Why go to Boa Vista Island? Simply because it is God's island, where you are guaranteed sunshine, warmth, beautiful and vast beaches, never-ending peace and quiet, all in the spirit of the main motto No Stress. Every minute on this island is worth it.
Paradise and tranquility. That's Boa Vista
Boa Vista is third largest island Cape Verde. It is 31 km long, 29 km wide, the highest peak is Monte Estância with a height of 387 meters over the sea.
It lies south of the island of Sal, approximately 455 km off the west coast of Africa. The island is predominantly desolate, dry, largely uninhabited.
Temperatures here range between 22 and 32 degrees year-round, with virtually no rain.
How to get to Boa Vista Island
I've wanted to visit Boa Vista for a long time. I don't know why, but when I arrive on one island of an archipelago, I want to see more and more islands. Some people wonder why, because it's always the same Cape Verde. But no. Every island is different. Whether it's the natural beauty or the atmosphere of the entire island.
For a trip to Boa Vista, the easiest and most convenient way is to buy a package from a travel agency. It was worth it for me to go to Sal last minute (I describe it in the article here), so I did the same with Boa Vista. Around the end of August, I started monitoring tour prices as my departure approached to find out when and how much tour prices would drop. Boa Vista reached its lowest price of 18,990 CZK (per person for 2 people), so I knew that when my date got closer – the end of September (I had two possible ones to be sure), I would buy it.
Trip from a travel agency
I bought a hotel Royal Horizon, the cheapest tour at Fischer (it was the same at Exim Tours) for 22,990 CZK with All inclusive. Yes, if you fly alone, it is more expensive than in two (that would cost 19,990 CZK/person). But then again, I have a double room to myself.
One tip: As soon as the price drops, don't wait and buy. It paid off for me, because a day later the tours went up by 2,000 CZK again and the price didn't drop until the flight. I bought about a week before departure.
You also need to pay a fee 32 EUR are charged by Cape Verde for a visa. Just fill in a few details in the form on the page https://www.ease.gov.cv/ and pay by card. Registration can be done no later than 5 days before arrival in Cape Verde. Another option is to pay the fee at the customs control at the airport (or have this arranged by the travel agency, but it will be more expensive). If you pay the fee online, you can go through the automatic gate, if you have not paid in advance, you go to the customs officer, where you pay it.
We are leaving.
Departure from Ruzyně, easy, you arrive about 3 hours before departure, find the check-in counter, drop off your suitcase, get your ticket, go through customs and wait for your flight to depart. You wait and see who you'll fly with and wonder if the cheapest last minute was a good idea, because you know that almost everyone you're evaluating in your mind will be heading to your hotel.
There's still time before departure, the first impatient people are lining up and it's clear to you that in 7 hours you can look forward to applause on the plane and as soon as the plane stops at Boa Vista, you'll be in line in the aisle waiting for the doors to open.
YES. They didn't disappoint. Applause and a queue. I always wonder if those waiting in the aisle for the plane to open miss something. Believe me, they don't. We're all waiting for our suitcases the same way, the bus to the hotel from the travel agency won't leave without you... So you sit down, and since you have an aisle seat, you see how nervous your fellow passengers from seats A and B are that you're sitting and waiting instead of stepping into the aisle too. Yeah. That's right.
The way to the hotel
They literally hit you right after you get off the plane hot and humid. After taking off from the autumnal, dry Prague, it's quite a difference. You walk down the stairs from the plane and the lady on the platform already guides you to the arrivals hall. You go through customs, pick up your suitcase, stand in line with the representative from the travel agency, who sends you to the bus that will take you to the hotel. The journey to Royal Horizon takes about 10 minutes, during which you observe the surrounding desolate, but in its own way beautiful landscape.
The entire bus gets off at the hotel and everyone gathers in front of the reception with a welcome soft drink. It's quite crowded there, the receptionists are used to crowds of Czech holidaymakers. At the reception you pay another fee, this time a tourist tax of 17 Euros per adult. In addition to the room key, a ticket for towels for the pool and beach and a card to turn on the electricity, you also receive a complete leaflet with all the information about the hotel in Czech. As you will then find out, there is more or less no one else in the hotel but us Czechs. The hotel is quite spacious, the rooms are reasonable for the price. No great luxury, but everything is clean, nice and with smiling staff.
No Wi-Fi? no problem
The only drawback is that the Wi-Fi doesn't reach the room. But that can be overcome. It works quite well in the bar, by the pool and in the restaurant, and for other places it's here Airalo. A great app where you buy a data eSIM and then you can use data all over the island. For Boa Vista it costs 9.50 USD for 1 GB of data (if you don't know Airalo, download and Enter the code STANIS0407 when making your first purchase., you get $3 off and you bring it to me too, thanks. How do I describe it here).
