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Guest Voices

We thank our guests


31.January 2024 - DAVID, KATHARINE, PETER & ELISABETH

Hi Sabine,

the four of us had a wonderful trip to Cape Verde.  The transports, guides and accommodations were terrific.  We especially liked the accommodations in Praia, Ecolodge, Mindelo and King Fisher.  Great accommodations always can make up for any deficiencies.  Your drivers all showed up on time, and with one exception were excellent drivers.  We especially liked our guides in Sao Antau and Mindelo….excellent experience was provided with excellent English skills.  The hike and cooking “lesson” were terrific!

We have already been to the Azores but will tell our friends about Cape Verde.  Yes, you can use our words, if you want.  You work for a first class operation!  Thank you very much for your prompt attention.

As we get ready to return home, we will always remember the kindness of Cape Verdians.  The islands are a special place.

Katharine


30. März 2022 - MAARTEN, MONIQUE & RONALD  

Hello Simon,

Thanks for your e-mail. Indeed, time flies by when you have fun at Santiago & Fogo, as well as back home where it is busy again at work!

We really enjoyed our stay in Praia the first day and did quite some site seeing at the Plateau, with George at the lighthouse, and playa negra and -blanca. Nice restaurants/bars at Quebra Canela. Pestana Tropico hotel is really nice.

The three days together with local guide Eurico were great, he is a very nice and super friendly guide and he explained us a lot about living next to the vulcanos and local farming. We enjoyed the stay at Casa Lavra, friendy hosts and very tasty food. We travelled with a friendly and very musical driver at Fogo, meanwhile Kim Alves and othe Cavo Verdian music is also listened in The Netherlands. The three walks were very different and each very beautiful.

The three next days on Santiago together with local guid Alberto were also very interesting. Alberto is a different type of guide compared to Eurico, his energy and enthousism is great and his knowlegde about history and politics very informative. At Santiago we also made three very beautiful walks, very different compared to the hikes at Fogo. Each day we were transported by the same good and friendly driver.

The weather was perfect all days, as well as the food, the local beer, the local wine and the local coffee.

The trip was well organized and at all times the driver, guide and hotels were well aware of what we had agreed with you. That made traveling very relaxed.

We will definitely recommend Vista Verde when friends also have plans to visit Cape Verde.
Thanks and best wishes from Voorhout, The Netherlands,

Maarten & Monique and Ronald


18.Januar 2022 - GRETE UND WIM

Dear Simon,

We have enjoyed our trip to Cabo Verde.

The climate, the islands - Santo Antao is wonderful - the inhabitants, the food  ,.... it all give us the opportunity to relax but also the energy to return to our 'hectic lives at home'.

If we would have to rank the hotels our preference would go to quinta Cochete mainly because we were tired after four days walking and it was the ideal location to rest en enjoy. What a location!  Casa Amarel in Mindelo is almost at the same height but in the most luxury rooms we had during our stay - with air-co and TV - we sometimes could here the cars and the dogs of the city in the middle of the night.

The trips you have selected were perfect for us.  As I mentioned before walking during four days in a row was a bit tiring but the location and timing to recover was just perfect.

All transfers were well organized and 'punktlich'. 

The guides were very friendly.  We are missing Sam already. He was always energetic, friendly, attentive, flexible, professional... Without him my wife would not have completed some of the walks.

We will not hesitate to recommend Vista Verde to our friends.

Kind regards,

 Wim


28.January 2021 - ROGER

Cape Verde: a collection of nine beautiful islands that could not be more diverse, and a rich destination for visitors.

In the second half of January 2021 I was fortunate and privileged enough to discover three of these islands and thus realise a long-held plan. As an outdoor person, I was interested in going to Santo Antão, Fogo and Santiago. Looking for assistance in putting together an interesting, varied and feasible programme, I could rely on vista verde. Their assistance was highly competent and most effective in terms of matching what I was looking for with the possibilities on the spot; within a week’s time, they put together a tailor-made programme!

The hikes/walks on the three islands, and particularly those on Santo Antão and Fogo, were absolutely magnificent, offering stunning views and sights. The guides to accompany me on all three islands were very knowledgeable about the walks, flora, fauna and many other things. The interaction was very easy in all respects and made the hikes/walks a special experience.

