Tarrafal

Santiago, Cabo Verde, Cabo Verde

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Tarrafal is a coastal town on the northwestern part of Santiago, the largest island in Cabo Verde, about 70 kilometers from the capital city Praia. It lies along the Baía de Tarrafal, backed by the 643‑meter Mount Graciosa and surrounded by the Serra Malagueta mountain range and farmland, giving it a green, hilly setting next to the Atlantic Ocean. The town is best known for its beautiful beaches, especially Tarrafal Beach and the quieter Mar di Baxu, with white sand, calm waters, and palm‑lined shores that attract both locals and tourists. Tarrafal is also historically significant as the municipal seat of the Tarrafal municipality and the site of the former Tarrafal concentration camp, now a Resistance Museum that preserves the memory of political prisoners held there during Portugal’s colonial rule.