Sal or Boa Vista: which Cape Verde island is right for you?

Last updated: November 3, 2026

Sal or Boa Vista is the first decision for most Cape Verde holidays: they are the two beach islands with direct flights from the UK and Europe, about 70 km apart, and on a map they look much the same. On the ground they feel very different. This guide compares the towns and resorts, the beaches and swimming, the wind, the excursions, the turtles and the logistics, and ends with a clear verdict. For all ten islands, see our island comparison.

Sal or Boa Vista: the short version

Sal is the more developed and sociable island. Its resort town, Santa Maria, has a calm swimming bay, restaurants, bars with live music, the old salt pier and most of the excursions within an hour's drive. It has more flights and more choice, and it suits first-timers, families who want calm water and anyone who likes to walk out of the hotel into a town.

Boa Vista is bigger, emptier and wilder: long white beaches backed by dunes, a Saharan-looking interior and only one small town, Sal Rei. Most visitors stay in large all-inclusive resorts on remote beaches and explore on 4x4 tours. It suits travellers who want space, quiet and nature more than nightlife, and anyone keen on turtles or, in spring, whales.

Town life: Santa Maria vs Sal Rei

Santa Maria, at the southern tip of Sal, was founded in 1830 as a salt port and is now the country's busiest resort town: a grid of low, colourful streets a few minutes from the beach, with shops, cafés, restaurants and bars that have live morna, coladeira and funaná several nights a week. It is lively rather than wild, and it gets busy in front of the main hotels. Read our Santa Maria guide.

Sal Rei, the capital of Boa Vista, is smaller and quieter: pastel houses around a central square, a fishing beach where boats land in the morning, a few bars and fish restaurants, banks and supermarkets. It has more of a village feel and lower prices, and the kitesurf beach of Praia de Estoril is on its doorstep. The catch is that most Boa Vista resorts are not in Sal Rei but several kilometres away, or much further south, so a night in town means a taxi.

Beaches and swimming

Sal's great asset is the south-facing bay of Santa Maria: several kilometres of fine white sand sheltered from the trade winds, usually the calmest water on the island and the best for children. West of town the beach runs on past Ponta Preta, a famous wave for experts. The east coast, including Kite Beach, is wild and windy, with strong surf and currents.

Boa Vista has the more spectacular beaches but fewer safe places to swim. Praia de Chaves, near the village of Rabil, is about 5 km of pale sand and dunes, fine for a swim on calm days but rarely with lifeguards. Santa Mónica, on the south-west coast, is more than 15 km long and almost untouched, but its undertow is powerful, so treat it as a beach for walking. The water is calmer around Sal Rei. On both islands, follow the flags where they exist; our beach guide compares them in detail.

Wind and water sports

Both islands are windy, especially from about December to May, when the north-east trade winds are strongest. That makes them two of the best kitesurfing and windsurfing destinations in the Atlantic. Sal has the bigger scene: lessons on the bay of Santa Maria and at Kite Beach, and Ponta Preta, which has hosted rounds of the GKA Kite-Surf World Cup. Boa Vista's schools work from Praia de Estoril near Sal Rei, with fewer crowds on the water.

For non-surfers the wind is the main trade-off on either island: pleasant in the heat of the day, but it blows sand on exposed beaches and makes winter evenings feel fresh. Sal's sheltered bay is the easier place to escape it; on Boa Vista, choose a resort with wind-protected pool areas. See kitesurfing in Cape Verde for the details. Month-by-month figures for both islands are in Sal weather and Boa Vista weather.

Excursions and nature

Sal packs a lot into a small, flat island: floating in the salt crater of Pedra de Lume, the turquoise blue eye at Buracona, the lemon sharks in the shallows of Shark Bay, catamaran trips, diving and quad tours. Everything is within an hour of Santa Maria, so half-day trips are easy and you can see the whole island in a day or two.

Boa Vista's excursions are longer and more about landscape: the white dunes of the Viana desert, palm oases and villages, the rusting wreck of the Cabo Santa Maria, which ran aground in 1968, and the empty beaches of the south, reached on sandy tracks by 4x4 or quad. From about March to May, humpback whales gather offshore and boats leave from Sal Rei. More than a third of the island is protected, the highest share of any inhabited island in Cape Verde.

Turtles: Boa Vista has the edge

Loggerhead turtles nest on both islands from about June to October, with July to October the best months for licensed guided night walks, and hatchlings emerge from late August into early December. On Sal, nesting beaches such as the Costa da Fragata and Serra Negra reserves are close to Santa Maria, which makes a night walk easy to fit into a short stay.

Boa Vista is in another league: according to the Turtle Foundation, which runs conservation camps there, about two-thirds of all nesting in Cape Verde happens on the island. Whichever you choose, join only a licensed walk run with the conservation projects, with no torches, phone screens or flash. Our turtle watching guide explains how they work.

Flights, transfers and hotels

Sal's Amílcar Cabral airport has the most international flights in Cape Verde, from the UK, much of Europe and Lisbon, and the transfer to Santa Maria takes about 20 minutes. Boa Vista's airport, about 5 km from Sal Rei, has fewer routes, mostly charters and package flights; the resorts on Praia de Chaves are close, but those in the south take longer to reach. Both are about six hours from the UK; see airports and transfers.

Hotels on both islands are dominated by large all-inclusive resorts. Sal adds a wider range of mid-size hotels, apartments and guesthouses in Santa Maria, which makes a room-only stay and eating out easy. On Boa Vista, staying in a resort means you will eat, drink and book excursions mostly through the hotel, while Sal Rei has a handful of small hotels for independent travellers. Compare the options in where to stay in Cape Verde.

Can you combine Sal and Boa Vista?

Yes, and it is the easiest island pair in Cape Verde. CVsky flies between them, and the CV Interilhas round-line ferry takes about three hours, usually twice a week, often at night. A popular plan is three or four nights on Sal for the town and excursions, then three or four on Boa Vista for the beaches, flying home from Boa Vista if your ticket allows. Delays happen, so leave a spare night before your flight home; see island hopping.

Choose Sal if you want calm swimming, a town on your doorstep, the widest choice of flights and hotels, short excursions and a livelier evening. Choose Boa Vista if you want space and empty beaches, dunes and 4x4 adventures, the best turtle nesting and spring whales, and you are happy to spend most evenings at the resort.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Sal or Boa Vista?

Neither is better for everyone. Sal has the calmer swimming bay, the livelier town of Santa Maria and more flights; Boa Vista has longer, emptier beaches, dunes and more turtles, but its resorts are isolated.

Is Sal or Boa Vista better for families?

Sal usually, because the bay of Santa Maria is sheltered and calm, and the town and excursions are close. Boa Vista suits families who will stay mostly within a resort with its own pools.

Which is windier, Sal or Boa Vista?

Both are windy, especially from December to May. Sal has the most sheltered swimming spot in the bay of Santa Maria, which makes the wind easier to escape there.

How do you get from Sal to Boa Vista?

By CVsky domestic flight or by the CV Interilhas ferry, which takes about three hours and usually sails twice a week, often at night. The islands are about 70 km apart.

Where are there more turtles, Sal or Boa Vista?

Boa Vista. The Turtle Foundation estimates that about two-thirds of Cape Verde's loggerhead nesting takes place there, although guided walks on Sal are easier to reach from Santa Maria.