Boa Vista has more sand than anywhere else in Cape Verde — by some measures around a third of the island's coastline is beach. What it does not have is many places where swimming is straightforward. Most of that sand faces open Atlantic swell, and the calm turquoise water in the brochures is found in a small number of specific spots rather than everywhere.
Boa Vista's beaches at a glance
The island is flat, dry and windswept, and the coast divides fairly cleanly. The west and south-west, near Sal Rei and the main resorts, is where most swimming happens. The east and north-east are wild, wave-battered and effectively off-limits for swimming.
| Beach | Swimming | Best for | From Sal Rei |
|---|---|---|---|
| Praia de Cabral | Yes — calmest option | Easy swimming, families | Walkable |
| Praia de Chaves | Sometimes — check conditions | Long walks, resorts, scenery | Short drive south |
| Praia de Santa Mónica | With caution — waves and current | The view; emptiness | Long drive, rough road |
| Praia do Estoril | Yes, near town | Kitesurfing, sunset, town access | Walkable |
| Varandinha / Curralinho | No — strong swell | Cliffs, caves, photography | 4x4 or tour |
| East coast beaches | No — dangerous | The shipwreck, wildness | 4x4 or tour only |
Praia de Santa Mónica
Santa Mónica on the south coast is the beach Boa Vista is known for, and the scale genuinely is unusual: a broad arc of pale sand running for kilometres with essentially nothing built on it. On most days you will share it with a handful of people at most.
Two practical realities are usually left out of the photographs. First, getting there takes a rough drive of roughly an hour each way from Sal Rei over unpaved road, which is why nearly everyone arrives on an organised excursion rather than independently. Second, there are no facilities — no shade, no bar, no toilets, no lifeguard, and often no phone signal.
The sea is open Atlantic. On calm days it can be lovely for a swim close in; on many days there is a shore break and a noticeable current, and swimming is unwise. Judge the conditions on the day rather than the reputation, and never swim alone here.
Bring water, sun protection and everything else you need for the day. Confirm your return transport before your driver leaves.
Praia de Chaves
Chaves is the long beach running south from near Rabil, backed by dunes and by several of the island's larger resorts. It is the most accessible of the big beaches and, for many visitors staying at those resorts, the beach they use daily.
Conditions vary a lot along its length and from day to day. Sections in front of the resorts are the most sheltered and usually the safest; further along, the swell picks up and the current strengthens. Where hotels post flags or employ beach staff, take that guidance seriously.
The walk along Chaves is one of the better things to do on the island — wide, largely empty, with old brickworks ruins at the northern end and dunes drifting inland. Wind is frequent, so an early morning walk is more pleasant than an afternoon one.
Praia de Cabral and Sal Rei
The bay in front of Sal Rei is the most sheltered water on the island, protected by the small islet of Ilhéu de Sal Rei offshore. Praia de Cabral, immediately south of town, is the closest thing Boa Vista has to a straightforward, relaxed swimming beach.
It is shallow, generally calm, and walkable from anywhere in town, which makes it the sensible choice if you are travelling with children or staying independently rather than in a resort. Fishing boats work from the bay, so it feels more lived-in than the resort beaches — a fair trade for the convenience.
Facilities are modest but real: a few bars and restaurants are within walking distance in town, which is more than can be said for most of the island's coastline.
Praia do Estoril and the resort beaches
Estoril runs south from Sal Rei and is the island's main watersports beach. Wind is reliable here through the winter months, and kitesurfing and windsurfing schools operate from this stretch.
For swimming it is reasonable near town and progressively more exposed as you move south. As on Sal, keep clear of the kite launch areas — riders move fast and have limited ability to stop.
Further south again, the beaches in front of the larger resorts are sheltered to varying degrees. If you are booking an all-inclusive stay, it is worth asking specifically whether the hotel's beach is swimmable year-round, because the honest answer differs between properties and the marketing rarely distinguishes.
Varandinha, Curralinho and the west
The west coast around Varandinha and Curralinho is the most photogenic part of the island: low cliffs, sea caves, arches and sand that runs right up to rock. Curralinho is sometimes called Praia de Chave de Santa Maria locally.
