Boa Vista

Tucked away in the wind-swept soul of Boa Vista is the fantastically surreal Viana Desert, a gloriously unexpected slice of Sahara hidden off the coast of West Africa. Stumbling out here among its rolling dunes feels like you've accidentally wandered onto the set of a David Lean epic-or perhaps the planet Tatooine-and half expect Peter O'Toole or a squadron of stormtroopers to appear on camelback. Viana's dunes, sculpted to perfection by centuries of relentless ocean breezes, shine brightest in the softening afternoon sunlight, lending your Instagram pictures the kind of golden-hour glow that makes filters obsolete. Prepare ahead by booking your desert tour at least a day or two in advance (spontaneity is for amateurs and stranded British explorers), bring plenty of water and sunscreen to battle its deceptive glare, and budget around €35-€50 for an organized jeep excursion-preferably one driven by a local guide who's adept at navigating shifting sands and shifting moods. Sure, you'll dust sand out of surprising bodily crevices for weeks afterward, but for the chance to casually mention your brief tenure as a desert explorer-complete with legendary dunes, epic landscapes, and an inevitable existential epiphany-it's worth every gritty inconvenience.

If your idea of a vacation involves stumbling around a remote, moonlit beach at midnight, quietly whispering curses at your flashlight batteries while trying not to trip over driftwood, welcome to Turtle Watching at Ervatao-Cape Verde's prize nesting arena for the mighty loggerhead turtle. Each summer, these prehistoric creatures lumber ashore in astonishing numbers to lay their eggs, turning this otherwise sleepy stretch of West African coastline into something straight out of a National Geographic special (but with fewer commercials and more mosquito bites). Timing is crucial here; arrive too early and you'll wonder if the beach's only inhabitants are crabs and your own growing impatience-around 10pm is prime viewing time, and July to September sees peak turtle action. Book at least a couple of weeks ahead, because surprisingly, more people are onto this whole turtle thing than you'd expect, and budget around $30 to $50 for a guide who makes sure you don't step squarely into a freshly dug turtle nest. Pack a jacket, wear shoes you don't mind filling with sand, and bring a flask of something to pass the wait-trust me, you'll thank yourself later. And look, despite the mild inconvenience and the gritty sand in awkward spots, the sight of a loggerhead turtle hauling herself out of the surf, as she has for millions of years, reminds you just how weirdly magnificent this blue spinning orb can be. Even if nature isn't usually your thing, the bragging rights alone-yes, you witnessed turtle childbirth-make it worth every grain of discomfort.

If your idea of fun involves climbing uphill toward an abandoned, windswept lighthouse reminiscent of the final scene in a Hitchcock movie, then the Morro Negro Lighthouse hike is your ticket to blissful masochism. Nestled on Boa Vista's wild eastern flank, Morro Negro offers a heady cocktail of stark volcanic landscapes, shifting sands, and ocean winds that seem intent on rearranging your hairstyle into modern art. Aim for early morning or late afternoon-both for tolerable temperatures and lighting that would make even Instagram cynics weep. Pack sturdy shoes, water, sunscreen, and a snack or two, because the lighthouse won't offer much besides historical charm and ghost tales from long-past shipwrecks. Budgeting is gloriously minimal; aside from transportation, nature charges no admission fee for sore muscles and sand-filled socks, though give yourself at least three hours round-trip. And let's face it: despite the sweat and sandblasting, there's something undeniably poetic about standing atop an old lighthouse, staring dramatically into an endless Atlantic horizon while quietly fantasizing you're a weather-beaten sea captain or a brooding European novelist. Even if adventure isn't your usual cup of tea, Morro Negro is the kind of hike that's worth doing if only to satisfy your inner storyteller-or your therapist's curiosity.

If your idea of camping involves marshmallow roasts and Bluetooth speakers, prepare yourself to recalibrate-Boa Vista's Deserto de Viana scoffs at your creature comforts and offers instead a moonlit landscape that's part surreal Salvador Dali painting, part Lawrence of Arabia fantasy. Once you set up camp amid dunes sculpted by wind and whimsy, you'll feel a strange, exhilarating vulnerability, as though you've crash-landed on some undiscovered lunar surface. Aim to arrive just before sunset, when the sands blush golden and the sky does its best Impressionist impersonation. Bring layers-desert nights swing from daytime inferno to nighttime freezer-and a torch to dodge scorpions with a humble sense of panic. Booking your expedition at least a week ahead ensures your guide knows the best secret spots, and setting aside about €50 per person covers gear, guidance, and the existential awakening that accompanies a crystal-clear, star-saturated sky. Yes, sand will invade crevices you never knew existed, and no, Wi-Fi isn't a thing here. But lounging beneath the infinite cosmos in a desert named after Vienna, Portugal's former royal capital (because apparently Portuguese explorers thought naming a barren wasteland after a city famous for pastries and waltzes would be hilarious), is worth every grainy inconvenience-if only for the sheer joy of casually dropping "Oh, that reminds me of the night I got lost under the stars in an African desert..." into your next dinner party anecdote.