Die schönsten Strände auf Boa Vista: Strand- und Küstenführer
Boa Vista has more than 55 kilometers of white-sand coastline, and almost none of it looks the same. The west coast holds the resorts, the sheltered swimming water, and the sunsets. The south is a vast, empty wilderness of dunes and heavy surf. The north and east are rugged, hard to reach, and home to a famous shipwreck and some of the most important turtle nesting beaches in the Atlantic.
West Coast Beaches: Resort Hubs, Watersports & Sunsets
This is where most visitors spend their time, and with good reason. The west coast combines the island's most reliable swimming water with its best facilities and its finest sunsets.
Praia de Chaves
Praia de Chaves is a long, sweeping beach where sand dunes roll down to meet the ocean, backed by several of the island's major resorts. It's a spectacular place for long coastal walks, particularly toward the dunes at either end, and the westward aspect makes it one of the best sunset beaches on Boa Vista. Steady wind makes it a natural spot for windsurfing and kitesurfing, but the same exposure means the water is often choppier than it looks from a sun lounger. Check the flags before swimming.
Praia de Estoril
Just south of Sal Rei, Praia de Estoril sits in a sheltered bay with the calmest, most family-friendly swimming water on the island. It has the facilities to match: beach bars (chiringuitos), sunbed rentals, and kitesurf centers along the shore. For a straightforward beach day with somewhere to eat and something to do, this is the most practical choice on Boa Vista, and it's walkable from town.
Praia Cabral & Praia Diante
These are the capital's own beaches, running right along Sal Rei. Local fishing boats sit pulled up on the sand beside beachfront restaurants and bars, which gives them a lived-in, everyday character the resort beaches don't have. They're ideal for a short swim, a drink at sunset, or simply watching island life go by, rather than for a full day of sunbathing.
South Coast Beaches: Endless Sands & Remote Wilderness
The south is where Boa Vista becomes genuinely wild. These beaches are among the most beautiful in the Atlantic, and among the least suitable for swimming.
Praia de Santa Mónica
Santa Mónica is the island's crown jewel: a continuous ribbon of undeveloped white sand running for many kilometers along the southern coast, with no buildings, no sunbeds, and often no other people in sight. Walking it is an extraordinary experience.
It is also not a swimming beach. Heavy Atlantic swells, powerful shore breaks, and rip currents make the water dangerous, and there are no lifeguards. Treat Santa Mónica as scenery to walk and photograph, keep to the shallows at most, and never swim alone here.
Praia da Varandinha
Varandinha offers something different again: dramatic limestone rock formations, natural ocean caves carved into the shore, and quiet stretches of sand between them. It's one of the most photogenic spots on the island and a highlight of most southern 4x4 excursions. The rocks are sharp and the swell can surge into the caves, so wear sturdy shoes and keep well back from the water's edge when waves are running.
Lacacão Beach (Praia de Lacacão)
In the island's isolated southern corner, Lacacão is a wide, open beach anchored by a single large resort. The shoreline is broad, the ocean views are uninterrupted, and the sense of remoteness is complete. It's a long drive from Sal Rei, which is exactly the point for guests staying there, but it means little in the way of independent facilities nearby.
North & East Coast Beaches: Shipwrecks & Wildlife Sanctuaries
The far coasts are the hardest to reach and the most rewarding to see, for entirely different reasons.
Praia Atalanta (Cabo Santa Maria Beach)
The northern shore is home to the island's most photographed landmark: the rusting hulk of the Cabo Santa Maria, a cargo ship that ran aground here decades ago and has been slowly disintegrating into the Atlantic ever since. Set against empty sand and breaking surf, it's a striking sight. Access is by 4x4 across the northern desert tracks, usually as part of an organised excursion. The wreck is fragile and corroded, so admire it from the beach rather than climbing on it, and the surf here is strong, so swimming isn't advisable.
Ervatão & João Barrosa Beaches
These remote eastern beaches are among the most important Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting grounds anywhere in the region. They are protected areas with restricted access, monitored by conservation organisations during the nesting season.
These are not beaches to visit casually. Access is limited, and night visits are only possible on guided tours with certified conservation guides, who run the patrols under strict rules. Booking one of those tours is both the right way and the only responsible way to see them.
Which Beach for Which Day?
