Boa Vista’s landscapes take many forms: in the Viana Desert, grains of black earth mingle with the light sand, while in the Morro de Areia Nature Reserve, sand dunes stretch all the way to the ocean. Together with the long Santa Mónica Beach, they create a travel landscape of desert expanses, dunes and coastline. If you want to explore the island through its landscapes, you’ll find several places to start, rather than just one beach destination.

Desert, beach and dunes

The Viana Desert is about one kilometre wide and around five kilometres long. Grains of black earth are mixed into its light sand, creating a striking contrast of colours. You can walk freely and easily through the desert. Follow local guidance during your visit. This lets you appreciate the Viana Desert as a landscape and explore it on foot.

Santa Mónica Beach lies in the southwest of the island and is more than eleven kilometres long. In the Morro de Areia Nature Reserve, sand dunes stretch to the ocean. These two places show different ways in which sand meets the coast: one is a long beach, while the other is a dune landscape that reaches the water.

Other places to visit on Boa Vista include the fishing settlement of Spinguera, the Planície do Campo da Serra plain and Ervatão. Together with the beach, desert and nature reserve, these destinations offer a broader view of different parts of the island.

Crafts and history

A distinctive craft tradition takes centre stage in Rabil. The Boa Vista pottery school was established in 1960 and preserves traditional clay-forming techniques developed by local artisans. The school’s founding year is thus linked to a locally developed craft tradition. For your travel plans, Rabil offers a cultural point of interest alongside the island’s landscapes.

In Sal Rei, the permanent exhibition at the Museu dos Naufragos features relics from historic shipwrecks off the coast of Boa Vista. It also displays objects relating to the era of pirate attacks and the slave trade to America. The exhibition thus brings together several historical themes.

A four-hour boat tour in the Bay of Sal-Rei includes swimming in the bay’s calm waters. The tour is seasonal. Check whether it is currently available before making plans. While the museum exhibition brings together historical material, the boat tour combines a set duration with swimming in the bay. These are different ways to discover Boa Vista.

Cabo Verde in a broader context

The wider destination of Cabo Verde comprises ten islands, nine of which are inhabited. Its cuisine and music and dance traditions also offer a country-wide perspective. Cabo Verdean cuisine includes cachupa, fish, seafood and fruit. Cachupa is a dish made with meat or fish, stewed beans and corn, served with cooked vegetables, potatoes and boiled bananas. Morna, funaná, batuque, mazurca and coladeira are among the music and dance traditions associated with Cabo Verde. The country’s literary and musical output reflects its European and African cultural roots. These connections add a broader cultural context to Boa Vista’s specific landscapes, crafts and museum themes.

When planning your accommodation on Boa Vista, you can weigh up your priorities: would you like to focus mainly on sandy landscapes and the coast, or also include crafts and historical sites? This way, you can tailor your search to the experiences that interest you without assuming a fixed itinerary.

Discover more destinations: Boa Vista, Espingueira, Rabil, Curral Velho, Brava, Sao Miguel, Tarrafal, Sao Domingos

Back to the main travel overview: Cabo Verde.