Day 8 (March 19, 2026): Boa Vista - Sands and Dunes

Although Boa Vista was intended as the ‘rest portion’ of our March Break, one cannot visit a new place and not explore at least a little! Since all the key Boa sights require a 4x4 to see, we decided it would be best to do an organized tour of the southwestern portion of the island, as the area has an excellent set of top sights in a condensed area. We were up at 7AM, secured beach chairs for the afternoon, ate breakfast, and joined the army of fellow resort guests awaiting 9AM pick-ups. 

At 9AM sharp, an ‘aluguer’ (shared taxi) pickup truck arrived. Some aluguers moonlight as tour operators for a day of rewarding and quick cash, which is a lot easier than a typical 10-hour day of driving an aluguer and endlessly touting passengers on a repetitive set route. Six UK ladies, on a trip to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of their friends, joined us. 

The four-hour tour was designed to provide an off-road adventure in the dunes and see beaches, a well-known cave, turtles, a lighthouse, and a rural village. And that is exactly what was delivered.  We had a ball and saw lots. Oh, and the UK ladies were a hoot and a half!

Arriving back at the resort at 1PM, we ate lunch and headed to the beach for a full afternoon. We used our second of two ‘speciality restaurant’ privileges and ate at the Asian restaurant, which was quite good. 

It was a great combo day of adventure + rest. 


Warrior Pam, preparing to join the 9AM mass of hotel soliders outside, ready to leave on tour.

And there is the mass of hotel soliders, ready to get into trucks and jeeps at 9AM, to head out on tour. 


The amazing dunes of Morro de Areia





A few years ago in Qatar, we went off-roading in the desert, which was a great experience. Today’s ride
Wasn’t the same level of crazy “throw you about” adventure, but it did have an element of ‘yahoo!’ about it. 

Turtle Bay

Turtles lay their eggs between June and October. While we missed that amazing annual event, there are always turtles to be seen. Turtle Bay, above, usually tends to offer such a viewing opportunity. We saw three turtles swimming and coming up for air. 

This is an eagle’s nest in Turtle Bay. The eagle had some young ones in its nest. 



Varandinha 

Varandinha is one of Boa’s best-known sights, as it has a cave that provides the island’s most photographed scene. 

This beach hut served as a reminder that, despite a relatively good standard of living and all the mega resorts,there is still a level of poverty here. 

The ‘aluguer’ that served as our tour vehicle for the morning. Two of the UK ladies were mobility impaired; our young guide was a real gentleman in helping them in and out, including wheelchair assistance. 


And that’s the most photographed scene in Boa!



Santa Monica Lighthouse and Beach




We had a half hour stop on pristine Santa Monica Beach. A few people swam, but we walked a couple of kilometres instead. 

The dunes in the distance. 

Rocha Estancia, one of Boa’s highest points. 

A truly stunning beach!


PovaÇÃo Velha

PovaÇÃo Velha is a small village in the southwest of Boa, which welcomes tour groups with souvenir shops and a sampling of Cabo Verde’s signature musical style. 

The village has a monument to Maria Barba, who moved to the village from
Guinea-Bissau on the African continent and introduced a musical style which has become
entrenched in Cabo Verde. 

A local singer performed while we were there, demonstrating the musical style of Cabo Verde 

Morro da Santa Antónia, another of the island’s highest peaks. 

Four of the six Uk ladies who were on our tour. What a great group of friends they are!

As if you needed proof of how excited we are to be in Cabo Verde!

The blogger at work!


Anatomy of tonight’s Boa Vista sunset. 


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