The Cape Verde archipelago, 600 kilometres off the West African coast, is one of the Atlantic's most biologically distinctive pelagic birding destinations. The islands hold four endemic or near-endemic tubenoses: Cape Verde Shearwater (~170,000 pairs), Boyd's Shearwater (restricted to Raso and São Nicolau), Cape Verde Petrel (Fea's Petrel, breeding on Fogo), and the recently split Cape Verde Storm-Petrel. The dedicated West Africa Pelagic expedition cruise from Praia to Madeira is the primary access point for these species, with the additional draws of a zodiac excursion to Ilhéu Raso for the Critically Endangered Raso Lark, passage through the Northwest African upwelling shelf, an overnight anchorage at the Selvagem Islands, and chumming sessions north of Madeira for the ultra-rare Zino's Petrel.
Occasional multi-day expedition cruise; 8 days departing Praia, Santiago; last ran 4–11 May 2026 (first sailing since 2016); check wildwings.co.uk or birdingbreaks.nl for the next announced departure; evening lectures and identification presentations by the expert guide team are included on board
From €2,450 per person (cabin-share basis); contact WildWings (+44 117 965 8333) or BirdingBreaks (info@birdingbreaks.nl) for current pricing and availability