When I get back to the hotel, I probably have nothing to complain about here. I don't really crave luxury, so I was satisfied with the food, the bar, the always friendly staff, the pool, and everything else.
Decency above all
If I had to say what annoyed me at the hotel, it would be the guests who lacked basic decency. Because when I come to the bar and order a drink, even if I can't even bluff in English or Creole and I know that the staff understands some Czech, I still say thank you. And it probably doesn't matter whether it's in Czech or any other way. Coming to the bar, saying "beer" in a rustic way, taking it, not saying a word and leaving, that's the height of rudeness for me. And it doesn't matter that we're in a developing country, it doesn't matter that I'm served by locals, it doesn't matter that I'm paying for the hotel. Simply saying thank you is polite.
What can you do in Boa Vista?
Simply – nothing. Just do nothing, solve nothing and enjoy the peace and paradise on Earth. Really. The beaches on Boa Vista are among the most beautiful in the world and one of them is right in front of the Royal Horizon Hotel.
Chaves Beach is about 5 km long beach with golden sand and sand dunes. You can just walk around here and once you pass the hotel next door, you'll hardly meet anyone and you'll have the beach and the adjacent dunes all to yourself. Just watch out for the heat and the ocean. There are bigger waves and treacherous rip currents.
But you won't just be on the beach all week, right? The island also has other interesting places worth seeing. You can walk to some places, take a taxi that waits in front of the hotel, go on various trips with a travel agency, or arrange with a local who will show you the best of the island.
Rabil
From the hotel you can walk to the nearby village of Rabil. You can do it on foot or take a taxi waiting in front of the hotel. I chose to walk. Cape Verde is safe, there is nothing to worry about. The Cape Verdeans I met on the way greeted me, waved at me and kept smiling. After about half an hour you are in the town. On one side there is the airport, on the other houses. Smaller, larger, under construction, finished. From our European perspective it may seem like a good wilderness. But No Stress. You are in Cape Verde, it is almost Africa, it is hot here all year round, it practically does not rain, so why a roof? Or windows?
There are a few shops in Rabil where you can buy some small items, but don't expect big souvenir shops here. You'll be better off buying in beach stall.
He is here too. Nossa Senhora da Ressurreicao church, which is said to dominate the entire town and has amazing architecture, beautiful ceilings and a peaceful atmosphere. Just like Rabil Museum, which supposedly shows the rich history and culture of Boa Vista… I say supposedly because even though I knew about these places in advance, I completely forgot about them on the spot and according to Google Maps continued to the palm grove that caught my attention. It seemed like I could just run down the hill and be there. And I was. A few palm trees, grazing donkeys and flashes of Viana desert. It looks like it won't be far away...
Viana Desert
The path from the grove does not lead to the hotel, but to the desert. I have never been to one and this one was already in sight. The path leads along the road, on a flat surface and goes by quickly. In less than half an hour I am already standing in the desert. In a desert that is unique in its location in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. This distinguishes it from other deserts in the world.
Ocean currents constantly bring huge volumes of sand from the African continent and deposit them here. The desert's area is more than 60 km2 and covers around 30 % islands. The western side is mostly covered with bushes, palm trees and other trees. The white sand dunes are on the eastern side. This area is approximately 2×5 km. The highest sand dunes here reach a height of up to 50 meters.
If there is no car with tourists heading to the middle of the desert, then it is a completely lunar landscape, only sand, a few bushes and silence. Silence and no sounds of civilization. An ideal place for a walk and relaxation. There are no quicksands or poisonous animals here, so there is nothing to worry about. Except that you will go far in your thoughts and have to return the same way.
But I didn't care at that moment. I took probably a thousand photos, as if the same place looked different in each one, right... And then I took the same route back to the hotel. The whole journey measured around 16 km and I even managed to have lunch at the hotel. But the fact is that if it hadn't been cloudy and windy that day, the journey in the Cape Verde heat would have been much more challenging.
Island tours
There's not much to see around the hotel. Not that the surroundings aren't great, but if you want to see the island, you have no choice but to pay for a trip. You can choose from several tours with a tour company or you can choose one of the locals.
For me, the second option is always better. I made an appointment via Facebook with a driver who already had a trip to the south of the island planned for the next day and still had a free seat.
At 9 am, Silvestre picked us up in front of the hotel, we got into the back of the car and the three of us set off to explore the island.