The logistical support of vista verde throughout the journey was impeccable. In addition to the guides, I enjoyed the accommodation chosen because of the local touch and eco-friendliness wherever this was possible, seeing that many places were closed as a result of the pandemic. This regarding, vista verde also provided all support necessary to ensure that the Covid tests required for both the intra-island and the return flight were obtained in good time. All in all, vista verde did everything possible to make my holidays an immemorable and safe one. Should I return to the Cape Verde, they would be my first address to turn to.

Roger, Switzerland


31. JANUARY 2019 - REI FROM JAPAN

Hello Mr. Avercenko,

Apologies for not contacting you earlier. As you assumed, I enjoyed Cabo Verde tremendously.

Here in Japan, Cabo Verde is little known, which is very unfortunate. I found your country extremely rewarding to visit, with amazing sights and wonderfully friendly people. I’m happy that I was able to visit 4 islands, although other islands also seem quite interesting. I would enjoy seeing more someday.

I was very happy with the service provided by Vista Verde. My guides were outstanding and very professional, and the drivers were very helpful in all instances. I would definitely recommend Vista Verde to anyone interested in touring Cabo Verde.

Thank you for all of your kind assistance during the planning phase. Everything went very smoothly, and I have great memories of an amazing trip.

With appreciation,
Rei Muroji


28. JANUARY 2019 - RICHARD

After we booked to go to Sal on Cape Verde we realised that we wanted to go to Fogo. It is not so easy to travel to one island to another (this is not Greece and the seas are rough!) so we found Vista Verde where Carlos arranged everything for us, the transfers flights hotels and most important of all the guide to the top of the volcano on Fogo island which was in the most stunning location. If we had tried to arrange all this ourselves it would have taken a long time and probably have cost a lot more. We were surprised how smooth everything was and no stress which is the motto of the islands.
Richard


02. JANUARY 2019 - JULIE

Just touching base to let you know the trip has been fantastic!! Sam, my guide, is an A-plus and we’ve been having great fun. The caldera, valley Paul and today’s coastal walk - outstanding. And I truly have one of the most beautiful views from my room in Ponta do Sol. Thank you!!
Julie


06. DEZEMBER 2018 - MARJORIE

Our tour with JL on Santiago was wonderful!!! The sites were very interesting, the knowledge that JL shared with us was great, and lunch was delicious and plentiful. We truly felt we got a complete tour and a lot of understanding of Cape Verde in the amount of time our one day cruise stop allowed. Our driver was excellent, too.

Will highly recommend your company for anyone who is traveling to Praia.

You were also very easy and very professional to work with.

Marjorie Newman


26. FEBRUARY 2018 - MARTIN

Thank you very much for a wonderful trip. We were both exceedingly pleased with our holiday, it was everything we expected and much more.

The trips to Fogo and Santo Antao were by far the most memorable, not least because of the wonderful guides we had there. Being able to see the unique areas and meet the wonderful local people was the high point of our holiday. I'd like to especially commend Maria from your Sao Vicente office for being able to add some events to our programme at short notice that we greatly enjoyed. She also solved a problem with our flight back (the airline had forgotten to add us onto the flight, despite sending us a confirmation).

We are thinking about returning to Cape Verde to explore the islands we didn't see this time, and also to further explore Fogo and Santo Antao. When we decide to do so, we'll surely get in touch with you again!


April 2017 - ANDREA

We had an excellent week on the islands (Sao Vicente, Santo Antao and Sal (2 transfer nights before flying home)). Our arrangement was excellently planned (flights, ferries, drivers and hiking guide). All accommodations were perfectly chosen: Besides the hotel in Sal, all were family-run, pretty, clean and very well organized. Need to mention that our driver on Santo Antao was extremely skillful and we felt the whole time very safe in his car (most of the roads on Santo Antao a quite challenging: steep, sloppy, narrow and sometimes only dirt roads).


November 2016 - LEA and JUERG

Good evening
We would like to thank you for the wonderful holiday we just had in Cabo Verde organized by you. We had a very good time, everything worked out perfectly! And we would especially like to thank for the two excellent guides we had, Ronny on Santo Antao, and Carlos on Santiago Island.


March 2016 - GERALD and JACQUELINE

Hello,

Last Sunday (06.03.2016) we have done the 1-day hiking trip to Santo Antao. It was a perfect day. It was good organized and the hiking down the valley was fantastic. What a incredible place... spectacular views, beautiful landscapes, the interesting visit of the distillery and the lunch at the bio-restaurant. Everything was perfect. Also our guide Benito. He is a really nice person, very intelligent and polite. He could answer all our questions and knows everything about Santo Antao, the plants, the history and much more. Also he speaks very good english and french too. We will recommend this trip to others and thank you for the good organization.

