Cape Verde: Island Life Begins On Boa Vista
It looks a little strange from the air, rolling dunes topped with tufted grasses leading to desert-like landscapes where angular outcrops stand above dry, waterless canyons, dunes which form the hinterland to miles of empty golden beach. There’s not a single building to be seen until just before the wheels of the aeroplane touch down on the tarmac – and even then, it’s an airport terminal which looks more like a sand castle than a transport hub.
The island of Boa Vista fights two perpetual battles with nature. One, Sahara sand from continental Africa blows constantly across the island, shifting dunes from east to west and regularly forming damaging sand drifts which can choke roadways, buildings and villages. Two, despite supporting a population of nearly 20,000, Boa Vista has no natural water supply and relies entirely on desalination and a modest quantity of import. This is effectively a 244 square mile desert island, the closest to Africa, and the driest, of all of the islands which make up Cape Verde.
“We need a storm to come, to clear this humidity”, says Sylvia as she shows us around our first apartment, “it is bad just now”.
It is indeed humid – even the wind off the rolling Atlantic blows a warmth across the island; walk into the streets of Sal Rei village, out of the wind, and the air is, for an Atlantic island, unusually stifling. Sal Rei, a traditional village away from any hotel complexes and resorts, is pleasingly ramshackle. Rustic buildings thrive as cafes or fish restaurants, the skeletons of derelict tumbledown houses stand next door to similarly skeletal half built blocks, dusty streets are broken with loose cobbles and deep potholes. Large maingey dogs lay in sandy hollows to escape the heat.
Beautifully elegant women in traditional African dress of vibrant colours wander through town carrying anything from baskets of fruit to calor gas bottles or cool boxes on their head, brightly painted one-man fishing boats rest on the sand, street vendors hawk fresh fruit or patterned textiles from wheelbarrows. Now and then one of the little fishing boats glides up on to the sand as would-be buyers appear from doorways to inspect the catch. The proud fisherman hoists a bulging tuna aloft, hangs it from his hands, then sets about filleting it with his machete with all the precision of a surgeon.
According to the internet Boa Vista is the second most visited island of Cape Verde after Sal, yet down here in Avenida Pescadora at the fishermen’s end of Sal Rei village, you would never know it. Everything about Sal Rei moves at its own casual speed, an almost Caribbean sense of unhurried life where tides, trade winds and the size of today’s catch combine to dictate the pace. Watching village life here is like watching a film reel in slow motion.
Fifty-five kilometres of golden beach run along the coast of Boa Vista, sand so soft and fine as to feel like flour. Every few minutes the cross-island wind blows a gust, sending fine particles into every corner and crevice, instantly covering both human footprints and the crab tracks which form pathways between miniature burrows. You get a palpable sense of how inexorably mobile those dunes are just by watching these small changes; little wonder that sand drifts are such a problem.
We are lucky with our apartment, a converted fisherman’s house down here by the water where there always seems to be some sort of gentle activity: tiny fishing boats either arriving with bags of tuna and amberjack or just setting out to earn today’s wage. At sunset, an old guy brings a plastic chair to the shore just to watch the colours of the setting sun play on the water, even though he has seen this every day of his long life.
Back in the centre of the village, young boys and girls dive into the swirling waters from the concrete pier, then return after sundown to perform wheelies and other bicycle tricks in front of those enjoying a pre-dinner beer. Opting to join those with beers rather than those with bikes, we take our first sips of Strela, the local brew, which is crisp and malty and immediately gets a high score on the thirst-quench-o-meter.
The tuna steaks at Te Manche, the bar on the pier, are as fabulously tasty and juicy as you would expect from a catch which probably only left the boat a couple of hours ago. It’s truly delicious and sets the bar high for our Cape Verde food adventures.
As the burnt orange sunset recedes, a twilight falls across the water, the incoming waves forming dark creases on the silver sea. Pinprick lights of masts twinkle some distance offshore, the gaudy colours of nearby boats fade to shades of grey as another day winds down. The locals still chatter loudly, the Atlantic still rumbles, neither sound abated by the onset of darkness.
Boa Vista will bookend this Cape Verde trip. We leave for our second island tomorrow, but so taken are we by our surroundings that we seek out Sylvia and snaffle the very same apartment for a few more days as we return down the island line in a couple of weeks’ time. We are already looking forward to returning.
There is a peace within the rough paradise which is Boa Vista, especially here among the fishermen’s families at the ramshackle far end of the village, a peace which speaks of such a different way of life. Island life.
38 Comments
Alison
Another trip so soon! Looks absolutely idyllic and love those coloured houses. Sounds so tranquil and seems not so busy. Can’t get better than eating tuna steaks and watching that beautiful sky.
Phil & Michaela
It’s good so far, Ali. We’ll see what the rest brings!
