Turtle Beach

The Cape Verde Islands are known to the world primarily for their volcanoes and black lava sands, underwater mazes and caves, as well as numerous festivals and carnivals. And only the easternmost of the Cape Verde Islands, Maio, boasts an abundance of forests and shallow sandy beaches. Maio is largely separated from the other Islands of the small African state. There are no noisy parties, no loud music, and not many tourists. In the evening, locals gather in the main square of the town of Praça Fina, and on weekends attend Sunday masses in a small colonial church, reminiscent of Portuguese village parishes.

However, the main attraction of these places is not at all a snow-white shrine and not a cozy town square. To appreciate this island, you need to go to a town called Morro. The town has nothing in common with the mad Doctor Moreau from the science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, except perhaps the amazing pristine nature and the gentle shores of the Atlantic Ocean. It is an ideal place for both swimming and diving, but tourists come here for a very different reason.

The main attraction of Morro is the loggerhead sea turtles, the only of the five species that live and nest on the island. Today, these beautiful marine creatures are under threat of extinction, and hunting for them is strictly prohibited by law. Although turtles and their nesting sites are protected by the state, it is still possible to see them. That is why thousands of tourists come here every year!

Here you can find more than 30 thousand nests, large adult turtles, and, of course, hundreds of babies that have just hatched from eggs and quickly crawl to the warm waters of the ocean. An incredible performance of wildlife can be seen 5 times in one season, which runs from early summer to late autumn.