Discover Boa Vista · Itineraries
Boa Vista itineraries: 3 days or a week
Two ready-made plans, day by day, put together by people who have lived on the island since 1998. Follow them as they are or change them as you like.
Before you start
Three things to know
The main town is easy to explore on foot, a few minutes by taxi from the airport, and almost all excursions start here.
The wreck, the dunes and the wild beaches are reached on sandy tracks: a guided excursion by quad or pick-up is the best option.
Estoril is sheltered; Santa Mónica, Chaves and the north coast often have waves and currents. Only swim when the sea is calm.
Short itinerary
Boa Vista in 3 days
The town, the desert with the wreck and the south-west beaches: the best of the island in a long weekend.
1Sal Rei and Estoril beach
Morning. Head to the harbour when the fishermen’s colourful boats come in: the fish is sold right on the sand. Then Santa Isabel square and the market. All in Sal Rei.
Afternoon. A swim at Praia de Estoril, sheltered by the islet, with beach bars and kitesurfing and windsurfing schools.
Evening. Sunset over the bay at Praia de Cabral, then a fish dinner in town. Many places have live morna music.
2The Viana desert and the wreck
Morning. A half-day excursion to the north, by quad or by pick-up with a driver: the dunes of the Deserto de Viana and the wreck of the Cabo Santa Maria, run aground in 1968. By quad the tour takes about 4 hours.
Afternoon. A stop in Rabil, at the pottery school where clay is still worked by hand: the little terracotta turtles are the favourite souvenir. Then time on the beach.
3The south-west: Povoação Velha, Santa Mónica and Chaves
Morning. Povoação Velha, the oldest village on the island, with colourful houses at the foot of Rocha Estância. A little further south, Praia de Santa Mónica: miles of wild sand. Only swim when the sea is flat.
Sunset. A walk along Praia de Chaves to the old chimney among the dunes: the beach faces west and the sun sets right over the ocean.
Long itinerary
A week in Boa Vista
The first three days are the same as the short itinerary. Then the island opens up: the islet, the wild east, the wildlife of the season.
1–3Sal Rei, the north and the south-west
Follow the 3-day itinerary at an easy pace: with a whole week you can keep an extra afternoon free for the beach.
4The shipwreck museum and Sal Rei islet
Morning. The Museu dos Náufragos in the centre of Sal Rei tells the island’s story through its shipwrecks; a visit takes about half an hour. It only opens in the morning and is closed on Tuesdays and Sundays: check the opening hours on its page.
Later. By boat from the harbour to the Ilhéu de Sal Rei: sheltered water for snorkelling, the lighthouse and the ruins of the Duque de Bragança fort. There is no scheduled ferry: agree the price with the fishermen or an agency beforehand, including the time you come back.
5The wild east by 4×4
A full day by 4×4 with a guide: the inland villages, the Farol de Morro Negro lighthouse high above the ocean, the abandoned village of Curral Velho and Praia do Curralinho, the wild beach beyond Santa Mónica.
6Seasonal wildlife (or fishing)
From March to May, roughly: a boat trip to see the humpback whales.
From July to October, roughly: at night, with authorised guides, the loggerhead turtles laying their eggs.
All year round: a day of big-game fishing, or kitesurfing and windsurfing at Praia de Carlota in the windy months.
7One last day by the sea
A morning on the beach, at Estoril or Chaves. Last souvenirs at the market and around the square in Sal Rei, then a farewell dinner: the moment to try cachupa, the national dish.
Timings and seasons are approximate: they change with the sea, the wind and the agencies. Before you go, check when to go and the checklist. The pages on each place are in Italian for now.