The 15 Best Boa Vista Tours & Excursions

1.Shark, Turtles, Cave, Sandboarding & Tasting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 328 reviews · 4 hours - 270 minutes · from $70Our pick

Travel south Boa Vista in an open pickup with guides such as Veronique, Joshua, or Gil. Spot turtles and lemon sharks when conditions allow, sandboard Morro de Arreia, visit Varandinha caves and Santa Monica Beach, then taste grogue, ponche, and risois in Povoação Velha.

“We were a group of 6, our guide Veronica made our tour fun. She’s so interactive and made us all feel so comfortable. The tour itself self was amazing, from start to finish. We would definitely recommend to anyone. Thank you Veronica and Gil for an awesome experience.”

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2.Turtle, Shark, Santa Monica, Sandboard & Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 228 reviews · 4 hours · from $76

Spend four hours exploring Boa Vista’s west coast by 4x4, with sandboarding at Morro de Areia, turtle and lemon shark spotting, a stop at Santa Monica Beach, and local snacks and grogue in Povoação Velha. Guides such as Fredy, Evandro, Julie, and Cristiano bring the island to life.

“We had a great day. The hosts were very nice, and had a lot of helpful information. We got to see the turtles and the sand boarding was a fun unique experience! Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any sharks but I’m still happy with the value for money! They also took lots of photos that are available to download.”

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3.Santa Monica, Dunes, Caves and Village 4×4 Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 137 reviews · 4 hours · from $76

Ride across Boa Vista’s Viana Desert, visit Povoação Velha, walk through Varandinha’s sea caves, and finish at Santa Monica Beach with time for a swim and an included cocktail. Guides such as Freddy, Evandro, and Nielson are praised for clear local storytelling and good off-road driving.

“Amazing Places of Boa Vista, loved the places without people, haven't seen such amazing Beaches before! Julie did an amazing Job, our driver was well skilled in moving through the dunes and deserts. Highly recommend this excursion! keep the places free of hotels to make this pure amazing places of nature last!”

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4.Boa Vista Jeep Expedition: Shipwreck & Viana Desert (4-Hour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 134 reviews · 4 hours · from $64

Ride a Toyota Landcruiser across northern Boa Vista with a local guide such as Vagner, Hendrick Lima, Fabrizio, or Silvano. Stop at Ponta do Sol, the 1968 Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck, Bofareira, Espingueira, Viana Desert, and Praia de Chaves chimney.

“Really good fun we loved it. Get to see the north side of the island & experience off roading. The sand dunes are amazing. We’ve used this app a number of times & it’s always been great especially as it’s small groups. Jel was our guide he was excellent 👍”

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5.Boa Vista Quad Tour: Shipwreck & Viana Desert (2-Hour)

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 121 reviews · 2 hours

You’ll ride from Sal Rei with a guide such as Vagner, Mauru, or Fabricio, crossing dirt tracks to the Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck and Viana Desert. Quads, fuel, safety equipment, water, and hotel transfers are included. Expect a small-group ride with three main stops and plenty of time behind the handlebars.

“Amazing trip!!!!! No words for what we saw: ocean, off road, desert and part of the city of Rabil and Sal Rei. The ride provided a dose of adrenaline and fun. Our guide Vagner did everything very well, was very nice and took care of safety! I recommend to everyone who wants to experience the “real Boa Viste”!!!”

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6.Whale Watching Trip with Motoryacht

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 115 reviews · 3 hours · from $94

Join Josie, Sarah, and a local marine biologist for a three-hour humpback whale search off Boa Vista. You’ll transfer by dinghy from Sal Rei to the motoryacht, learn about whale behavior, and watch for mothers, calves, blows, flukes, and breaches from March to May.

“Alles super, freuen uns schon auf die Tour am Samstag”

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7.2-Hour Buggy 1000cc North Island Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 113 reviews

Take a 1000cc side-by-side buggy across northern Boa Vista with a local guide. You’ll follow oasis tracks to Cabo Santa Maria, view the shipwreck, stop at Ponta do Sol, and cross the Viana Desert. Hotel pickup, safety gear, water, fuel, and multilingual guiding are included.

“The best way to explore the island! It was so much fun and would highly recommend”

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8.Boa Vista Island: Northwest & Deserto de Viana 4×4 Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 113 reviews · 4 hours · from $53Best value

Ride through Boa Vista’s northwest with a multilingual guide, stopping at Rabil’s handicraft workshop, the Deserto de Viana dunes, Praia da Atalanta’s Cabo Santa Maria wreck, and Our Lady of Fatima Chapel. Hotel pickup, transport, insurance, and small-group or private options are included.

