Turtle Watching in Cape Verde: The 15 Best Tours

1.Sea Turtle Watching Experience on Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 446 reviews · from $41Our pick

Join Sal Experiences for an evening turtle-watching trip from Santa Maria. After hotel pickup, you ride to a quiet beach, learn from guides such as Nany, Dani, and Chan, then watch nesting turtles by infrared light. Wear dark clothes and comfortable shoes. The exact pickup time varies between 7:30 PM and 10:30 PM.

“A genuine natural marvel - spectacular to witness. I didn’t expect to get so close - I could have reached out and touched the turtle’s shell. The guides were very knowledgable, answering all questions in detail, and importantly they are very keen to minimise disturbance to the turtles. Would definitely recommend this experience.”

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

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

Join guides such as Veronique, Joshua, or Gil for a half-day 4x4 trip across Boa Vista. You will sandboard at Morro de Arreia, look for turtles and lemon sharks, visit Varandinha caves and Santa Monica Beach, then sample grogue and ponche in Povoação Velha. Wildlife sightings depend on weather and nature.

“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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3.Sal Island Sea Turtle Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 256 reviews · 3 hours · from $37Best value

From Santa Maria, you’ll ride by air-conditioned vehicle to Sal’s quiet beaches, where guides such as Sousa, Johnny Cash, or Anastassi Salsa explain turtle nesting. In a small group of up to 10, you may watch hatchlings reach the sea and a mother lay, cover, and return from her nest. Red lights and strict no-touch rules protect the turtles.

“Brilliant tour. Would 💯 recommend. Really caring and engaging guides. It's currently the cheapest tour option and no need to consider one of the more expensive tours. This is the tour you need 👍👍”

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

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

Spend four hours crossing Boa Vista’s west coast in a 4x4 with guides such as Fredy, Evandro, Anna, and Cristiano. Sandboard at Morro de Areia, look for green turtles and lemon sharks, pause at Santa Monica Beach, then taste snacks, grogue, and pontche in Povoação Velha. Shark sightings depend on tide and sea conditions.

“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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5.São Vicente’s Enchanting Sea Turtle Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 153 reviews · 1h 30m · from $70

Meet your guide in São Pedro, collect snorkeling gear, learn basic safety, then take a short boat ride to a turtle area for time in the water. Pickup and drop-off are included from Mindelo port or your accommodation. Guides speak English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French. Soraya and Eddie have earned special praise for their patient help.

“Alles super, aber vor Ort bekommt man das Schnorcheln für 15€ p. Person.”

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6.Snorkel with Sea Turtles Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 111 reviews · 1 hour · from $70

Travel from your hotel or port to São Pedro, learn the basics from a multilingual guide, then take a short boat ride to a turtle-filled bay. You get about an hour in the water with snorkeling gear and a life jacket. Guide Elder has earned praise for his calm, friendly help, especially with nervous swimmers.

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7.Beautiful Beaches, Turtles & Djeu Island Snorkel

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

Spend seven hours exploring Boa Vista with local guides such as Joshua, Veronique, or Axurance. Snorkel around uninhabited Djeu Island, visit Santa Monica Beach, shark and turtle bays, Praia Varandinha caves, and Morro de Areia dunes. Hotel pickup, equipment, boat transport, lunch, and optional sandboarding are included or available as noted.

“The guides picked us up on time and were super friendly and informative all day with a choice of sitting inside or outside the truck. The activities were in a slightly different order than as described and we were taken to a grogue tasting also which we didn’t expect. The restaurant for lunch was delicious with a great selection of reasonably priced food. Overall a fantastic experience highly recommended!”

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8.Turtle Watching Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 98 reviews · from $45Top rated

From Santa Maria, you’ll be collected for an evening on Sal’s nesting beaches. Guides such as Marta, Jay, and Kenny begin with drinks, snacks, and a turtle-safety briefing in an open glamping tent. Then you walk with red lights and wait quietly for loggerhead turtles to lay their eggs. Groups are limited to 10 people.

“El Tour sé supone que era en español, y sólo se habló en Inglés y portugués. Nuestro guía muy amable y atento”

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9.Guided turtle tour in a group in Boa Vista

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

Join Cabokaitours for a five-hour evening trip from Boa Vista to Ervatão, where you may watch loggerhead turtles lay eggs or see hatchlings reach the sea. The group is limited to 12, with hotel pickup, a briefing, guided beach time, and respectful viewing led by the local team, including Kai and Minesh on some departures.

