Boa Vista, Cape Verde - trip highlights from various trips (by Luke, August 2025)
- Luke Griffiths
- Oct 22
- 17 min read
Updated: Oct 28
I think Boa Vista is my favourite place in the world – certainly the favourite place I’ve discovered so far! Nowhere else gets me wanting to go back repeatedly, or feels so hard to leave!
I visited Boa Vista first with Gill and Amy (who was 11 at the time) in 2016, then with Gill in 2019 and 2022. I went back with Amy a couple of months later in 2022 and then with Gill and our friend Nick at the end of 2024.
Boa Vista is approximately the same size (circa 600km2) as the metropolitan area of Birmingham and is the third largest Cape Verdean island. Despite its small size there is so much to see and do, and every trip leads to new discoveries. Gill and I really noticed this on our most recent visit – we both felt that we saw things that we hadn’t before despite travelling the same routes. I think that you almost filter out the ‘seen before’ and replace them with new sights.
Sticking with the same comparison - the metropolitan area of Birmingham has a population of around 4.2 million people, compared to around 14,500 (2015 figures) for Boa Vista. It’s not a surprise that so much of Boa Vista feels empty…it really is!
I’m going to attempt a virtual ‘walk round’ of the attractions around the island starting from where we first stayed – the Occidental Boa Vista Beach Royal Horizon Resort on Praia de Chaves (which was actually the Royal Decameron back then). This is on the west coast of the island and is a 5 minute drive from the airport just outside Rabil.
One of my favourite things about Boa Vista is the deserted beaches. You can walk for hours and barely see another person. There are usually people immediately outside the hotels but once you pass them, it’s just you and the crashing waves. Bliss! I really enjoy strolling along Praia de Chaves watching for sharks cruising in the turning waves and the swooping seabirds. Praia de Chaves is home to Perola D’chaves – this beach bar is fantastic, with great service, food and drinks. It’s the perfect way to reward yourself after a walk!
It's probably worth a mention here about the currents in the sea. Praia de Chaves can look calm, especially around by Perola D’chaves, but looks can be deceiving. When we visited in 2022 Gill ended up swimming out to rescue a lady who had got into difficulties while playing in the calm looking sea. The current ended up taking this lady around 400m out from the beach. She was a non-swimmer who had just been splashing around in chest deep water when she made a mistake and got swept out. Gill managed to reach her in time and they made their way back in to shore with the support of a life ring. There were no lifeguards on this stretch of the beach but two did arrive a while later from the nearest resort following a call for help from the beach bar. A boat also arrived to try to help (again, after Gill had got the lady out of the sea ) which really surprised me as I thought there would be no support for people struggling in the sea. As it was there was no harm done and we enjoyed a drink or two with the lady’s family to celebrate Gill ‘giving her a second life’.
The next beach that you see when heading north from Perola D’chaves is Praia das Dunas – the home of the Riu Palace and Karamboa. The rocks between the beaches are usually a good place to spot a turtle, and at high tide you can see fish feeding with their tails out of the water.
Praia das Dunas is great for fishing with a really varied selection of fish available to target. It’s also a great location to see a stunning sunset, with no filter needed for all the pictures that you end up taking!
Praia das Dunas becomes Praia Carlota which is where you find some windsurfing/kitesurfing clubs and Morabeza beach bar. Morabeza is Gill’s favourite place – super chilled, great food and cold beer…what’s not to love?!
The next beach is Praia do Estoril – it’s very different to the beaches that lead to it. Estoril is sheltered by the islet Ilheu de Sal Rei, so is a lot calmer than almost every other beach on the island. Being a part of Boa Vista’s main town Sal Rei means it is visited by tourists and locals alike.
We have spent some time exploring Ilheu de Sal Rei; it’s lovely when the wind isn’t whipping across it! One time Gill was left on the island while I went out fishing on a boat…I returned with some fish that we BBQd and ate. It’s like a paradise island when the wind is calm but the sand attacks your ankles when it’s not! With being a boat trip away the islet is usually either quiet or deserted, despite being so close to Sal Rei.