Chapelle Nossa Senhora da Coneigao
From the hotel we set off on a luxurious asphalt road to the Chapelle Nossa Senhora da Coneigao in the town of Povoacao Velha.
The village is the oldest on the island. It was the first settlement here and lies below one of the peaks of the island, Rocha Estancia, where there is also a small church.
We drove up to it, looked at it from the outside, took a few photos and drove down to the center of the village. There is a small square here, lined with several souvenir shops and a cafe. We were given a half-hour break so we could walk through the streets and buy souvenirs. There are not many other opportunities on the island.
Santa Monica Beach
From the village of Povoacao Velha we drove to Santa Monica beach. To the longest beach in all of Cape Verde. There is no asphalt road here anymore, but only a 5 km beaten track through wild nature. Local drivers have the roads covered and know very well where to go. I probably wouldn't dare to drive there myself.
Santa Monica is literally stunning beach. It is one of the wonders of Cape Verde. It measures over 11 km (some say even 16 km) and actually stretches across the entire southwest of the island. It is a frequent destination for trips, but if you are lucky like us, you have the beach all to yourself. Of course, we cannot drive through the entire beach during the trip, but even the part we saw was worth it.
We literally had the beach to ourselves for an entire hour. We used it for taking photos, flying with a drone, and swimming. Oh my. Especially since there were only the four of us on the beach. Mega beautiful beach, untouched nature and just for us. But everything with complete respect for the ocean. Even here the waves are strong. But the gentle slope of the beach allows you to fully enjoy the ocean. And that is beyond description.
Varandinha Beach
From Santa Monica beach we continued past the lighthouse (marked as Black and White Lighthouse on the map) to Praia da Varandinha beach.
This beach is famous for its rock formations with caves and it's incredibly photogenic. Especially when you capture it completely without people, like we did.
The beach is hidden from people. There is no paved road leading here, there are no facilities. Rather, only excursions stop here, where everyone looks at the rocks for half an hour and then moves on.
Turtle Bay
Our journey continues along the coast to Turtle Bay. We stop at the edge of the cliff and watch the ocean waves for turtles. We are lucky, we see a few in the Atlantic waters.
Praia da Chaves beach and sand dunes
The last stop on our trip is the sand dunes at Chaves Beach. But before we get there, Silvestre turns on the 4×4 and we have to do our best to stay in the back of the car. Departures and descents from high dunes, the turns between them… like on a roller coaster.
We tried out downhill skiing in the dunes. sand board. The first attempt while standing was quite a flop, the second, when Silvestre showed us how to sit on it correctly, was fine. If only it would go up just like that.
This was the last stop of the trip and from there we only went to the hotel. We each paid 40 Euros there. I think that's a great price for such a morning, and still cheaper than in a travel agency.
Other interesting places
I have a few other interesting places left for next time. These include, for example, the beach Atalanta Beach in the northern part of the island, where the wreck of a shipwreck is gradually rusting and disappearing, the main Sal Rei city, Cape Verde's Route 66, which leads across the Viana Desert, or the highest peak on the island, Monte Estancia, which is said to be climbable with the right gear.
I wrote down all my tips in clear guide. If you're going to Boa Vista and it would be useful to you, write about it. I'll be happy to send it.
What is Boa Vista like?
For me personally, Boa Vista and actually the neighboring Hall a symbol of peace, tranquility and doing nothing. It is an escape from civilization, from everyday worries and brings only relaxation and joy. Sun, warmth and beautiful beaches. Even though the islands are deserted and there is not much nature here, for me they are beautiful in their own way. And not only because of how they look, but also because of how relaxed and nice the Cape Verdeans are here. I will definitely come back here again and maybe it will be sooner than I expected. It is a place I look forward to and from which I will never want to leave. Motto No Stress It's 100% true here.
Practical information about Boa Vista
- Capital: Sal Rei
- Official language: Portuguese and Creole, but you can also speak English
- Currency: Cape Verdean escudo, but they usually accept and return Euros everywhere
- Time zone: GMT-1
- Electrical voltage: 220 V, two-prong sockets (no adapter needed)
- Roaming: 3. roaming zone, so be careful when connecting to the internet with a Czech operator.
- You can either turn off data on your phone or buy a data eSIM through the app Airalo. Just download it, enter your details, select a country, data package, pay with a card and install the eSIM on your phone according to the instructions. Then you will have a Czech SIM for receiving calls and SMS messages, and data will run via the eSIM.
- If you use my code when you place your first order on Airal – STANIS0407, you save 3 dollars (and you're giving them to me too – thanks).
- I wrote detailed instructions on the page https://florinacestach.cz/zahranici_data_airalo/
