Known as the Isla Bonita, La Palma is the northwesterly most of the seven Canary Islands. Its capital Santa Cruz de La Palma is home to some of the most unspoiled seascapes in the archipelago. Formed by oceanic volcanoes off the northwestern coast of Africa, these Spanish islands are playgrounds for sun worshippers with their stunning black and white sand beaches and vertiginous volcanic peaks rising from the sea.

A volcanic archipelago off the western coast of Africa, Cape Verde was once a Portuguese colony before achieving its independence in 1975. Today, it’s home to a blend of both European and West African cultures that can be experienced through both its cuisine and music. Praia, which translates to beach in Portuguese, is the capital of Cape Verde and presides over the southern coast of Santiago where black and golden sand beaches encircle the harbor.