Praia de Santa Monica (Portuguese meaning “beach of Saint Monica”) is a sandy beach in the southwestern part of the island of Boa Vista in Cape Verde.
Its total length is approximately 18 km and it extends from the island’s westernmost point (Varandinha) to the island’s southernmost point. It was once called Porto Portugues, the first landing of the Portuguese on the island. The nearest village is Povoacao Velha, 5 km to the north. The beach is an important for laying turtle eggs, which considers itself a protected area commonly known as the Morro de Areia Nature Reserve (Reserva Natural de Morro de Areia) which covers 2,585 hectares and bounds up to around 300 meters within the shoreline as it is being a marine reserve, the reserve is named after the nearby hill. Also in that location are marine life which features fishes and molluscs (mollusks), most of the marine fauna extends up to around 10 meters from the beach where the area is shallow especially in the area up to Joao Valente where the waters are not deep.The beach was voted one of the best in the world by The Telegraph in 2008
Access : Coordinates: 15.977778, -22.831944 / Santa Monica is currently accessible only with organised tours or by 4WD ,ATV or by foot.
. Its dunes connects to that of Praia da Varandinha to the north as the dunes were blown from the north (and not often from the Sahara winds) Further north is a small mountain known as Morro de Areia and east of it Beach length: 18 km Access: road Location: Southwestern Boa Vista, Cape Verde Activities : bike tour , Surf , kite-boarding , no facilities on this beach.
Nearby beaches – Go next : Curralinho / Varandinha.
