Boa Vista
Boa Vista is a good island to start on as many flights to Cape Verde land here.
The island is renowned for the incredible beaches it has to offer, with over 55 kilometres of sandy coastline. Either visit shipwreck beach, or take things a little further with a diving tour of nearby seabed shipwrecks.
Whales and dolphins can often be spotted here around Sal Rei, and there are lots of boat tours to take you out and catch a glimpse.
The whole island of Boa Vista is covered in sand and dunes, with old buildings swallowed and buried under a blanket of white and gold. If you hire a quad bike you can head out to Praia de Chaves, a sand-sunken ceramics factory which still has all its machines inside.