Cape Verde Islands are The Caribbean Islands on the wrong side of the Atlantic and as undeveloped as Lanzarote was 25 years ago.

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Tel/Fax (00) 34  96-679-0844 or 34-679-779-122
UK Office 0871-4741-577
(Calls are at the UK National Rate)

Property for sale on Cape Verde Islands

BoaVista Island in Cape Verde

Island of Dunes

Similar to the "flat" islands of Sal and Maio, the climate and countryside of Boavista is also heavily affected by the dry, hot winds blowing from the Sahara.

The countryside, dominated by sand dunes and plantations of coconut and date palms, has a white sand desert in the interior, almost cheek by jowl with a subtropical oasis where the infrequent rainfall is trapped. The white, sandy beaches that stretch for mile after mile make Boavista one of the islands with the highest tourist development potential.

The airport is being extended and they hope to be able to accept international flights in the relatively (in Caboverdian terms!) near future. This will galvanise the development of Hotels and apartments.

Capital: Sal Rei

Language: Portuguese & Creole

Currency: CV Escudo

Ethnicity:Mulatto 71%, African 28%, European 1%

About the island:
Boavista is the most eastern island of Cape Verde, and the nearest to the African continent. It has a surface of 620 km2 and is pentagonal in shape with its longest distance, from North to South of 31 km, and 29 km from West to East. The third longer beach to the world is found on Boavista, and measure 18 kilometers.

Boa Vista is 12 minutes by air taxi from Sal Island which has an international airport. The main town of the island Sal Rei has a ferry port and also the island's airport which lies on the north west side of the island. The island is well known for marine turtles, traditional music, sand dunes and beaches

Its landscape is largely flat except for the volcanic formations in Rabil and Fundo das Figueiras. Pico d`Estancia, at 390 meters, is the highest point of the island.

Among the typical vegetation of the island is the date palm, a type of palm tree with three or six branches coming out of the same base.

The island is covered with sand dunes, which gives it an almost lunar scenery, and has over 50 km of beautiful white sand beaches and emerald green water.

It is possible to see much of the island either by self drive car or with the services of a local guide. The main sites of interest include the many extensive white sanded beaches including Chave beach and Curralinho beach. Head inland from Chave beach you may find evidence of the former production of ceramic tiles and bricks etc. A small craft centre is developing here
.

History:
It was discovered on the 3rd of May, 1480, after the islands of Maio, Santiago and Fogo, and was first named S.Cristovão.

The name Boavista has its origin in the exclamation "Captain, good sight (boa vista)", instead of the traditional "Land at sight", due to the joy of a sailor in the dormer window of a sailing vessel which faced a fearful tempest. Initially dependent on one of the ports under the command of a captain in the island of Santiago, the occupancy of Boavista started in 1497 after it was given to Captain Rodrigo Afonso for the raising of cattle in the hands of a small number of shepherds.

 

 

                Beach of Chave, zone the West                 the north-west of the island

 

           The north-west of the island               Beach of  Estoril to Sal , zone the north-west

 

              Fundo Das Figueras                          Inside of the island

 

Sal Port

 

Wreck of the "Santa Maria"

 
The airport terminal
at Boa Vista

The airport terminal at Boa Vista (The terminal is not larger than shown in the photo.)

Urgent international efforts are needed to conserve West Africa's sea turtles as studies show that the region holds some of the world's most important feeding and nesting sites, many of them under threat. The International University Campus for studies and conservation of marine turtles holds field camps for the study and conservation of nesting marine turtles each year in Boa Vista and students from both Europe and Cape Verde participate. The field caps work from June to October each year since 1999 as Boa Vista offers excellent nesting habitat for nesting loggerhead turtles - Caretta caretta. Most of this activity takes places on the east coast beaches at night.

Boavista Island Map


Tel/Fax (00)  34  96-679-0844 or 679-779-122
UK Office 0871-4741-577
(Calls are at the UK National Rate)

Boavista Island, Boa vista,Cape Verde Islands