Turtle watching in Cape Verde
Cape Verde has the third-largest population of nesting loggerhead turtles in the world, with most nesting on the beaches on Sal and Boavista between July and October.
We’ve been arranging holidays to Cape Verde for over 20 years and have seen an evolution in the type of turtle watching experiences you can enjoy. We’ll talk about what to expect if you join a group experience on Sal or Boavista, and why swimming with turtles on Sao Vicente may be a better choice.
Loggerhead turtles come to shore to nest on Boavista and Sal between July and October, with August usually being the optimum month for observations. Turtle watching can be an incredibly memorable experience but has become increasingly ‘touristy’ on Sal and Boavista. Though there are conservation guidelines that tour operators adhere to, we feel that the number of people on these tours is becoming detrimental to the experience. If you are visiting Sal or Boavista, we can certainly book an experience for you but wanted to be transparent about the fact that multiple groups are likely to be visiting the same beaches during turtle nesting season.
If a quieter and more unique experience is what you are looking for, then we recommend swimming with turtles on Sao Vicente. Head out from Sao Pedro beach on a rib and get into the water to see turtles in their marine habitat. There are so many turtles swimming in the waters here, it’s almost a guarantee that you will see one.
If seeing turtles laying their eggs at night or hatchlings make a bid for the ocean is a bucket list experience for you, then we would recommend Costa Rica or Sao Tome and Principe . With large numbers of turtles coming ashore at multiple sites across both destinations, the experiences here are fantastic and less crowded.
If you have any questions that you would like to ask about turtle-watching experiences, do get in touch.
