Boa Vista Holidays

It's not just a beach holiday, it's walking for an hour on soft, pale sand and barely passing a soul. Praia de Santa Monica stretches for miles along the south coast - one of the great beaches of the Atlantic - while Praia de Chaves is where the sand drifts up into golden dunes behind the resorts. The sea stays warm the whole year round, the light at golden hour is extraordinary, and there's always room to spread out. Bring a good book; you won't want to move.

Boa Vista's only town is a low-key charmer: a colonial square, a craft market, surf shops and little cafés looking out to sea. Just offshore lies the Ilhéu de Sal Rei, the islet that shelters the bay - a short boat trip for snorkelling over clear, calm water. It's the place to feel the island's Creole rhythm, pick up local crafts, and watch the fishing boats come in as the sun drops. Pop in for a coffee and a wander between beach days.

It's not just a holiday island, it's the Sahara in miniature. The Deserto de Viana rolls out a sea of pale, wind-sculpted dunes between Rabil and Sal Rei - sand carried all the way from the African mainland. Go by quad bike or 4x4, or simply walk in at sunrise or sunset when the light turns the ridges gold and the whole place falls silent. It's the surprise of Boa Vista: a beach holiday with a desert in the middle.

Half-buried in the surf on the wild north coast, the rusting hull of the Cabo Santa Maria has become Boa Vista's most photographed landmark. The Spanish cargo ship ran aground here back in 1968, and the Atlantic has been reclaiming it ever since. It's a dramatic, windswept stop on any island tour - framed by empty beach and crashing waves - and a reminder of just how exposed this little island is to the ocean. Admire it from the sand; it's not safe to climb.

It's not just wildlife, it's a memory you'll tell for years. Boa Vista is one of the world's most important nesting sites for loggerhead turtles - on licensed guided night tours, roughly July to October, you can watch them haul ashore to lay their eggs. And in spring, humpback whales gather in the Baía de Sal Rei to calve and nurse, so a boat trip around March to May can put you alongside them. Two of nature's great spectacles, on one small island.

Our experts' rule of thumb: 7 nights is the classic Boa Vista week - enough to settle into your all-inclusive, do a couple of excursions and still have plenty of beach time. Want to slow right down, or add turtle and whale trips and a desert tour? Give it 10-14 nights. And if you'd love two islands, pair Boa Vista with neighbouring Sal on a 5+5 twin-centre - it's just a short hop between them. Not sure what's right for you? Enquire now and we'll build it around you.