Floating off the west coast of Africa, ten barefoot island paradises wait to whip your breath away...

The Cape Verde islands are a small archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic, 1,500 kilometres south of the Canary Islands and are the nearest islands to Europe within the tropics.

Each one is dramatically different, from bounty-like blonde sands backed by jungle-like scenery to volcanic monochrome landscapes peppered with pastel-painted towns.

Yes, the beaches are mind-bogglingly gorgeous. And the colourful blend of cultures from Africa, Portugal and Brazil will have you charmed from the moment you arrive. But there's more. This far-flung holiday hotspot has yet to have gained a mass tourism following.

Think the untouched Caribbean!

The islands all have their own characters, some volcanic and mountainous, others flat and sandy. The northern group includes Santo Antao, Sao Vicente, Santa Lucia and San Nicolao.To the west are the sandy islands of Sal and Boa Vista, and to the south is  Brava with its abundance of flora, the volcanic Fogo, beautiful white sandy beaches of Maio and finally the largest island of Santiago with its white sandy coves and mountainous interior.