traction
From stargazing to sand dunes, Cape Verde’s quieter island of Boa Vista offers plenty of reasons to skip the sunlounger, finds Katie McGonagle
DESTINATIONS CAPE VERDE | WINTER SUN
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tepping out of the warmly lit restaurant, I’m engulfed by darkness. The surrounding
desert dunes that stretched as far as the eye could see when we arrived just before sunset have been swallowed up by an inky expanse, with hardly any light to interrupt the vast night sky. Then I look up. As my eyes adjust, and with stargazing guides on hand to help, the tiny white pinpricks of clusters and constellations begin to shine brighter than ever. We peer through a high-powered telescope at the rough, crater-filled surface of the moon then spy Jupiter shining in reflected light, before following our expert guides over the dunes of the Viana Desert to a spot well away from even the gentle glow of the restaurant. We spread out blankets and lie back, nothing but billowing sand dunes around us and the dark sky sparkling with stars above. Here, Cape Verde’s remoteness really becomes clear.
WESTERN WONDER This scattering of Atlantic isles 350 miles off the coast of West Africa is about as far from any light pollution as it’s possible to be. It might have come to many people’s attention only
recently, when the football team for this tiny country of half a million people qualified for its first Fifa World Cup, but it’s long been on the radar for sun seekers in search of good value. Tiny as they are, these 10 volcanic islands have played an outsized role in world history, drawing Portuguese traders to their shores since the mid-15th century. The archipelago remained under European rule until it established independence in 1975, celebrating its 50th anniversary last July. “Now, we feel like Africans,” says tour guide Paulo Lima, who hails from São Vicente island. Hints of this heritage remain, with
Portuguese still the official language, although Cape Verdean Creole is more widely spoken. Most tourists head to Sal, home of sandy beaches and well-priced hotels, but I had opted for quieter Boa Vista. Last year, Tui added a non-stop flight from East Midlands to the island, operating twice a week in summer and once in winter, in addition to its direct Gatwick service.
GOLDEN MOMENTS That quiet side is never more evident than on Santa Monica Beach – named after its California counterpart – a seven-mile stretch
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travelweekly.co.uk 15 JANUARY 2026 41
PICTURE: Tui
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