West Africa & Cape Verde

What to Expect

Remote and Unspoilt Archipelagos

From rocky volcanic promontories teeming with endemic bird life in Cape Verde, to saltwater lagoons and mangrove swamps in Bissagos’ Orango National Park, our small expedition ship and fleet of expedition boats make these islands accessible.

What to Expect

Blend of Influences & Beliefs

Cape Verde has absorbed influences from a variety of traditions. With a musical culture that is a heady mix of West African and Portuguese styles, the migrations from Brazil and Caribbean has added to its uniqueness.

While in the Bissagos, the islanders’ belief system of natural world being sacred, shows how its helped preserve its biodiversity. The islands are also a matriarchal society, with women managing the religious, political and economic lives of their communities.

What to Expect

Plethora of Birdlife

Cape Verde is a bird-watchers’ paradise. With many fascinating species arriving as temporary visitors on their way to distant climes, such the Sandpiper and Spoonbill, or those, such as the Madeiran Storm Petrel, known locally as the jaba-jaba, which use the islands as their sole breeding site.

What to Expect

Contrasting Biodiversities

Chance to glimpse almost all West African landscapes and environments concentrated in just four different countries. Over just 13 days, see mighty rivers, mangrove swamps, jungle forests, wooded savannahs and palm groves, desert- like islands half covered by sand dunes, dramatic cliffs towering over incredibly deep valleys, and volcanic mountain tops almost 3.000m high – and bustling cities as a contrast.

What to Expect

Small ship exploration

Our small ships enable getting close to unaccessible destinations and off the beaten track. Ours being first of the kind to explore Cap Verde from an expedition perspective, the Bissagos Islands are seldom visited by any other cruise, giving us chance to provide almost exclusive experience and itineraries, in an intimate Hurtigruten way