If you're deciding where to spend tomorrow, this is the short version.
Best for Safe Swimming: Praia de Estoril and Sal Rei Bay. Sheltered water, facilities on hand, and the most reliable conditions for children and casual swimmers.
Best for Solitude & Photography: Praia de Santa Mónica and Praia da Varandinha. Empty sand, dunes, caves, and rock formations, with almost no one else around.
Best for Watersports: Praia de Chaves and Sal Rei Bay. Consistent wind, open space, and the island's kite and windsurf centers.
Best for Sightseeing & Landmarks: Praia Atalanta. The Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck is the island's signature image.
Best for Wildlife Observation: Ervatão and João Barrosa. Protected nesting beaches, accessible only on guided conservation tours.
Ocean Safety & Environmental Etiquette
Boa Vista's beaches demand more respect than most. Both the ocean and the ecosystem are less forgiving here than they look.
Understanding Atlantic Ocean Hazards
The open beaches face powerful shore breaks, undertows, and rip currents, and red flags are common rather than exceptional. A red flag means swimming is prohibited, a yellow flag means caution, and a green flag means conditions are calm. Away from the resort beaches there are no flags and no lifeguards at all, so judge conditions carefully, stay within your depth, and never swim alone on an empty beach. If you are caught in a current pulling you out, don't fight it directly: swim parallel to the shore until you're free of it, then come back in.
Turtle Nesting & Dune Protection
Driving quad bikes or 4x4s on dunes and white-sand nesting zones is prohibited and genuinely damaging, since tyre ruts trap hatchlings and destabilise dune systems that take years to recover. Stay on established tracks.
During the nesting season, beaches at night belong to the turtles. No white flashlights, no phone torches, and no flash photography: bright light disorients nesting females and leads hatchlings away from the sea. Keep your distance, never touch a turtle or a hatchling, and visit nesting beaches only with certified conservation guides.
Practical Beach Day Checklist & FAQs
A beach day here needs a little more preparation than most, especially away from the resorts.
What to Pack
Reef-safe sunscreen and plenty of it, since the wind hides how strong the sun is. Polarised sunglasses and a hat. Wind protection, including a light layer for exposed beaches and a buff or bandana for blowing sand. A dry bag to keep phones and cameras safe from sand and spray. Water shoes for rocky stretches like Varandinha. And, for any remote beach, far more drinking water than you think you need, plus snacks and shade, because there is nothing out there at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which beach is safest for children? Praia de Estoril and the sheltered water of Sal Rei Bay are the best choices, with the calmest conditions, beach bars and facilities nearby, and other people around. Resort beaches on the west coast can also be fine on calm days, provided you follow the flags. Avoid the long open beaches such as Santa Mónica entirely with children, since the shore break and currents there are dangerous even for strong adult swimmers.
Do I need a 4x4 vehicle to reach Santa Mónica Beach? Yes. Santa Mónica, Varandinha, and Praia Atalanta are all reached over sand and dirt tracks that a standard 2WD car cannot handle, and rental insurance typically excludes off-road damage. Most visitors go on an organised 4x4 or buggy excursion, which is simpler and safer than self-driving, since the guides know which tracks are passable.
Are there public facilities or restrooms on the remote beaches? No. Santa Mónica, Varandinha, Atalanta, and the eastern nesting beaches have no restrooms, showers, cafés, sunbeds, or shade of any kind. Use facilities before you set out, carry everything you'll need, and take all rubbish back with you.
Continue Planning Your Trip
For sea conditions, wind seasons, and the best months for swimming, read our Boa Vista Weather, Wind & Ocean Guide. To find out how to reach the remote beaches, see Getting Around Boa Vista. And for entry rules, packing, and ocean safety basics, our First-Timer's Guide to Boa Vista has you covered.
Map of Beaches in BoaVista
- Praia das Dunas
- Praia Carlota
- Praia do Estoril
- Praia de Cabral
- Praia da Atalanta
- PRAIA DO SILVA
- Praia das Gatas
- Praia do Mosquito
- Reserva Natural Tartaruga
- Ervatão
- Praia de João Barrosa
- Curral Velho
- Praia De Carquejinha
- Praia do Curralinho
- Praia de Santa Mónica
- Praia do Curralinho
- Praia da Varandinha
- Chaves Beach