Traveling to the islands evokes the same associations in all the tourists: the warm waters of the ocean, endless sandy beaches, and fantastic sunsets. Add some exotic fruits and cocktails to that, and it does not matter anymore what direction a snow-white yacht is taking you at. Your perfect tan will be a reminder of luxurious vacation for a long time, but your soul will crave for adventure again and again while your curious mind will seek something new and unusual.

The islands of the small African country of Cape Verde offer their guests exactly the kind of adventure. There are amazingly beautiful beaches and waves of the Atlantic Ocean; to say nothing of sunrises and sunsets whose colors are even brighter than in the photos edited in Photoshop. But the Cape Verde Islands’ picturesque landscapes is not the only thing that attracts tourists, artists, and photographers from around the world. The sands on local beaches are black, palm trees are date, not coconut, and the main attraction is considered to be volcanoes and not masterpieces of colonial architecture.

Even sophisticated travelers come to the island of Santo Antão and its main landmark, the volcano Topo de Coroa, for their outstanding landscapes more than once. However, even for them it is hard to climb to the top of the mountain to the very crater without experienced guides. The picturesque foots of the mountains are located along the ocean coast and rise up with sharp black cliffs. Cypresses and eucalypts are almost not found, and all valleys are covered with tall grass.

You feel lightness and euphoria looking at the fabulous views and breathing the fresh mountain air. And it seems to you that there is nothing more beautiful, but suddenly you are standing at an altitude of 1979 meters, solidified lava of the majestic extinct volcano under your feet. How could there be anything more captivating and wonderful that this view?

The well-preserved crater of the Topo de Coroa volcano and the view of its foothills are worth to take a difficult path that is several kilometers long in the teeth of the cold wind. After getting down from the mountain, you can drink a cup of local aromatic coffee and for many years admire beautiful photos traveling down memory line.