Scenic trails descending from the rims of volcanic craters to dramatic coastal paths; century-old cobblestone routes meticulously built by hand; rural and fishing villages where welcoming hosts serve flavorful food accompanied by live music with rhythms such as morna, found nowhere else in the world.
This was the captivating environment, over 10 days, in which Cabo Verde surprised the 14 international tour operators and media professionals from 10 countries who took part in AdventureWEEK in February 2026. In the first initiative on the African continent designed to engage international travel professionals in promoting adventure tourism, the archipelago revealed that it already holds many of the essential ingredients to establish itself as a leading nature-based destination: striking geographic contrasts, solid infrastructure and a vibrant cultural identity.
The journey was part of a multi-year partnership between the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA) and the Institute of Tourism of Cabo Verde (ITCV), financed by the World Bank. The first AdventureWEEK ever held in Africa aimed to internationally promote the adventure travel potential of this volcanic archipelago of 10 islands in the central Atlantic.
“We accepted this challenging partnership with the Government of Cabo Verde with a key question: can Cabo Verde become a sustainable, world-class hiking destination?” said ATTA President Gustavo Timo on the first day of exploration on São Vicente Island, the main hub for discovering the mountainous northern islands known as the Barlavento. Over the following days, participants gathered plenty of evidence to answer “yes,” and to see that Cabo Verde is clearly moving in that direction.
A Week With 10 Days?
But why call it an Adventure “Week” if the trip lasted ten days? Timo laughed when asked. “This country is so diverse that a proper introductory journey simply wouldn’t fit into one week.” Unlike ATTA’s regular seven-day AdventureWEEK events organized worldwide, this longer edition was also designed for logistical reasons. Timo explained, “we wanted participants to be able to experience the different modes of transportation required for island-hopping—short flights and ferry crossings—exactly as travelers and locals do.”
Beginning in the lively seaside city of Mindelo—the capital of São Vicente—the itinerary focused mainly on the hikers’ favorite islands of Santo Antão and São Nicolau. A necessary connection through Sal Island allowed the group to briefly add this fourth island to the itinerary as well.
Read more about São Vicente here
Beyond Sun-and-Beach Tourism
Sal and its sister island Boa Vista, both famous for their resort-style beaches, accounted for nearly 80% of Cabo Verde’s visitors in 2025. “Our country is already well established as a sun-and-beach destination, but we are now working toward diversification,” said Dilma Gomes, ITCV’s Executive Administrator for the Barlavento Islands, during the Marketplace session in Mindelo, where buyer participants connected with 13 local tour operators.
Timo commented that the strategy focuses on activating what the ATTA calls the “three Ds”: diversification of traveler profiles, dispersion of visitors across the islands to avoid overtourism, and deepening experiences through longer stays and closer interaction with local communities.
Most participants traveled via Lisbon, Portugal, one of the easiest gateways to Cabo Verde, with flights of about four hours. As air connectivity expands, the country has seen a rise in charter and low-cost flights, alongside direct connections to Europe—with routes to Brazil and the United States launching soon. The main airports are located on São Vicente, Sal, Boa Vista and Santiago, which is the largest island and home to Praia, the national capital, in the southern Sotavento Islands group.
An Africa for Hikers. And it Speaks Portuguese
Just a few days after landing, participants quickly noticed that each island offers a distinctive identity. “Cabo Verde is incredibly authentic. It has amazing landscapes for hiking, great food and music, and remains largely unspoiled,” said Cristina Núñez Costas, a Spanish tour operator from El Mundo Your Way.
Another defining aspect is the country’s cultural context. Cabo Verde lies geographically in Africa yet offers the stability of a long-standing democracy. Portuguese is the official language, reflecting more than four centuries of Portuguese presence until independence in 1975. In daily life, Cape Verdeans speak Kriolu, a Creole language blending Portuguese with African linguistic influences.
Hiking the Atlantic’s Volcanic Landscapes
Santo Antão is already recognized among the relatively small number of European hikers who have visited it as the archipelago’s hiking paradise and one of the premier places for the activity in the Mid-Atlantic and Africa.
A one-hour ferry crossing from Mindelo brings visitors to this island, where more than 20 main trails can be explored, some already marked with maps, distances and altitude information. The ATTA group followed two of the island’s classic hikes: the descent from the dormant volcanic crater of Cova to the lush Paúl Valley, and the spectacular coastal route between Cruzinha and Ponta do Sol.
The diversity of landscapes left a strong impression on first-time visitors. “It was incredible to move from lush mountain vegetation to dry terrain and then suddenly reach the Atlantic coastline,” said Davide Munari of S-Cape Partners/SloWays. Accustomed to iconic hiking regions such as the Dolomites, the Italian tour operator was surprised by how unspoiled and uncrowded the trails felt.
For German tour operator Andre Kiwitz, from Ventura Travel GmbH, the historic cobblestone network was another highlight. “I love hiking along paths with history. These routes were not created for tourists—they were originally built to connect villages,” he said. He also enjoyed tasting cachupa, the national stew, and sampling grogue, the traditional sugar-cane spirit, at stops along the hike.
“I love the way they welcome visitors with morabeza,” noted Luís Coelho of A2Z Walking & Biking in Portugal, referring to the Cape Verdean concept of hospitality and easygoing warmth. “To me, morabeza is a slow-living philosophy, where ‘feeling good’ originates from within and connects us to life,” added Coelho.
Read more about Santo Antão here
An Off-the-Beaten-Path Destination
Harder to reach and still largely undiscovered by international travelers, São Nicolau is often described as the next frontier for hiking in Cabo Verde. The group explored similar landscape diversity and historic trails—such as the classic Fajã Valley to Praia Branca and Covoada to Ribeira Funda routes—yet encountered very few visitors.
“Absolutely spectacular. I would place these trails among the best in the world,” said British guide Tanya Perret, founder of Live Breathe Hike, who has spent more than two decades exploring mountain ranges from the Himalayas to the Alps.
“This place has everything; it is exactly the kind of off-the-beaten-path destination our travelers love,” added U.S. tour operator Jess Fontaine of National Geographic–Lindblad Expeditions.
Read more about São Nicolau here
Building the Future of Adventure Tourism
Throughout the journey, participants could see early results of the ATTA–ITCV partnership, including guide training programs. “We have already trained 80 tourism professionals, and some of them visited the well-developed hiking infrastructure of the Rota Vicentina in Portugal,” said Joel Barbosa, Coordinator of Hiking Tourism at the Cape Verde Tourism Institute. Barbosa agreed with several suggestions from participants for further improvements, including better flight connections, expanded lodging options and clearer trail signage. “ATTA has helped a lot, and we are working hard to get there,” he said.
“This is a long-term project, and AdventureWEEK is just the first step in activating the international market,” said ATTA President Gustavo Timo on the final day. “This initiative is not only about promoting the remarkable adventure experiences found in Cabo Verde’s mountains,” he said. “It is about a country investing in adventure tourism to reinvent itself. And now we are all part of that story.”