Getting to Praia, Capo Verde
 

I'm thinking of meeting my wife in Capo Verde one week in March. Any thought on how to get there from New York without spending an arm and a leg or a week in transit? Only idea I've had so far, is to fly South African Air or American to Johannesburg, get on the next return flight, and get off in Sal. But what do I do in Sal at 3:00 a.m., and how do I get from there to Praia?

Richard,
I spent 5 months in Praia. The only direct connection to Praia is via SAL and the only flight I'm aware of from the US to SAL is the SAA flight to Johanasburg. Last I checked(6 months ago) the cost was around $800 round trip. From SAL, you will need a connecting fligth on TACV(Cape Verde Airlines) to Praia. There are many daily flights-- but getting a reservation can be a challenge. As of summer '96 a Sal-Praia round trip was around $150.
Try these numbers to contact TACV:
TACV(Lisbon Office) 011-351-1-342 3108 / 347 5520
TACV(Praia Main Office) 011-238-61-58-13
Sal is a resort island so a place to spend the night is not a problem.
TACV has flights to Lisbon, Paris, and Ansterdaam.
TAP Air Portugal has a few flights a week to Sal from Lisbon.
To pursue a TAP connection to Cape Verde, I would work through the their office in Praia because they have a strong relationship with TACV to arrange inter-island connections.
TAP(Lisbon Recervations)-011-351-1-841 6990
TAP(Cabo Verde) 011-238-611 939 or 615 826,
FAX 011-238-611 266
Hope this helps.
V.Zetterlind