“We attended this trip as a group of 4 and from start to finish found it equally enthralling and informative. The drive to the nature reserve, through stunning countryside and talking in small villages, was spectacular and saw dusk descend. We thRead more”

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10.Snorkel and Swim with Sea Turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 58 reviews · 1 hour · from $68

From Mindelo, drive to São Pedro, then join guide Diego or another marine professional for a short boat ride and a guided swim with sea turtles. Groups are limited to nine, and your time in the water is capped at 20 minutes to protect the animals. Transport, life jackets, masks, tubes, and insurance are included.

“We highly recommend this tour! 💯👍 A very smart driver picked us up at our hotel in Mindelo. We drove approx. 15 minutes to the beach in Sao Petro. Diego, our tour guide was already there and started immediately to prepare the boot. He gave us security instructions also life jackets. My wife stayed in the boot while I went snorkeling. It was amazing to see the sea turtles and fishes too. Four big ones surrounded me while swimming and snorkeling. After a while even a bigger one showed up. On board again Diego told us about the wildlife and fishing activities in this area. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ka and Andi”

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11.Swimming and Snorkeling Tour with Sea Turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 44 reviews · 1h 30m · from $67

From Mindelo, you’ll ride to São Pedro, board a local fishermen’s boat, and snorkel with sea turtles in clear coastal water. The tour takes up to 12 people, includes gear, lifejackets, transfers, and guides in English, Portuguese, or French. Turtle sightings are guaranteed year-round, with water time limited by local rules.

“Het was magisch, en heel respectvol naar de dieren toe! dank jullie wel!”

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12.4×4 Tour – Sandboard, Shark & Green Turtle’s Bay, Snacks & Drinks

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 44 reviews · from $79

This 4.5-hour Boa Vista outing combines a 4x4 ride, seated sandboarding at Morro de Areia, wildlife stops at Turtle Bay and Shark Bay, and local snacks in Povoação Velha. Guides including Fredy and Christian lead small groups of up to eight, with hotel pickup and a 9:00 am start.

“Exceptional guide who made the trip totally amazing, with an excellent knowledge. Sand boarding was amazing just not walking back up the dune🤣. Seeing both turtles and sharks in natural habitat was perfect.”

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13.3h Turtle Watching Expedition

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 39 reviews · from $76

Travel by hotel pickup to Pesqueiro Grande, Boa Vista, for a guided night walk and turtle watch. Your guide explains Caretta Caretta behavior and low-impact viewing rules before you search the sand for nesting turtles, returning hatchlings, and open-water departures. Josiel has been praised for careful guidance. Sightings are likely, not guaranteed.

“It was unforgettable, the staff was all very friendly, explained everything, and it was the most amazing experience ever ♥️”

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14.Live Snorkeling & Swimming with Sea Turtles in the Atlantic

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 29 reviews · 1 hour · from $57

Meet your guide in Mindelo, ride to São Pedro, and take a short fishing boat trip into the bay. After turtles approach the boat, you enter the Atlantic for guided snorkeling. Hernani, André, Diego, or Lulu may assist, with English, French, or Portuguese available. Touching turtles is not allowed.

“Ver a las tortugas en su hábitat fue una maravilla el guía fue muy explicativo y agradable, la única pega que pongo es que considero que los grupos deberían ser reducidos en nuestra excursión solo íbamos 4 y había algún grupo más pequeño pero llegó un grupo como de 14 personas y nadaban en la misma zona por lo tanto ya se volvió todo agobiante para nada y no estar todo el tiempo chocando con las personas y ya se escondieron más las tortugas asique creo que eso es algo a mirar porque hizo que la experiencia dejará de ser agradable”

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15.Spectacular experience with sea turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 20 reviews · from $61

Travel from Mindelo to São Pedro, board a small fishing boat, and snorkel near young sea turtles in the bay. A guide gives a safety briefing and controls the encounter, with no touching allowed. Pickup from your hotel or Porto Grande pier is offered, and groups are limited to 12 people.

“It was a great experience. As promised we saw sea Turtles, approximately 4 of them. The guide was able to interact and play with them. It was shorter than the hour promised but the tides were strong that day so very understandable. We alwRead more”

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