Holiday Homes in Cape Verde Islands

Apart from many taxis being available, Sao Vicente does have a reasonably extensive public bus service. In addition, there is the very useful ''aluguer'' system which is both very cost effective and often provides a more flexible and appropriate service for the tourist. Whereas the buses tend to go from town centre to the various residential suburbs, the ''aluguer'' is often the best bet for getting to places like Norte de Baia, Baia da Gatas, Calhau, Monte Verde, San Pedro etc - all locations that visitors tend to want to get to. The ''aluguer'' system is essentially a mini-van operation which leaves when the driver thinks he has enough people to make the trip pay for itself, with everyone in the bus chipping-in - usually 100 or 200 escudos each. This is great...and much cheaper than taxis...as long as you know how often, up till what time, and from where these ''aluguers'' go from. It would be great if on this chat thread we could build up a 'local knowledge'' about regular ''aluguer'' routes around Sao Vicente for the benefit of visitors and tourists.

For Norte de Baia and Baia das Gatas, if you walk out of town on the road with the football stadium on your right, keep going and you come to a roundabout with a Shell petrol station on it. If you cross over the roundabout and take the road straight on/to the right, this is the beginning of the road to Norte de Baia and Baia das Gatas. If you stand about 20 metres up this road on the right hand side by a small shop, you will regularly find 'aluguers'  waiting there to take people to Baia Das Gatas. By regularly, I mean maybe every one/two hours or so. his generally works during daylight hours (nothing at night when I was last there. For Norte de Baia, just get off at the Norte de Baia sign post (a turning right about 500 metres before Baia Das Gatas) and walk along the new road about ten or fifeteen minutes. Beach on the left Norte de Baia 2 house development on right.