Alison
Certainly looks beautiful
sam
been twice now. love the island and locals are so welcoming. no stress is the moto.. so true on this island
Phil & Michaela
We’re loving it too, Sam. We’re on Santiago now but will be back on Boa Vista before this trip is over
Jane
It’s stunning. We were there in September. Amazing place.
Phil & Michaela
Hi Jane, we’re loving it too. Some of the places on these islands are just wonderful!
Carol
Just got back September what a fantastic holiday can’t wait to return
Phil & Michaela
Hi Carol, yep it’s lovely here, great people, great food and some really lovely little places
wetanddustyroads
Ah, island life. You describe it beautifully (almost as beautiful as that woman looks in her traditional dress and the orange sunset).
Phil & Michaela
Such elegant women, such friendly people!
Toonsarah
I love to see the African fabrics and am always amazed at the grace with which the women carry such loads on their heads! This is a very different Cape Verde from the one we saw 😀
Phil & Michaela
Grace, yes! Elegance, yes! I’m guessing you ended up in the resort type places, yes? Well so far we haven’t even seen them, and Sal Rei just felt so good. We’ll see what the rest brings…
Toonsarah
We had an overnight in resort places on Sal for the first and last night, as we were landing too late to fly to Praia that day. But in Praia we stayed in a nice hotel about a mile from the centre, with a rooftop pool and local restaurants. There was plenty of local activity and colour there (we watched their Shrove Tuesday parade, definitely not touristy!) but it was a more urban setting, not a small village.
Phil & Michaela
Ah I see. We arrived in Praia last night so will start exploring this morning
ourcrossings
It’s amazing how in many countries in Africa, women carry baskets on their heads as a method of transporting goods, laundry and even water! There’s just something about getting to know the culture that makes each country unique. Cape Verde looks amazing and so do the colourful houses and the wonderful coast. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
Phil & Michaela
Finding and understanding different cultures is the real motivation for independent travel, isn’t it!
Monkey's Tale
It really says something about a place when you’re booking your return trip even before you’ve left. The blowing sand with shifting dunes reminds me of parts of northern Brazil, but that’s about where the similarities end. Like others have commented, you really captured her grace in the picture of the lady walking on the beach.
Phil & Michaela
They are indeed so graceful, so elegant. So far so good, Maggie – very peaceful and slow moving, not over touristed. Well not yet anyway – we’ll see!
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
Such beautiful photos and your description of the island definitely evokes tranquility.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you ☺️. Yes it’s very tranquil and slow paced. Loving it so far ❤️
Marie
Ah wow – looks fab….
grandmisadventures
This is one of those places that I knew absolutely nothing about so it’s so interesting to follow along with you on this adventure
Phil & Michaela
Hey that’s good! So far it’s very much more African than Portuguese, but we’ll see what the rest of the trip brings!
Christie
It really looks peaceful, a great option for you to return for few more days!
I’m always amazed at those women’s balance and graciousness when they carry stuff on their heads.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
Phil & Michaela
They walk with such elegance. Beautiful people.
Travels Through My Lens
Sounds completely idyllic. I can certainly understand why you want to return. Beautiful photos too.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you x
Andrew Petcher
Not on my bucket list but I do like the pictures, especially the door in the ramshackle building.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Andrew
Lookoom
It’s very atmospheric, with no monuments to a glorious past, just ordinary houses suffering the ravages of time and an unstable landscape stronger than humans. Your words magnify this simple life to create the monument that was missing.
WanderingCanadians
What a great start to your trip. That is one stunning sunset. It seems very relaxing and peaceful there. How fun that you’ll be returning for a few days on the way back.
Dave
Stayed at RIU hotel 20mins from airport February this year. I imagine this is what the Canaries was like forty odd years ago. Very quiet and nothing much to do, windy most of the time. Sal Rei was a disappointment. Wouldn’t go back.
Phil & Michaela
Each to their own, I guess. Sal Rei was definitely our cup of tea, looking forward to finishing off this trip back there.
Brian
Nice blog post. I’ve lived in Sal Rei for 8 months and love it here.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Brian, we loved it too. Looking forward to spending some more time there in ten days or so
El
Thank you for your lovely interpretation of my country. Each island has its own unique feature. I would love for you to explore the other island, such as Fogo. We are the only island with a volcano. You will find the colors, richness of the food, people and wine we produce. Our country motto is “No Stress” where people should be calm and collected and take time to enjoy life.
Phil & Michaela
Hi El, I am so pleased that you approve of our commentary on Boa Vista. Yes we’re now on Santiago – you can read our two posts about Praia, but we’re now in Tarrafal. Tarrafal is lovely and we’ll be posting about it shortly. And yes, we’re going to Fogo too before we head back to Sal Rei.