Sal Rei is a bustling town, and seems to grow every time we visit. The growth of the town is noticeable from the aeroplane flying in, and even more so when flying out. If you remember to get a seat on the left hand side of the plane you get really good views of the island and the town itself.
Sal Rei has most of the items that you’d need, whether these are for sale in the Chinese supermarkets, the local municipal markets, or one of the small stores that are dotted around. There is a football stadium where you can watch matches from the island’s league. We’ve never been to the stadium to watch a game but it’s on the list of things to do on another visit.
The town is constantly changing due to building work. Streets that were once a handy cut through end up blocked or disappearing. A project was started to renew the town square around 5 years ago – to my uneducated eye it doesn’t really seem that it will ever be finished!
Sal Rei nowadays seems to be busy at all times of day and night. There are loads more restaurants now than there used to be, which is great, as it means that some holiday makers are getting away from the all inclusive resorts and contributing to the local economy. It’s been really nice to have had restaurants recommended by locals that we know over there and once we were even greeted at our table by a staff member from Perola D’chaves who recognised us when he was out eating in town. Locals eating at the same places as we do as tourists shows both that the restaurants are reasonably priced and that (at least some of) the locals are fairly paid.
Following the coast from Praia do Estoril takes you to the small pier which is always a hive of activity. It’s great to see the fishermen coming in with their catch, and the pier is also used by locals to play too. It’s quite normal to have people doing backflips off the pier or diving into the sea and swimming to Praia d Diante which is just next to it.
From here it’s a short walk along Avenida dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Avenue) to a small harbour and the fish market. We went to the fish market when we first visited Boa Vista and it is well worth it. The amount of fish, and the size of them, is incredible. What is even more incredible is that a lot of them are caught using traditional handlines by fishermen on multiple day trips. We have tried using handlines for small fish and it is difficult. The locals make it look easy even when pulling a tuna in!
The journey around the coast from here is interrupted by the port so you need to go inland and then pop back out at Praia de Cabral. This beach is good for fishing and very dramatic with the waves crashing on the rocks to the right of it.
Further north are some tiny beaches nestled between the rocks and then Praia de Davi. The walk to this beach is almost otherworldly across jagged stones but it is well worth the effort. It’s a lovely quiet, calm location with rocks that look extremely ‘fishy’! It was here that Gill, Nick and some local kids cleared up a load of rubbish that had been left, and also where we were able to spot turtles swimming in the clear water.
Next comes the small chapel, Capela de Nossa Senhora de Fátima. ‘Our Lady of Fatima’ refers to the Virgin Mary and is said to offer maternal protection. The chapel is situated on the rocks overlooking the journey that fishermen take from Sal Rei to the open ocean…just the time you may need some divine protection! Rebuilt in 2015 the chapel is worth a visit and is open most days.
Slightly inland from the chapel is a cemetery which is the final resting place of Aristides Pereira. Senhor Pereira was the first president of Cape Verde. He fought for, then oversaw Cape Verdean independence from Portuguese rule. The airport on Boa Vista is officially called Aeroporto Internacional Aristides Pereira as a tribute to the man who fought so hard for Cape Verde’s freedom.
From the Cemetery it is a very bumpy drive to Praia da Atalanta on the north coast of the island. This wind beaten beach with crashing waves is very dramatic. Perhaps unsurprisingly the wild Praia da Atalanta is home to a shipwreck - one of Boa Vista’s most pictured sights. The ship Cabo Santa Maria ran into difficulties in 1968 when it was laden with luxury gifts from the Spanish dictator Franco for his supporters and its remains have been slowly getting smaller since. The difference between visits in what is left of the rusting shell of the ship is really noticeable and I don’t think it will be long before it is totally reclaimed by the sea.
On another visit I’d like to explore Ponta Antonia on the north coast, and Praia das Gatas on the northeast of the island.
