. Talking about the rooms, the rooms of each flat is fully furnished. The flats are available with one-bedroom or two-bedroom. Near to the apartments, there are many restaurants where you can enjoy a lot of different types of cuisines. The rent and rates of these apartments are highly fluctuating; therefore, it is advised that you must pre-book the apartment because the rent goes high during peak months. Another apartment called Sal Cozy House is present in Santa Marina. It is a luxury apartment where you will find the pool. This apartment even has a private garden where you can relax on the green grass and pets are also allowed in this apartment.

Couchsurfing

Couch surfing can be an interesting method of accommodation in which you can meet many new people living in that country. Similarly, many tourists in this country try couch surfing; therefore, many's presents in this country on each of the islands. It is an interesting and money-saving method because you do not have to pay anything to the host. Also, this country's crime rate is low, which means that there are high chances of getting a genuine host. However, some hosts may have robbing intentions; therefore, you must always be attentive or cautious while staying at another person's residence. Along with this, you can make new and international friends by being a couch surfer. Couchsurfing is a temporary accommodation method, and you cannot stay for free at someone's house for a long time. Other than this, you can understand the culture and traditions of the people of that country. Other accommodations are also available in this country at affordable rates.

Camping

Camping in this country is very safe as this country's overall crime rate is low, but still, you have to be cautious at night because many tourists have complained about being robbed at night. There are various Hills where you can camp, and camping on any Hill's peak will also be a great experience for you. There are campgrounds, but that is not maintained properly; therefore, getting insect bites is high. Even some of the beaches are safe for camping at night. Camping on the beach can be overall fun. There are many shops where you can purchase essential items required for camping, such as tents and the rest things you can purchase from any supermarket. It would be best if you did not camp at a very high Hill as the oxygen level on higher altitudes always reduces, and it will disturb your sleep during the night.

Regions

Cape Verde is formed by 10 main islands and about 8 islets. The main islands are (clockwise from northwest):

Santo Antão
Great hiking.

São Vicente
With the cultural capital of Mindelo.

Santa Luzia
Santa Luzia is uninhabited but can be visited as a day trip from São Vicente.

São Nicolau

Sal
Has great beaches, water sports and resorts aplenty. But little else.

Boa Vista
Even nicer beaches.

Maio

Santiago Island
The first island settled in Cape Verde. It holds the current capital Praia, the original capital Cidade Velha, and the bulk of the nation's population.

Fogo
A spectacular volcano island which erupted as recently as 1995.

Brava
A small island only accessible by boat and is a great place to get away from it all.

Cities

Praia – the capital, on Santiago Island
Mindelo – port city on São Vicente, probably the country's liveliest
Cidade Velha (Ribeira Grande) – A historic town on Santiago
Espargos is the capital of Sal where the airport is and Santa Maria is the main tourist area at the south of the island
Assomada is the seat of municipality of Santa Catarina on Santiago
Santa Maria - former administrative capital and the most populous city on Sal
São Filipe capital of island Fogo

Getting There and Moving Around

The total area of this country is 4033 km2 which means in some of the cities or island which does not cover much area; you will be able to move around by walking or cycling. These two are the best ways to move around as it helps maintain your fitness and maintain and conserving the environment. Some airports are also present, but those airports do not have well-established results in the rest of the world's cities; therefore, there are possibilities that you would have to take an indirect flight to reach this city. You can even reach any of the islands by boat from nearby countries.

Air

There are seven airports present in this country, and out of these, there are domestic, and the rest are international airports. Amilcar Cabral International Airport, which is present in Sal Island and it is an international airport. This airport was established in 1939, but the name was Sal International Airport, and it was changed to the current name in 1975. Nelson Mandela International Airport is another international airport that is present in Santiago Island. This airport was established in 2005. Before 2005, another airport was called Francisco Mendes International Airport, which was shut down in 2005. Aristides Pereira International Airport is also an international airport present in Boa Vista island and started in 2007. Cesaria Evora Airport is the fourth and the last international airport present in Sao Vicente Island and was established in 1960. Later it was converted into an international airport in 2007.

Nelson Mandela International Airport

Bus

There are buses which are present in this country but are less used. These are only present in major cities. There are not many people who use buses. There are a lot of people who prefer taxis. While paying for the bus fare, you must always have the exact change because the conductor often does not have change. Other than this, buses do not cost much, but the problem is that they are available in only major countries. You cannot move from one city to another by public buses.