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9.Beautiful Beaches, Turtles & Djeu Island Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 100 reviews · 7 hours · from $100

Spend seven hours exploring Boa Vista with guides such as Joshua, Veronique, or Axurance. Snorkel calm waters off uninhabited Djeu Island, eat lunch by the beach, then ride a 4x4 to Santa Monica, Shark Bay, Turtle Bay, caves, and Morro de Areia for sandboarding.

“If I could give more stars I would. This trip was amazing from start to finish. Our guide, Axurance, and driver, Mendez, were helpful and professional throughout the trip. The day started at Santa Monica beach, where we were the only ones there, apart from a few crabs running around. We managed to see one small shark but the turtles made up for it. The sandboarding and snorkelling were lots of fun. There were lots of fish. Axurance had lots of energy, singing and dancing and taking lots of photos and videos of us enjoying the day. I would recommend this trip to anyone coming to Boa Vista.”

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10.Boa Vista Island Full-Day North to South Discovery

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 79 reviews · 8 hours · from $94

Spend eight hours crossing Boa Vista with a multilingual local guide such as Silvio. Visit dunes, caves, Santa Monica Beach, Povoação Velha, Rabil’s pottery school, Sal Rei, a shipwreck, and Viana Desert. Lunch, one drink, and hotel pickup are included.

“Très bonne journée en compagnie de notre guide qui parlait français. Les paysages sont à couper le souffle. Nous visitons beaucoup de lieux d'intérêt du sud de l'île. Ce serait super de pouvoir profiter un peu plus longtemps des plages et du désert. Le repas compris dans le prix de la journée est très bon.”

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11.Short Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 76 reviews · 2 months · from $53

Join Diving Center Riamar for a two-hour snorkeling trip in Sal Rei Bay. A short boat ride reaches Djeu Island or the Zans wreck, where shallow water suits beginners. Afterward, stroll Djeu Island, see its lighthouse and Portuguese-era cannons, and relax on the sand.

“Yesterday I waited half an hour for the driver to come pick me up. When the program organizer finally called me back, they said the program was canceled, didn't they tell me? They didn't say anything. I was supposed to go today but again no communication, I want my money back and the time I wasted!!! This is a scam!”

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12.2h North Buggy Adventure 1000cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews Top rated

Drive a powerful 1000cc buggy along Boa Vista’s north coast with a guide, passing through Via Pitoresca, the remote Cabo Santa Maria beach and its 1968 shipwreck, then stopping at Ponta do Sol for broad island views. Helmets, glasses, water, fuel, and hotel pickup are included.

“Be aware you need to bring your driving licence and the pick up is at 1 from your hotel - this isn’t sign posted anywhere. It seemed one rule for one another for others apart from that the guides were friendly, informative . There isn’t much to do on the island so this was something good fun for a few hours”

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13.Sal Rei, Santa Monica Beach, Caves, Dunes & Shipwreck Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 67 reviews · 6 hours · from $94

Travel across Boa Vista in a certified, air-conditioned vehicle with a local guide such as Nicole. Visit Varandinha Cave, Santa Monica Beach, the Viana Desert, and the MS Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck, with time for Sal Rei and a possible beach lunch.

“Super nette Tourenleitung mit Nicole, die uns geduldig alle Fragen auf Deutsch beantwortet hat. Auf den Pickup‘s ist es teils schon sehr anstrengend, vor allem Richtung Schiffswrack. Ansonsten kann ich die Tour allen für den ersten groben Überblick empfehlen - alles drin. Das Essen am Strand von Santa Monica: top! Nur leider über die GJG-Buchung nicht inklusive, bei den Locals wäre sie inbegriffen. Haben wir leider zu spät gecheckt…”

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14.Guided turtle tour in a group in Boa Vista

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 67 reviews · from $104

Join Cabokaitours for an evening turtle watch from Boa Vista to Ervatão. Guides including Kai and Minesh explain the loggerhead nesting process before you observe egg laying or hatchlings. The group is limited to 12, with hotel pickup, roughly two hours on the beach, and a return after about five hours.

“Fantastic tour! We were picked up at around 8pm from our hotel and taken on a short drive to the beach. Our guide was fantastic and gave us all of the necessary knowledge about the loggerheads turtles before we saw them. We saw well ovRead more”

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15.Boa Vista 4h South Buggy Adventure 1000cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 62 reviews

Drive a powerful 1000cc buggy across Boa Vista’s sandy south coast with a guide from No Limits Adventure. Stop at Praia de Chaves, Morro de Areia, Verandinha’s natural arch, and huge Santa Monica Beach. The four-hour trip includes helmets, glasses, fuel, water, pickup, and drop-off.

“What a fantastic time we had, we were a bit apprehensive over the cost but decided to take the plunge and were were so glad that we did. What value for money we had, a great group of adrenaline junkies who all put their foot down and enjoyed the sheer thrill of the varioRead more”

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