Overview
Cape Verde has the third-largest population of nesting loggerhead turtles in the world, with most nesting on Sal and Boavista.
Loggerhead turtles come to shore to nest on Boavista and Sal between July and October, and August tends to be the optimum month for observations. Turtle watching can be an incredibly memorable experience but we don’t generally recommend it on Cape Verde. Though there are conservation efforts in place and tour operators do adhere to a set of guidelines, we feel that the sheer number of people taking part in the activity is detrimental to the experience. It’s common for multiple tours to go to the same beaches and we have concerns that this could have an impact on the wellbeing of the turtles.
If you would like to enjoy a turtle-watching experience, 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 much more enjoyable, and less crowded. This makes for a better holiday experience, and a better environment for the turtles too.
If you have any questions that you would like to ask about turtle-watching experiences, do get in touch.
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