We’ve spent a little time on the east coast and I’d definitely like to see more of it. This side of the island is like being on another planet and access is relatively difficult (a 4wd or quad is a must). We visited Morro Negro lighthouse while doing a self-guided tour of the island in 2019. The scenery around it is so dramatic!
While on this trip we visited Restaurante Reencontro in the pretty village of Fundo das Figueiras for lunch. Despite being in the middle of nowhere we had beautifully fresh food which set us up nicely for our next bit of exploring.
Around half way down the east coast is Ervatão. This perfectly crescent shaped bay is so pretty. I visited here with Amy as part of a fishing/surfing/beach BBQ trip. We fished from the rocks while our guide/teacher Simon spearfished. When we had enough fish to go round we went to a makeshift shelter on the beach for our BBQ. After this we ‘surfed’ in the bay – Amy definitely beat me at surfing despite the waves only being small. Simon’s lad, who must have been 5 or 6 at the time, was loads better than either of us could ever be at surfing – he was incredible!
At the far south of Boa Vista is the Riu Touareg hotel, which is on Praia de Lacacao. We haven’t stayed at the Touareg but have visited the beach for a bit of fishing.
We have spent some time on multiple trips fishing from the small beaches that are further up the west coast from the Touareg. One of them was where we got on the boat for our first ever Boa Vista boat fishing trip.
After this boat trip we BBQd our catch in a shack at the end of one of the most stunning beaches I have ever seen – Praia Santa Monica. Funnily enough when Amy and I visited in 2022 we ate at a restaurant called Boca Beach. This has been built using part of the old shack from all those years before as part of its structure. Boca Beach was incredible with the nicest seafood (hello lobster!) that I’ve ever tried. While we were sitting eating our lunch we were lucky enough to see whales breaching and playing in the distance – doubly incredible!
I have mentioned how quickly Boa Vista has developed. Not everything happens at breakneck speed though. Santa Monica beach will (at some point, maybe) be home to the Melia White Sands Hotel & Spa. This massive complex broke ground in December 2015 and still was nowhere near completed when we visited in December 2024. If/when it is eventually finished it will be in an amazing location, surrounded by beautiful views of my favourite beach.
The penultimate beach on the journey back to where we started is Praia do Curralinho. If you get the correct wind conditions Curralinho can be calm enough to swim – I’d much rather be there when the wind is whipping the waves into a frenzy, it is so dramatic!
Praia da Varandinha is the last beach on my ‘round the island’ tour. The drive to Varandinha seems to be different every time dependent on the shifting sands and which way water has run. It’s worth picking your way through though as the beach itself is lovely. It’s one of the few places on the island where cliffs and sand meet – there are caves to explore, boulders to climb…it’s great.
The journey back to the main road from Varandinha takes you through Povoação Velha. We first visited this little village in 2016 as it was where the captain of the boat lived so we saw it after a day of fishing. Despite us being tired from catching so many fish, it being dark, and the mosquitoes being out we loved the place. We have visited every trip since – with being inland it just seems more real, less touristy, lovely.
On one of our trips to Povoação Velha we noticed that there was a pedestrianised area installed in a space that was previously road. We spoke to some of the locals about it and they explained that the Government had ‘treated the village ‘ to it. It turns out that it was funded by the tourist tax that is paid for each stay on the island. This really struck us as a great use of tourist money, and it was lovely that the locals seemed so appreciative that they had been remembered despite not being a ‘touristy’ location.
Further down the main road you come to the turning off for Rabil. I really like Rabil. It’s a charming, colourful little village. Back when we first visited the island almost every trip started off going through Rabil (with the obligatory stop at the shop for supplies) before setting off to our destination. As the island has got more developed the road system has been completed/simplified and you can now bypass Rabil and head straight down the main road towards the south of the island.
Just outside Rabil is the Viana desert which is one of Boa Vista’s must see places. This small desert is made up of sand that has blown across the Atlantic from the Sahara. It is such a peaceful place, and really good fun (if not a little tiring) to play on the dunes.
The Viana desert concludes the virtual tour of the island, but there are a couple more things that need their own headings!
