If Cape Verde has been calling your name, there’s another interesting way to get there and one that could turn a simple beach holiday into a two-destination European and African escape.
TAP Air Portugal is adding a direct connection between Porto and Sal island, giving travellers another way to combine Portugal with the beautiful Cape Verde islands.
For travellers from the UK and Ireland, the route is particularly worth knowing about because TAP Air already connects London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester and Dublin with Portugal, opening up possibilities for onward journeys to Cape Verde and beyond.
Porto to Sal island: Portugal meets Cape Verde
The direct Porto–Sal island service operates twice weekly using TAP's Airbus A320neo aircraft.
During the IATA winter season, beginning 25 October, flights are scheduled to leave Porto on Thursdays and Sundays at 20:50, arriving on Sal island at 00:20.
Return flights leave Sal island on Fridays and Mondays at 01:20, arriving in Porto at 06:40.
During the IATA summer season, from 29 March to 24 October, flights operate on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Porto, with return services from Sal island on Thursdays and Sundays.
Flight schedules can change, so always check the timings applicable to your individual travel dates when booking.
Why Sal?
Sal island is one of Cape Verde's best-known holiday islands particularly if your idea of escaping involves year-round sunshine, long beaches, clear Atlantic waters and a slower pace of life.
The island is home to Santa Maria, a lively coastal town where you'll find restaurants, bars, colourful streets and an impressive stretch of beach.
Beyond relaxing by the sea, you can explore the unusual salt crater at Pedra de Lume, experience Cape Verdean food and music, take a sailing trip or try water sports including windsurfing and kitesurfing.
And while Sal island is certainly popular for fly-and-flop holidays, there’s much more to Cape Verde for travellers who want to dig a little deeper into the islands' culture.
Why not combine Porto and Sal island?
This is where the new route becomes particularly interesting from an Íjénjèm perspective.
Rather than treating Porto simply as a city break for a weekend, why not make it part of a slow holiday?
Spend a few days exploring Porto before swapping the banks of the Douro for the beaches of Sal.
You could enjoy Porto's historic Ribeira district, cross the Dom Luís I Bridge, visit the port wine cellars of Vila Nova de Gaia and experience northern Portuguese food before continuing south to Cape Verde.
Porto + Sal island could work beautifully for travellers who enjoy combining city, culture and beach within one trip.
Make the most of TAP's Portugal Stopover
There's another reason to consider travelling this way.
TAP Air's Portugal Stopover programme allows eligible passengers travelling on certain long-haul itineraries to include a stop in Lisbon or Porto for up to 10 days, without an additional stopover charge being added to the airfare.
That means Portugal doesn't necessarily have to be just the airport you pass through on the way to your final destination.
Depending on your itinerary and fare, you could potentially spend a few days discovering Porto or Lisbon before continuing your journey.
For travellers who like getting more than one experience from a holiday, it's an option worth exploring.
Porto is becoming an increasingly useful TAP Air gateway
Sal island joins a growing selection of destinations available directly from Porto.
TAP also operates connections from the city to destinations including New York, Boston, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Luanda and Praia, alongside European and island destinations such as London, Paris, Zurich, Geneva, Terceira and Funchal.
The airline has also made its Porto–Boston service year-round, rather than seasonal.
For UK and Irish travellers, TAP Air's network via Portugal can provide useful connections onwards to destinations across Brazil, Africa, Madeira, the Azores, the United States and Canada.
An Íjénjèm travel idea: turn the journey into part of the holiday
Sometimes the most interesting itinerary isn't simply A to B.
A connection through Portugal can become an opportunity to add another destination to your journey.
Imagine:
London → Porto → Sal island
A few days of architecture, Portuguese food, wine and the Douro, followed by sunshine and Atlantic beaches in Cape Verde.
It’s a great example of how thinking differently about your flight routing can turn one holiday into something much more memorable.
Thinking about Cape Verde?
Whether you're looking for a relaxing week in Sal island, want to combine several Cape Verde islands, or like the idea of pairing Portugal and Cape Verde in one itinerary, Íjénjèm Travel can help create a journey around the way you want to travel.
From flights and accommodation to stopovers, transfers and experiences, we'll help you look beyond the obvious itinerary.
Because sometimes, the journey itself can become part of the adventure.
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