The many faces of Cape Verde

Your next stop will be Cape Verde’s cultural capital, Mindelo. Get along with the locals listening to the real morna in the bars of the old town and sipping the local drink, a sugarcane spirit. This island is also known by its British and Portuguese colonial architecture and pastel-coloured houses, the municipal market and the facades of the old Governor’s Palace.

If you’re a mountain lover, this is your island. São Nicolau offers dramatic mountain landscapes that reach their peak at Mt Gordo. Enjoy the nature by hiking the mountain paths of Fajã or get more cultural in Ribeira Brava, which is the capital of the island and rests in a deep green valley close to the summit of Mt Gordo. If you are more of a coast lover, there’s also a great choice of things to visit, from the Blue Hole to the quiet Tarrafal beach and the charming fishing village of Preguiça.

Start your Expedition Cruise in Praia, the capital of Cape Verde, located in the south of Santiago Island. You can explore its old centre overlooking the ocean and its historical buildings with transom windows. In the old quarter, you can also learn about the diversity of the archipelago’s cultural origins in the Ethnographic Museum. To finish your day, head to the harbour to visit the Diogo Gomes statue, paying homage to the man who discovered the archipelago in 1460.

The Bijagós archipelago was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1996 thanks to its abundant biodiversity, and is marine animal and plant life. It consists of 88 islands, 23 of which are inhabited. Get along with the local people of Maio and discover their ancestral traditions, secluded from Western influences.

The volcanic island of Fogo is probably the highest landmark of the archipelago. Ideal for hiking, Pico de Fogo has an immense caldera surrounding the active crater and traces of recent and old lava flows all around. Again, along the coast there’s plenty of options too: from the charming Mosteiros to the stylish colonial houses of the historic town of São Filipe, there’s a choice for everyone.