Max Cousins

I love to travel and experience landscapes and places through activity and have spent many of my holidays hiking, cycle touring, and mountain biking in Europe and North Africa.

The Atlantic Islands, touched by Portugal’s presence, are fascinating to explore. It would be easier to call them ‘Portugal’s islands’, but of course, both Cape Verde and São Tomé and Principe are now independent countries. I love their volcanic nature, something that is so apparent on Sao Miguel in the Azores, where you can experience hot springs and steaming vents at Furnas. Pico Mountain is another favourite. When you reach its upper crater, you become awestruck by nature’s power.

In Cape Verde, it’s impossible to ignore stark and arresting Fogo, a huge stratovolcano. Visiting Fogo is one of the highlights of my travel life so far. I’ve also spent some glorious days walking with a friend in the Serra Malagueta Natural Park, on Santiago. And I definitely recommend staying at the Kingfisher Village in Tarrafal, which has a lovely secluded bay that you can swim in.

More recently, I have been exploring Costa Rica. The wildlife experiences are incredible, and it’s a country you can visit time and time again, because it’s just an incredible place. If I were to point you to one area though, it would be the Osa Peninsular, where you can enjoy the wildlife at Corcovado National Park, swim with turtles around Cano Islands, and go whale watching from Drake Bay.

I’m here for a chat if you want to talk about any of our destinations max@archipelagochoice.com.