Boa Vista: An Overview
To be completely honest Boa Vista, like Fogo, is quickly discoverable. However, the landscape on Boa Vista is notably different from the other islands, so a visit to the third-largest island in the archipelago should not be missed! Since I had never been to a desert before, the sometimes 20-30-meter-high dunes impressed me a great deal. Furthermore, Boa Vista is perfect for swimming. The clear water and kilometer-long white sandy beaches lend a Caribbean feeling.
Quick Summary:
- Getting There: an international airport means frequent flights from Europe and elsewhere on Cabo Verde (through Cabo Verde Airlines)
- Getting Around: rental cars can be rented at the airport or the large hotel complexes for about 60-80 USD/day
- Where to Stay: there are smaller hostels/guest houses, but here, all-inclusive resorts reign
- Trip Highlight: Island desert driving
- Points of Interest: Seclusion and White Sand Beaches
Getting There:
Boa Vista has an international airport, and hundreds of tourists continually arrive on the island, which is also the main source of income for the local population. Accordingly, prices are much higher compared to the rest of the island nation. A taxi ride costs easily twice as much as usual, and this is especially the case for tourists. Alugueras are also harder to come by here than some of the other islands. If you wish, you can also rent a car or quad here for a few days, which I personally find to be the best option for Boa Vista.
Getting Around
I booked my rental car at the airport and paid around 60 USD per day. As far as I could see, almost all rental cars are Suzuki Jimny, smaller 4×4 off-road vehicles, which are absolutely necessary. Without four-wheel drive, you won’t make any progress in the sand. Driving in the sand is fun and reminiscent of skiing in deep snow, but you should also be aware that you are driving on sand! This means that if you risk spinning wheels, you’ll dig yourself hopelessly in, or if you park your car carelessly, you’ll find it buried in sand again.
Where to Stay
Hostels are available according to various official providers, but I found that most of them no longer existed or were closed. So, after arriving at the apartment I booked to find they had no wifi and a higher price than originally listed, I chose one of the huge hotel complexes, which surprisingly were very affordable. In the high season, booked day-of, the room with all-inclusive amenities cost about 150 USD per night.
Trip Highlight: Island Desert
The absolute highlight of Boa Vista was definitely the visit to the desert on the west coast. If you plan your visit to the island well, you can even see sea turtles hatching. The island does not seem particularly large on approach, but once you venture around the entire island by car, you will be amazed by the many plateaus. An almost endless paved road stretches across Boa Vista. During the hot daytime temperatures, the road disappears on the horizon in the heat-flaked air. If you don’t want to spend the remaining days walking on lonely sandy beaches and bathing in crystal-clear water, you will quickly get island fever.
Points of Interest: Seclusion and White Sand Beaches
My Suzuki Jenny carried me to all corners of the island. Some highlights included Praia de Chaves, which featured a sea of white, rolling sand dunes stretching out along the coast; Salinas del Curra Velho, dried out salt flats; Curral Velho, a nearby, secluded beach nearby with great body surfing waves; Cabo Verde’s version of Route 66, a cobblestone road that cuts through the middle of the island that the paved road circumvents.
Boa Vista is a tourist hot spot for a reason. Whether you choose to go the all-inclusive route or a more rugged one, you will be sure to find beautiful, white sand beaches and plenty of relaxation; I personally would not be able to stay more than a few days, though, as it doesn’t take long before lying on the beach sipping piƱa coladas makes me restless.