Cape Verde is an increasingly popular travel destination, attracting visitors in their tens of thousands. The country consists of ten volcanic islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean off the coast of West Africa.
Last year, officials expected to welcome 1.2 million tourists and hope to see even more in 2025. Sun seekers will find miles of stunning sandy beaches on which to work on those tans, some of the best of which include Santa Maria and Ponta Preta on the island of Sal.
Cape Verde also holds fantastic festivals with lots of celebrations, processions and music.
São Vicente’s Baia das Gatas Festival in August offers visitors the chance to immerse themselves in local music culture and is a whole lot of fun.
The islands are also full to the brim, with walking trails for all abilities due to magnificent mountains and towering volcanoes.
One of the best places to discover the magical scenery is on the island of Santo Antão.
This is where you will find Paúl Valley –arguably Cape Verde’s top hike, with several routes passing through terraced farmland.
The greenest valley among all the islands of Cape Verde, it is dedicated primarily to agriculture.
Here, mangoes, passionfruit, bananas, sugarcane and many other crops grow in abundance.
Hiking trails wind along the valley’s terraced slopes, ascending and descending over its many ridges.
The walks have received rave reviews on Tripadvisor, regularly scoring a five out of five.
Chris from Koblenz in Germany trekked the route from Cova de Paúl Volcano Crater – Ribeira de Paúl.
“Beautiful hike from the crater through sugar cane plantations down to the sea in Pombas,” he wrote.
“The descent is steep, but the view is stunning. The first part of the descent is along a winding path.
“Then you take a paved road through numerous small villages with supermarkets, bars and restaurants to Pombas, from where you can find Aluguers in all the places along the coast.
“If you want to do the route in the opposite direction and climb up to the crater, you should be in very good shape.