Cape Verde is roughly 4,000–5,000 km from the UK, which translates to about a 5½–6½ hour direct flight in most cases.

How far is Cape Verde from the UK?

  • The straight-line distance between Cape Verde and the UK is commonly given at around 4,700–4,800 km (about 2,950–3,000 miles).
  • Some travel guides round this up and say “about 5,000 km southwest of the UK” for simplicity.
  • London Gatwick to Sal Island is around 4,325 km (2,685 miles).

So if you’re thinking in practical holiday terms, you can treat it as roughly 4,300–4,800 km away , depending on which UK airport and which Cape Verde island you’re using.

Typical flight times

  • Direct flights from UK airports to Cape Verde usually take about 5 hours 45 minutes to 6 hours 35 minutes.
  • From London Gatwick, direct flights to Sal often sit in the 6 hours–6 hours 15 minutes range.
  • Other big UK airports (Manchester, Glasgow, etc.) are in a similar 6-hour band, with only small differences either way.

Think of it as a bit longer than the Canary Islands, but still a mid-haul trip you can comfortably do in one go.

Mini sections: what this means for a trip

1. Is it “long haul”?

Many UK tour operators treat UK–Cape Verde as mid-haul , not long haul, because flights are under 7 hours.

That makes it a popular “winter sun” option: farther and warmer than the Canaries, but not as far as the Caribbean.

2. Quick mental picture

If you imagine flying straight south from the UK past mainland Portugal and the Canary Islands, you keep going about 1,000 km further south and you’re in Cape Verde.

It sits off the coast of West Africa in the Atlantic, so you’re changing both latitude and climate quite a bit compared with the UK.

TL;DR:
Cape Verde is about 4,300–4,800 km from the UK , and a direct flight usually takes around 6 hours , making it a very doable mid-haul escape for some reliable sun.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.