Best regards!


January 2016 - JENNIFER

We used Vista Verde Tours to arrange a few days of trekking in Santo Antao, along with transfers, ferries, and visa services. All communication was via email with Joci. Our trip was probably a small one for the company, and we made several changes to the itinerary before finalizing, but Joci was unfailingly helpful, responsive, and patient. Transfers, ferries, accommodations, and hiking went like clockwork from start to finish (no small feat in a country like Cape Verde), and the specific hikes Joci suggested based on our vague requests were excellent. Accommodations in the smaller villages are a bit on the basic side, but very clean with pleasant hosts. Our guide, Osvaldo, spoke good English, was friendly and fun, and was continuously attentive to making sure things went smoothly. We have no hesitation whatsoever recommending Vista Verde to others, and we would certainly use them again ourselves.


December 2015 - DENISE

Thanks to vista verde our trip to Santo Antao was extremely  enjoyable. With only one day's notice, Claudia helped identify the perfect accommodation to suit our needs - a couple of nights in an eco-friendly lodge, high up in the Paul Valley, the greenest part of the island. We had a terrific day climbing up to Pico de Cruz then hiking on to Santa Isabelle and Eito. Long, hard and hot but the views made it totally rewarding.  We were ready to enjoy the good evening meal served at Casa Ilhas, that night.

We also stayed two nights in the valley of Ribeira Grande at Pedracin Village, attracted by their large swimming pool and sun terrace, good a la carte lunch and dinner menu and beautiful mountain views.  Travelling around by Agulera was easy and cheap, we were so pleased we didn't take the car hire option.

The trip back to Porto Novo from Ribeira Grande on the old road was awesome as Claudia had promised.

Thanks to Simon, Claudia and the team for helping to make this short trip unforgettable.


October 2015 - ELINE

Our second year in Cabo Verde, and again vista verde set out a nice itinerary for us: a combination of Sal and Santo Antao (stopover in Sao Vicente). Like last year everything was organized perfectly.

Unfortunately on our third night in Mindelo I was robbed (due to my own nonchalance) and lost essential belongings. The vista verde team of Mindelo was very helpful and assisted wherever they could. Thanks to their support we still had a great holiday and were able to go to Santo Antao . Cape Verdeans are the most friendly people: the local people, hotel staff in Mindelo, our guide in Santo Antao and the staff of our hotel in Sal all helped to make this holiday an unforgettable one.

PS vista verde’s service does not stop at the end of your stay: when my camera and phone were found, they shipped them back to me. A big thank to Simon and Heike.

Best wishes,

Eline


March 2014 - JILL and WILLIAM

Hello Hetty

Now we are back in England in the cold, the Cape Verde Islands seem a long way away! We had such a wonderful time and it was very largely due to you and the other guides, Claudia and Ailton. We loved all our amazing walks and our delicious picnics and we really appreciated having you to tell us all about the island in so many ways. You were so kind to take us to visit your mother and to show us your own marvellous home too...we truly appreciated the feeling of really seeing a bit of the real life of the island and are absolutely certain that we had a far better experience than those who were

walking without a lovely guide like you!We have warned the travel company about the Blue Bell Hotel! We have also impressed on them the importance of the guiding system in the Islands, both for enhancing the tourists' experience and as a way of supporting the economy.

With best wishes to you and your family,

Jill & William

March 2014


March 2014 - ELINE

We just came back from an individual trip hooked through Untamed travelling. Stayed on Sal and Fogo. Perfect service from you and your 24 emergency telephonenumber really works we found. We had an unforgetable hike with your guide to the pico, he knew so much and really adapted himself to our slow tempo. Everything was great from the Savana hotel in Sao Filipe to a few days of relaxation in Morabeza. We will be back next year to see more of your country! Regards and thanks.


June 2012 - SYLVIA

HELP BEFORE THE HOLIDAY STARTED
We planned to go island hopping and were quite naive about the whole thing. Luckily for us, Sarah from Vista-Verde, helped us non.stop. We had endless questions and she had endless patience. She booked our island flights for us and even got great prices. We leave for CV tomorrow and are very grateful to Sarah for making it easy for us. Sarah, you are brill.
 


Contact

+238 9930788 office@vista-verde.com