15 Guided Tours in Cape Verde to Build a Day Around

1.Island Experience Tour with a Certified Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,249 reviews · 7 hours · from $41Our pick

Spend seven hours touring Sal with a local guide such as Tony, Christian, Nany, or Kiki. You will visit Shark Bay, float in Pedra de Lume’s salt crater, see Buracona’s Blue Eye, and pass through Santa Maria, Palmeira, Espargos, and Murdeira. Transport, hotel pickup, guide photos, and a natural pool swim are included. Lunch and entry fees cost extra.

“Our guide, he was funny, informative, clear, lovely lovely man❤️ We loved all the experiences especially the floating in salt water and in the sea with lemon sharks, thank you”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Experience on Sal Island with native and certified guide (including sharks)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,166 reviews · from $36Top rated

Spend about seven hours touring Sal with a certified local guide such as Nany or Christian. See lemon sharks at Shark Bay, float in Pedra de Lume’s salt crater, visit Buracona’s Blue Eye, and explore Palmeira, Espargos, Santa Maria, Murdeira, and Kite Beach. Hotel pickup, transport, insurance, and guide photos are included.

“Excellent value for money. Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining. The roads are pretty bad and you get bumped around in the minibus but not enough to spoil the day.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Guided Snorkeling and Reef Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 809 reviews · 2 hours · from $44

You’ll leave Santa Maria by low-sided Zodiac, fit a wetsuit and mask, then snorkel reefs near Farol, Bolama wreck or the bay, depending on sea conditions. Guides such as Adi, Ade and Addy have helped nervous beginners, while the crew keeps watch for turtles, rays, moray eels, reef fish and the shallow wreck.

“What a fantastic experience. I swam above two separate turtles and is the highlight of my trip now. Truly wonderful and unforgettable experience. We also visited a shipwreck. The water is choppy and I loved it being out on the open waters. Would definitely recommend as long as you don't mind a few waves.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Guided Full-Day Highlights Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 414 reviews · 6 hours · from $69

Travel Sal in a small group of up to 10 with a guide such as Alejandro or Miguel. Visit Santa Maria, Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona, Espargos, Shark Bay, and Pedra de Lume, with lunch in a local home, hotel transfers, and a clean minibus included.

“Excellent. Well worth the money payed. Our toy guide was fun and had great knowledge of the island”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Electric Beach Bike – Guided Tour in Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 349 reviews · from $34Best value

Ride from Santa Maria across Sal’s southern coast on a powerful electric bike. Guides such as Mo, Fort, Forza, and Jack lead small to medium groups past beaches, dunes, salt mines, nature areas, and local neighborhoods, with time for a swim and a beach-bar stop. The 4-hour route suits riders who want sightseeing without a hard workout.

“Great fun, got to see more of the island with a knowledgeable guide who told us a bit more about their history.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Ilha do Sal: Buggy with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 197 reviews · from $61

Drive a powerful buggy from Santa Maria across Sal’s rough interior, salt flats, beaches, and mountain tracks. Guides such as Thiago, Dominic, and Scooby Do explain the route and safety steps. The tour includes fuel, insurance, helmet, and city pickup. Shark Bay costs about €3 extra and gets you close to lemon sharks in shallow water.

“It was great fun. One comment: in our aplication it was not said we need to be at pick up point 30 minutes earlier. Maybe You can improve it and avoid further confusions. anyhow we recommend strongly recommend it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Secrets of a Native Guide Day trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 139 reviews · 7 hours · from $65

Spend seven hours touring Sal with a local guide such as Kiki, Chan, Jackson, or Cristian. Visit Santa Maria, Buracona’s Blue Eye, Palmeira, Shark Bay, and Pedra de Lume. Swim in natural pools and salt water, see lemon sharks, and enjoy a lunch stop with fish, meat, pasta, or vegetarian choices.

“the Guide was very friendly, complete with the explanations and spoke very well. definitely worth the price paid”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Santo Antão Day Trip with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 101 reviews · from $147

Join a local guide such as Maira, Riva, or Lea for a full-day crossing of Santo Antão from Mindelo. Ride the ferry, visit Cova de Paúl, follow the Corda Road, stop in Ponta de Sol and Ribeira Grande, then reach green Vale de Paúl. Lunch is not included.