It is not a swimming coast. The swell comes in unbroken from the Atlantic and there is nobody around to help. Treat this as landscape rather than beach — it is a highlight of a 4x4 island tour and a superb spot late in the day when the light is low.
Access requires a four-wheel drive or an organised excursion. Ordinary hire cars are not suitable for these tracks, and getting stuck in soft sand a long way from anywhere is a genuine risk.
The east coast and the shipwreck
The east side of Boa Vista is wild, exposed and largely empty. Its best-known feature is the Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck, a cargo vessel that ran aground in 1968 and has been slowly breaking up on the sand ever since.
The wreck is visibly deteriorating year on year, so what you see now is not what earlier photographs show. Do not climb on it — the metal is corroded and sharp.
Swimming anywhere along this coast is dangerous. Heavy surf, strong currents and complete isolation combine badly. Go for the atmosphere and the photographs, then leave the water alone.
Turtles: beaches with rules
Boa Vista has some of the most important loggerhead turtle nesting beaches in the Atlantic, and this changes how you should behave on the island's beaches between roughly June and October.
- Never walk on nesting beaches at night without a licensed guide. Some beaches are closed to unaccompanied visitors during the season.
- No torches, phone screens or camera flashes near the beach at night. Light disorients both nesting females and hatchlings.
- Keep vehicles off the sand. Tyre ruts trap hatchlings and compacted sand crushes nests.
- Do not touch, handle or crowd the animals, and never dig up a nest.
- Book only with licensed operators. Unlicensed night tours do real damage, and the money does not reach conservation work.
Full detail, including how a night tour actually works, is in our Boa Vista turtle watching guide.
Swimming safety on Boa Vista
None of Boa Vista's beaches are lifeguarded in the way visitors from Europe may expect. The island's beauty comes precisely from its exposure, and that exposure is the hazard.
- Swim near Sal Rei — Cabral and the sheltered bay are the safest water on the island.
- Assess conditions on the day. The same beach can be calm one morning and unsafe the next afternoon.
- Do not swim on the east coast or the exposed west coast, whatever the weather looks like from the shore.
- Never swim alone at Santa Mónica or any remote beach.
- If caught in a current, swim parallel to the shore rather than against it, and come in at an angle.
- Leave inflatables at home. The wind takes them out to sea quickly.
See also is Cape Verde safe? for wider context.
Getting to the beaches
- Distances are deceptive. The island is small, but most roads outside the Sal Rei–Rabil–airport corridor are unpaved. Allow far longer than the map suggests.
- A 4x4 or an organised tour is realistically necessary for Santa Mónica, Varandinha and the east coast. A standard hire car is not.
- Agree taxi fares and a pick-up time in advance. There is no passing traffic at remote beaches.
- Carry water, shade and everything else. Only the Sal Rei beaches have facilities nearby.
- Phone signal is patchy away from town — tell someone where you are going.
- Best months for calm water are roughly June to October, which also overlaps with turtle season. See best time to visit.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best beach on Boa Vista?
It depends what you want. Santa Mónica is the most spectacular and the emptiest, but it is an hour away over rough road with no facilities and often unsafe for swimming. For an actual beach day, Praia de Cabral near Sal Rei is calmer, safer and walkable from town.
Can you swim at Santa Monica beach?
Sometimes, with caution. It faces the open Atlantic and frequently has a shore break and current. On calm days swimming close in is fine; on many days it is not. There are no lifeguards and no facilities, so judge conditions on the day and never swim alone.
Is Boa Vista good for beaches?
Yes — it has more sand than any other Cape Verde island, with several enormous and almost empty beaches. The caveat is that swimming is limited to a few sheltered spots, mainly around Sal Rei and parts of Chaves.
Do you need a 4x4 to reach the beaches on Boa Vista?
For Santa Mónica, Varandinha and the east coast, yes — or an organised excursion. The tracks are unpaved and soft in places. The beaches around Sal Rei and Chaves are reachable on normal roads.
When can you see turtles on the beaches?
Loggerhead turtles nest on Boa Vista roughly from June to October, with hatchlings emerging from around August into November. Night visits must be with a licensed guide, and no lights or flash photography are allowed.
Are the beaches on Boa Vista windy?
Often, yes. The trade winds are strongest from about November to March, which is excellent for kitesurfing and less pleasant for lying on the sand. June to October is generally calmer.