The 15 Best Things to Do on Boa Vista

1.Shark, Turtles, Cave, Sandboarding & Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 328 reviews · 4 hours - 270 minutes · from $70Our pick

Review of Boa Vista’s 4x4 shark, turtle, cave, sandboarding, beach, and grogue tour, with practical tips on value, timing, and wildlife sightings.

“This is one of the best tours you don’t want to miss out on if you’re staying in Boa Vista. Sandboarding is great fun and shouldn’t be missed. Unfortunately we didn’t see any sharks but hey that’s nature for you. Beautiful Santa Monica beach, caves and seeing the turtles in their natural habitat. At the end of the morning a little local tasting went down a great treat. The tour guides and drivers were fantastic hosts. Recommend it 100%”

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2.Turtle, Shark, Santa Monica, Sandboard & Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 228 reviews · 4 hours · from $76

Explore Boa Vista’s dunes, turtles, lemon sharks, Santa Monica Beach and local flavors on a lively four-hour 4x4 adventure.

“Really interesting and so fun, one of the best days of our holiday. Such a good variety of activities and didn't feel too rushed - though would have loved a little more time to swim and enjoy Santa Monica beach (only 15 mins - remember to bring swimming stuff!). Freddie was a great guide, very kind, great sense of humour and took time to talk a bit about Cape Verde and the history. Definitely would recommend!”

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3.Santa Monica, Dunes, Caves and Village 4×4 Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 137 reviews · 4 hours · from $76

Explore Boa Vista by 4x4, from Viana’s dunes and village life to Varandinha caves and a swim at Santa Monica Beach.

“Very informative & friendly guide Fab off road experience, let us know when it was going to get a bit bumpy 😊”

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4.Boa Vista Jeep Expedition: Shipwreck & Viana Desert (4-Hour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 134 reviews · 4 hours · from $64

Explore Boa Vista’s north by 4x4, from the Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck and Viana Desert to quiet bays, village life, and local stories.

“This was actually the second year in a row we took this tour as it is really a great one, highly recommend! And do try and buy banana jam by Ms. Izelda - the best ever :)”

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5.Boa Vista Quad Tour: Shipwreck & Viana Desert (2-Hour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 121 reviews · 2 hours · from $106

Ride a quad from Sal Rei to Boa Vista's shipwreck and Viana Desert in two hours, with gear, water, a guide, and hotel pickup.

“Excellent from start to finish our tour guide was Fabricio and he was Great, knowledgeable and took some good pictures for us, highly recommend I would do it again!”

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6.Whale Watching Trip with Motoryacht

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 115 reviews · 3 hours · from $94

Search for humpback whales off Boa Vista with a marine biologist, hotel pickup, drinks, and a small-group yacht trip from Sal Rei.

“Saw no Whales which was fine- understood the risk whilst booking the trip. The thing that agitated me was the instructor who when asked 'did you see any whales on the morning trip?' (we were on the afternoon slot)- told us 'No, to be honest we are now out of season for the whales we likely won't see any.' keeping the trip open and available to book. Paying £130 for two people, and knowing we weren't really in season. This is greed by the provider, and the option to book should be limited to the particular season. All should be refunded. thanks”

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7.2-Hour Buggy 1000cc North Island Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 113 reviews · from $153

Review of Boa Vista’s 2-hour 1000cc buggy tour, with Cabo Santa Maria, Viana Desert, Ponta do Sol, hotel pickup, and practical tips.

“Great activity and experience. Guides were excellent, driving the buggies was so much fun. Just the right amount of time at each of the 3 stops to take photos and enjoy the views. Highly recommended.”

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8.Northwest & Deserto de Viana 4×4 Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 113 reviews · 4 hours · from $53Best value

Explore Boa Vista by 4x4, from Rabil crafts and Viana dunes to the Cabo Santa Maria wreck and Fatima Chapel.

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9.Beautiful Beaches, Turtles & Djeu Island Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 100 reviews · 7 hours · from $100

Explore Boa Vista on a 7-hour tour with Djeu Island snorkeling, Santa Monica Beach, sharks, turtles, caves, lunch, and sandboarding.

“If it was possible I would give this excursion at least 10 stars!!! Highly recommended! Josh was so amazing, kind & funny.”

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10.Boa Vista Full-Day North to South Discovery

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 79 reviews · 8 hours · from $94

Explore Boa Vista in one day, from Santa Monica Beach and Viana Desert to local villages, pottery, caves, turtles, and a shipwreck.

“Très bonne journée en compagnie de notre guide qui parlait français. Les paysages sont à couper le souffle. Nous visitons beaucoup de lieux d'intérêt du sud de l'île. Ce serait super de pouvoir profiter un peu plus longtemps des plages et du désert. Le repas compris dans le prix de la journée est très bon.”

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11.Short Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 76 reviews · 2 months · from $53

Review of Boa Vista’s 2-hour snorkeling trip, with shallow water, colorful fish, Djeu Island, gear, transport costs, and booking advice.

“the trip was cancelled at short notice and it was too late to book something else at the last minute.”

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12.2h North Buggy Adventure 1000cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · from $151Top rated

Race Boa Vista’s north coast by 1000cc buggy, visit Cabo Santa Maria’s shipwreck and enjoy Ponta do Sol views in two hours.

“Be aware you need to bring your driving licence and the pick up is at 1 from your hotel - this isn’t sign posted anywhere. It seemed one rule for one another for others apart from that the guides were friendly, informative . There isn’t much to do on the island so this was something good fun for a few hours”

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13.Sal Rei, Santa Monica Beach, Caves, Dunes & Shipwreck Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 67 reviews · 6 hours · from $94

Review of Boa Vista’s six-hour tour to Santa Monica Beach, Viana Desert, Varandinha Cave, and the MS Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck.

“Super nette Tourenleitung mit Nicole, die uns geduldig alle Fragen auf Deutsch beantwortet hat. Auf den Pickup‘s ist es teils schon sehr anstrengend, vor allem Richtung Schiffswrack. Ansonsten kann ich die Tour allen für den ersten groben Überblick empfehlen - alles drin. Das Essen am Strand von Santa Monica: top! Nur leider über die GJG-Buchung nicht inklusive, bei den Locals wäre sie inbegriffen. Haben wir leider zu spät gecheckt…”

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14.Guided turtle tour in a group in Boa Vista

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · from $104

Review of Boa Vista’s guided turtle tour: small groups, hotel pickup, loggerhead nesting, hatchlings, price, timing, and practical tips.

“Fantastic tour! We were picked up at around 8pm from our hotel and taken on a short drive to the beach. Our guide was fantastic and gave us all of the necessary knowledge about the loggerheads turtles before we saw them. We saw well ovRead more”

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15.Boa Vista 4h South Buggy Adventure 1000cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews · from $289

Review of Boa Vista’s 4-hour 1000cc buggy tour, with Santa Monica Beach, sandy routes, pickup, safety gear, pricing, and practical tips.

“What a fantastic time we had, we were a bit apprehensive over the cost but decided to take the plunge and were were so glad that we did. What value for money we had, a great group of adrenaline junkies who all put their foot down and enjoyed the sheer thrill of the varioRead more”

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