“Très belle journée. Notre guide Riva parle très bien français et nous a donné toutes les explications sur le cap vert et son île Je recommande , très belle île luxuriante”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Island tour with German-speaking guide for cruise guests

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 91 reviews · 5 hours · from $88

Spend five hours touring Santiago Island with a German-speaking local guide such as Luisa or Louisa, depending on the assigned guide. You will visit Picos, Assomada, Serra Malagueta, Calheta, Santa Cruz, and Praia, with a Batuque dance session and port pickup included. Food and drinks cost extra.

“Hervorragende Insel-Tourguide Louisa (deutsch) - informativ, lustig, offener Umgang”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Praia & Cidade Velha: Guided City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 80 reviews · 4 hours · from $53

Join a local guide such as Amerigo or Walter for a four-hour tour of Praia and Cidade Velha. You’ll visit Plateau, a food market, Banana Street, Pelourinho Square, old church ruins, and Fortaleza Real de São Filipe. Hotel or harbor pickup and drop-off are included, while the fortress costs an optional €5.

“Amerigo nous a fait partager sa connaissance de l'histoire de son pays avec beaucoup de professionnalisme dans un français plus que correct. si vous en avez la possibilité demandez à faire le circuit "à l'envers"( comme nous avons dû le faire du fait des embouteillages du lundi matin): vous commencerez alors par Santiago "historique" et terminerez par Praia "contemporaine". J'airais même préféré commencer par la citadelle de Cidade Velha avant la ville de Cidade Velha. Attention, l'entrée à la citadelle coute 500escudos (5€) par personne.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Quad Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 71 reviews · from $58

Drive a quad or buggy across Sal with a local guide, stopping at salt pans, Serra Negra, Shark Bay, Terra Boa, Buracona, and Palmeira. Dominique is one guide praised for calm, safety-first leadership. Bring your original driving license, sturdy shoes, and gloves if you have them.

“Die verschiedenen Orte und die offene und freundliche Art des Guides”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Highlights of Cidade Velha with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 67 reviews · 3 hours · from $57

Spend three hours exploring Cidade Velha with a local guide such as Yvonne, Ricardo, Andrew, Jose, or Ailton. Walk from the São Filipe Fortress to cathedral ruins, Pelourinho, Banana Street, the São Francisco Convent, and a black-sand beach while learning about Cape Verdean culture, colonization, and slavery. Pickup from Praia is included.

“I don’t very often leave reviews but I wanted to for this trip. The main reason being the guide Ailton. His command and understanding of English is excellent, his knowledge of the trip is brilliant as is his knowledge of his country Cape Verde. He took his time to explain everything, he looked after us and the tour was at the right pace, not rushed at all. We had a really enjoyable morning with Ailton! The car was spotless and the driver also careful and considerate. We would highly recommend this tour! Thank you”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Guided turtle tour in a group in Boa Vista

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

Join Cabokaitours for an evening turtle watch from Boa Vista to Ervatão. After hotel pickup at 6:30 pm, you’ll receive a beach briefing before watching loggerhead turtles lay eggs, or hatchlings reach the water later in the season. Groups are limited to 12, with time for careful photos.

“Fantastic tour! We were picked up at around 8pm from our hotel and taken on a short drive to the beach. Our guide was fantastic and gave us all of the necessary knowledge about the loggerheads turtles before we saw them. We saw well ovRead more”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Guided Santa Monica Beach & Caves Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 45 reviews · 4 hours · from $53

Spend four hours crossing Boa Vista by 4x4, with hotel pickup, a handicraft workshop in Rabil, Povoação Velha, Santa Monica Beach, Varandinha caves, and Chaves Beach. Guides may speak English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, or Italian. Private and small-group options are available.

“Je n’ai pas de point de comparaison donc je peux dire que nous avons vu 3 tortues.Une petite grotte. La magnifique, splendide et superbe plage de santa monica et un tout mini village où il y avait seulement un petit magasin inventé par la première personne qui vous accoste et un autre qui a été ouvert exprès pour nous car j’ai demandé un maillot de foot de taille différente. C’est incroyable cette différence de prix entre le premier qui vous existe chez lui et le deuxième qui a un beau magasin avec les prix affichés et moins chers.J’aurais souhaité voir un plus grand village ou une ville comme Rabil. Là…”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Guided Sal Island City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 39 reviews · 4 hours · from $39

Explore Espargos or Santa Maria with a local guide during a four-hour private or group-friendly city tour. Expect markets, churches, local shops, traditional restaurants, crafts, and practical cultural insight. Guides may include Djhon, Inorlando, Dany, Dias, or João, with pickup and drop-off included.

“Perfecto....nuestro guia inorlando sabe lo que hace....buen profesional”

Check availability →Read our full review