Getting around Boa Vista, Cape Verde
We have hired cars as well as travelled on quad bike around pretty much all of Boa Vista, it is, as the locals would say, no stress. It definitely hasn't always been the case but some of the roads in Boa Vista are in a better condition than those in the UK!
You do still get cobbled roads as well, and sometimes even dirt tracks so it's best to be relatively prepared for these. Google Maps loves sending you down a dirt track as a short cut!
Taxis are readily available and inexpensive if you don't fancy driving yourself. Most can be prebooked by WhatsApp. If you are staying at one of the big hotels you can usually just walk outside the gates and there will be taxis waiting.
We have always enjoyed being on the back of a pick up - the breeze is so refreshing. It seems that this may soon become a thing of the past though as the Government seem to be clamping down on them by insisting on 'enclosed vehicles'. It was quite entertaining on our last visit to see taxis struggling down the old riverbed to Santa Monica beach as we raced past them in the open backed, 4x4 pick up.
Fishing
Fishing is always on my mind in Boa Vista, luckily I’m never too far from the sea! There are so many amazing fishing spots on the island and a variety of fish that can be caught. When we first visited Cape Verde we had to take pretty much 2 of everything that could possibly be needed as if it broke or you lost it there was no chance of a replacement. That’s changed now and even some of the Municipal Market vendors sell European fishing tackle.
The great thing about fishing in Boa Vista is that you don’t need to have ridiculously expensive, complicated kit. A simple set up is probably best, and loads more fun! Most locals have fished/do fish and will happily advise on techniques – or just stop for a chat!
Boat fishing has come on leaps and bounds in terms of safety since our first visit. It’s always a much more enjoyable experience on a boat when the danger of death is minimised! I went out with Romi on our 2024 trip to the island – which I wrote about briefly for Facebook.
One of my favourite things about fishing in Boa Vista is that nothing is ever wasted. There's always a local who will happily take your catch home to feed their family, and they are always so grateful for this small gesture.
Charity donations/helping the local community
Since our first trip to Sal in 2014 we have always tried to help out the locals wherever we could. At first it was leaving perfectly good items that we had taken over intentionally to leave with the locals. In Sal this was a fishing rod, reel, and a selection of tackle for example, and the donations have grown since then.
In 2022 we paid for additional baggage allowance so we could take a selection of items to Boa Vista. These included sticker sets for the local kids, pain relief medicines for members of staff at the hotel and additional toiletries/suncreams and insect repellents too. We also were able to donate notebooks, pens, pencils, sharpeners, erasers, white board markers and more to a primary school in Sal Rei. The headteacher seemed rather surprised, and very grateful, when we presented her with a couple of bags of items.
In 2024 we took the donations up a level and ran a Facebook appeal to try and gather more items than we would possibly be able to do on our own. Our amazing friends pulled out all the stops and between us we had enough items to completely fill a large box with items that were in demand. Working with a local tourism company we got a charity letter and took all the items over (for free because of Tui's agreement with the charity). It was amazing to be able to give so much back to the people of the island, and even more amazing that people who had never been before felt inspired to and were so generous with their donations.
Nerina animal sanctuary
Nerina deserves its own special mention for the incredible work they do. Boa Vista didn't have a vet until Nerina was built by its founders. Realistically, even if there was a vet, the locals on the island are so poor that a sick pet would have potentially suffered a slow, painful death.
In the early days pets had to be smuggled into the human clinic at night time to x ray them etc – not any more. Nerina has an x ray machine as well as everything else that is required, and almost all of it has been self-funded/purchased from savings. They do have an ultrasound machine that was donated by a German vet who visited and saw that their old one needed updating. The island having such a well-equipped facility would not have been possible without the sacrifices and hard work of the dedicated and selfless couple who set it up, fund it and run it every day.
We have loved the ‘beach dogs’ since our first trip to Cape Verde and it was truly inspirational that other people do as well, and have uprooted their whole lives to help them. When we visited, the majority of dogs at Nerina were either unwanted or had been involved in car accidents and needed operating on. There were 3 lovely dogs who had just 3 legs, and were happily recuperating well at Nerina.