Train

At present, due to less modern technology which is present in this country, there are no trains present. However, some trains ran during the salt mine. The purpose of trains was to transport salt from the salt mines to the manufacturing plants. When the salt mine got closed, these railways were abandoned and were forced to shut down. Other than this, many of the islands are smaller in size; therefore, railway station construction would have made this place more congested.

Hitchhiking

Hitchhiking is possible in this city and also can save a lot of money. The important thing which you must keep in mind is that you should not hitchhike in the night. A lot of tourists have complained about getting robbed during the night when they asked for a free lift. It is a very time-consuming method also makes you dependent on a stranger. So, you should think before choosing this travel method.

Others

There are other ways of moving around in this country. There are taxis through which you can even cover long distances. However, using a taxi will cost you much than another type of travel option. There are rental stores for bicycle available in this country from which you can take a cycle on rent.

Sustainable Shopping

There are a lot of sustainable shops which are present in this country. Still, it is very difficult to find them as sustainable shops do not get enough support; therefore, they cannot grow at a certain height or do some publicity. There are shops which are run by foreigners and often the shop is modern and furnished. But those are not sustainable shops because the goods are imported from foreign, and the origin is of another country. Therefore shopping for local products from a local shop will generate a lot of support for these shops. Sustainable shops are famous among the locals. Therefore, you can ask them if they know any such shop. It is famous among the locals because the goods are often sold at a lesser price. There are local restaurants which provide authentic traditional dishes you might be looking for. Fast food corners are also present here which can be a great option to save time and enjoy the local food at cheaper rates.

Recycling

Recycling was a topic that was opened and brought to attention by the German Ministry of Environment when they called a meeting in which various officials belonging to the ministry, principals, and professors of colleges were called and discussed recycling and its benefits to this country. Later as a solution, a paper was drawn in the form of a conclusion of the meeting. Awareness was also made to the locals about the benefits of recycling. It resulted in the construction of handicraft items by recycling. Mostly plastic is the most recycled item, and the government of this country is not paying much attention to establishing various recycling centers.

Waste

The waste management of this country was poor, and the government was not paying attention to this topic; therefore, many people and NGOs came up together to improve the condition of this country. Later, impressed by their work, many other people joined them, and the team expanded. After this, the waste management policies of this country were regulated by the government. After this, now there is still waste present, but the rates have been degraded after many efforts made by different people. Tourists are also blamed for creating waste and not dumping garbage in dustbins. Usually, many people throw garbage on beaches, which makes them dirty, and as it is a public place, no one bothers to clean it.

Work and Study Abroad

The education pattern of this country is divided into six – six structures. Pre-School Education is optional, and it is done before the age of six years. Primary Schools start at the age of six years, and the duration of primary school is six years which means that the duration ends when the child becomes 12. After this, the student is sent for secondary education when he reaches 12 years of age. Secondary education starts at 7th grade and ends at 12th grade when the child becomes 18. There are well-maintained schools and colleges present in this country. The student can choose for any field after he passes his 12th grade.

Exchange Student

There are universities which have access to student's exchange program. Some programs offer different streams to study. There are universities with student exchange programs for students belonging to the stream of Management, Accounting, Sociology, Tourism, and Business. The chances of getting into these universities is very less as they don’t have a lot of tie-ups with different countries. And you might get stuck there after this program ends, as you won’t be able to get a lot of exposure studying there.

Au Pair

Being an Au Pair, you must always note that you should be responsible, and you should always pay proper attention to the child and his activities. Au pair is a method that can help you understand the culture of a place and how the locals of that area treat the tourists. You can even save a lot of money as you do not have to pay. You only have to take care of the child. Other than this, as you will have a child's responsibility, you won’t be able to explore a lot about that place. This type of work is not available in this country a lot; however, after searching, you can find people those ready to hire you as an Au pair.

Volunteering

Volunteering organizations have played a lot of important roles in the history of this country. They have forced the government to regulate industrial laws paying more attention to the pollution made by industries. They also created awareness about the benefits of recycling in this country, leading to the rise of sustainable shops. You can join any of the organizations that need to expand their team and be their volunteer. You can easily get the volunteering work here as a lot of such organizations are in need of volunteers who can help them in their work.