Day 7 (March 18, 2026): From the wilds of Fogo to the sands of Boa Vista

We loved Fogo Island! As we left for the airport, we were still giddy about yesterday’s visit to the caldera. 

One of the benefits of Fogo is that, with just 6000 people, everything is close by and takes very little time to get around. We had planned to pull out of the hotel lot at 7:10AM in order to arrive at the rental car location in the middle of town at 7:20. The rental car guy had agreed to run us to the airport then. All folded
Exactly as planned. We arrived at the airport at 7:30, to find a crazy long check in line. We got through the line just after 8:00, passed through security, board the plane, and took off at 8:20! 

We had a full three hours to pass at Praia’s airport before connecting to the Boa Vista flight. Again, everything went like clockwork and we landed at Boa on time at 12:30PM. 

As the resort is a stone’s throw from the airport by taxi, we were checked before 1PM. Our room was even ready, which is a rarity at a resort like this, especially during peak season. 

After our first lunch at the resort, we explored the sprawling grounds with their four pools and a huge beach area, and then sprawled out on lounge chairs on the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Unfortunately, the clouds rolled in and the breeze picked up, leading us to wrap ourselves in our towels to stay warm. But we are Canadians on March Break in search of a beach, so it was a ‘grin and bear it’ situation. Dinner was at the Italian speciality restaurant, which was pleasant. 

We’re still missing the tranquility of Fogo, and this mega resort, while pleasant, is quite different. But we are happy to be on Boa Vista all the same. 


Although the flight from Fogo to Praia was aboard an ATR-72, just like Cabo Verde Airlines (which we had booked) operates, this flight was operated by Africa-based Global Aviation, including the flight crew. Notice the walls of the caldera in the background. 

A couple of final pics of the volcano and its impressive cone. This view is on the east coast of Fogo. Fun fact: waaaay back, the walls of the caldera on the eastern side collapsed into the sea, creating a ‘mega-tsunami’ that sped towards Santiago Island and overwhelmed it. 

Upon final approach into Praia, we got a great view of the lighthouse we had visited three days earlier. 


Upon final approach into Boa Vista, we had a great view of the west coast beaches that await us. 

The airport in Boa Vista is mostly open-air and almost resembles a fortress. 

The view of the RIU Karamboa resort as we approached it. It’s even bigger than we expected!

The gates to the RIU. We couldn’t decide if it was closer to a medieval fort or Disneyland!


The hotel entrance. This is one of three RIU resorts in Boa Vista.  

The impressive lobby. 





There is a definite Middle Eastern bent to the resort’s architecture. 

When you leave the hotel lobby, a very grand walkway leads down towards the accommodation blocks, pools, and beach. 

That’s the block where our room was located. 



One of the four pools

For a few weeks now, I’ve been part of a Facebook group for the resort. It seems there has been a perpetual red flag posted on the beach for most of the winter, as the waves have dangerously strong. We were, therefore, surprised to see a yellow flag posted today. I wish I had taken advantage of that and gone in, but I was just too chilled to do so! The red flag returned again all too soon, so I never did get to swim. 

Horseback riders on Dunas Beach, in front of the resort. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Days 1-2 (March 12-13, 2026): School’s out, we’re off to Cabo Verde

Image
So, why did we decide to go to Cabo Verde? Well, about 15 years ago, we did our first trip to the Azores - and loved it.  Then, we visited the Canary Islands and Madeira - and loved those, as well. It all got me to scouring the Atlantic Ocean, to see if other archipelagos existed, leading me to stumble across Cabo Verde. Fast forward a few years, CBC produced a docu-series called,”The Island Diaries”, in which Montreal-based Sophie Fouron explored some of the world’s most interesting islands.  Cabo Verde is one of the destinations she covered in the series. Seeing that episode sealed the deal and, ever since, Cabo Verde has been on our travel bucket list. Last March, a 42-hour set of flights to Samoa, coupled with a 12-hour time change, resulted in Pam saying, “Next March Break, we need to reduce the jet lag and the travel time.” With just a two-hour time change from Halifax and a mere 16 hours of travel time from Halifax, the timing seemed right to make Cabo Verde our March B...
Read more

Day 3 (March 14, 2026): Tour of Santiago Island

Image
For our first full day in Cabo Verde , we arranged a group tour.  For those who know us well, you’re likely gasping at that, as David and Pam do not do group tours. Truth be told, we have, on occasion, done them when the situation necessitates it. Given the amount of territory to cover on Santiago island and, still licking our wounds from a brutal around-the-island self-drive in Grenada last November, we felt this would be the best way to go today. We ended up thoroughly enjoying it. There were 12 of us on the tour, plus a guide and a driver. Besides us, four were from France, two were from Portugal, two were from Germany, and two were from England. The chemistry was great and the guide was excellent - both these things can make or break a tour experience.  We saw a lot and learned a great deal. Once we returned from the tour, we were zonked. We took a nap, ate a light dinner int he hotel’s restaurant, and called it a day. This morning, the waiter at the hotel restaurant bro...
Read more

Day 4 (March 15, 2026): Praia and Cidade Velha

Image
We awoke feeling pretty tuckered from yesterday’s round-the-island tour. It was 10:30AM by the time we finished our leisurely breakfast and headed out to start our ‘Lonely Planet’ walking tour of Praia. A couple of hours later, we were on our way to Cidade Velha, which is the UNESCO ‘old town’, where we spent a couple of hours exploring. By 3PM, we were having lunch at a cafe overlooking Prainha Beach back in Praia. After that, we closed out the day relaxing by the hotel pool. Dinner was pasta at a neighbouring resort — and was nothing to write home about! ;-).  Tomorrow will be an early start, as we have a taxi booked for the airport at 6:30AM. The view of the early morning sun from our room. Walking Tour of Praia Papaya and dried Cape Gooseberries - both are very common in Cabo Verde markets. Typical vegetables for sale at the market. A woman selling fish at the Praia Sunday morning market. The Sunday morning market in Praia. Enough used clothing for sale to make a person’s head ...
Read more