They are currently working on acquiring land to build a larger cat sanctuary, and have even recently treated a donkey. It's hard for Nerina to get the things they need to look after an animal day to day, let alone operate and treat poorly ones. Everyone who works there is unpaid - even the trained veterinary surgeon.
As well as dealing with emergency issues, Nerina also run sterilisation programmes to limit the number of stray cats and dogs on the island. They have a successful adoption service where dogs and cats are treated, looked after and prepared to be sent to new homes in Europe.
As if all of this wasn’t enough Nerina also act as the island’s vet. The cost of veterinary care is often prohibitively high, and the local community are very poor. What Nerina do is subsidise this care, charging only what can be afforded (which is often nothing).
Nerina exists entirely on donations and the personal funds of the founders. It was heart-warming to find out that Tui are a regular donor, as are some of the businesses on the island.
You can help too – a regular donation of around 35 euros a month is enough to look after one dog, but anything that you can give helps. Nerina have an Amazon wishlist of required items too. If you are visiting and have space in your case it would be amazing to take something out for them. Amazon don’t deliver to Cape Verde and supplies of specialist items are hard to come by so taking supplies over is really appreciated.
What is still to explore/do
Ponta Antonia – seen from plane a few times and it looks amazing (include pic), also includes shark bay.
Praia das Gatas – the sea here is sometime calm enough to snorkel in.
Tidying up some rubbish on Praia da Atalanta – because of the way the wind blows and the movement of the waves there is always a lot of rubbish on Praia da Atalanta, a lot of it fishing related. It would be good to spend some time clearing some of it.
East coast in general – remote and deserted. I think a day out with a 4wd hire car and my fishing kit would make me very happy on this side of the island.
Where we stayed
Royal Decameron – we stayed here with Amy on our first visit to Boa Vista. The hotel was subsequently renamed Royal Horizons and now is run as Occidental Boa Vista Beach. When we stayed in 2016 we upgraded to a beach bungalow so I had direct access to the fishing (as well as having a nicer room for the girls!) It was a lovely hotel with really friendly staff as well as all the facilities that you could ever need. The food was great too; one night there was a whole tuna at the main buffet, not something you see every day at an all-inclusive.
Riu Karamboa – we’ve been here multiple times, but not since its refurb in late 2022. The Karamboa looks like a desert palace on the outside with turrets and towers giving it a very different style to a normal hotel. Inside was (in hindsight) quite dated but it definitely always had a rustic charm. I have really enjoyed all of our trips to the Karamboa, and being closer to town is definitely worth the extra it costs compared to the Touareg. With being such a big hotel there is a chance of the food getting a bit ‘samey’ in the buffet over the course of a week but I like getting out and about anyway (and there is an a la carte restaurant on site if you can get a reservation).
Riu Palace – Gill and I stayed here post covid; it’s like a posher version of the Karamboa. We upgraded to a pool room so we had our own private pool at the end of the balcony/terrace. Gill got a lot more value for money from this than I did but it was cool to have the option! I really liked the Palace, the food was great with loads of variety. There were also 3 a la carte restaurants to choose from in order to mix things up. I wouldn’t necessarily stay there again though, it’s dramatically more expensive than the Karamboa next door and didn’t have the same feeling of authenticity that the Karamboa did (pre refurb).
Beachhaus Praia de Chaves – we stayed in a beach villa when we visited in 2024 and now we have, I don’t think I’d do anything else on future visits! It worked so well, we hired a car and stocked up on food from one of the Chinese supermarkets in Sal Rei at the start of the holiday. We topped this up with another supermarket trip and lots of fresh caught fish to make sure we had enough for the week. I really like going out during the day and in the evening, so it’s hard to get value from an all-inclusive. Staying at a villa meant we could eat what we wanted, when we wanted to and not feel bad for eating out either. It was a win all round, and meant we could have fresh amberjack steaks on New Years Day that we definitely wouldn’t have had at an all-inclusive!
