The beaches of Sal and Boa Vista. Sal and Boa Vista are the beach islands -- flat, wind-swept, and ringed with white sand. Santa Maria beach on Sal stretches for kilometers, with warm turquoise water and reliable wind that makes it one of Europe's favorite winter kitesurfing destinations. Boa Vista is wilder and less developed, with empty dune-backed beaches where loggerhead turtles nest between July and October. If you want a beach to yourself, Boa Vista is the island.
Hiking Santo Antao. Santo Antao is one of the great hiking destinations in the Atlantic. The old cobblestone paths connect villages perched on terraced mountainsides, dropping through valleys of sugarcane, banana trees, and coffee plants. The trail from Cova crater down to the Paul Valley is the classic route -- you start in cloud forest and descend through increasingly lush tropical vegetation to the coast. The contrast with the dry eastern side of the island is staggering.
Fogo's volcano. The Pico do Fogo on Fogo rises to 2,829 meters and last erupted in 2014, burying parts of the village of Cha das Caldeiras in lava. The villagers moved back and rebuilt. You can hike to the summit in about six hours round trip, and the caldera floor, where people grow grapes and make wine in volcanic soil, is one of the most surreal landscapes in Africa. Stay overnight in Cha das Caldeiras to watch the sunset turn the crater walls red.
Live music in Mindelo. Mindelo on Sao Vicente is where Cesaria Evora grew up, and music still runs through the city like a second heartbeat. On weekend nights, bars and clubs across town host live morna, coladeira, and funaná. The scene is unpretentious -- you might find a world-class singer performing in a tiny bar to thirty people. Carnival in February is Mindelo's biggest event, with parades, floats, and music that takes over the entire city for days.
The dunes of Boa Vista. Beyond the beaches, Boa Vista has a stark desert interior with shifting sand dunes that would not look out of place in the Sahara. The Viana Desert, a small but dramatic dune field, sits in the middle of the island surrounded by rocky volcanic plains. You can reach it by 4x4 or quad bike, and the silence is extraordinary.
Cidade Velha. On Santiago, about fifteen minutes west of Praia, sits Cidade Velha -- the oldest European colonial settlement in the tropics. Founded in 1462 by the Portuguese, it became a major hub of the Atlantic slave trade. The pillory in the town square, where enslaved people were punished and sold, still stands. The ruins of the cathedral and the fortress of Real de Sao Filipe overlooking the bay are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It is a beautiful and deeply sobering place.