The 15 Best Snorkelling Trips in Cape Verde

1.Guided Snorkeling and Reef Tour

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

Explore Sal’s reefs by Zodiac, with guided snorkeling, turtles, rays, fish, eels, and a possible wreck for $44.

“The ship wreck was good as lots of tropical fish the. Not much everywhere else and we lost our guide at one point which made us quite scared. Also, did not realise the time had changed from 9:30- 9:10. Only had a message once I booked in August. No reminder a day or two before only the ticket that said 9:30.”

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2.Snorkeling Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 213 reviews · 2 hours · from $44

Review of Nando Tours’ Santa Maria snorkeling trip, with turtles, a shipwreck, colorful fish, safety tips, pricing, and practical advice.

“Great friendly crew who explained everything well. Really enjoyed seeing the variety of fish around the wreck and it was great to see a couple of turtles. Would recommend as a fun family activity”

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3.São Vicente’s Enchanting Sea Turtle Snorkeling

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

Swim with sea turtles in São Pedro on a 90-minute tour from Mindelo, with transfers, gear, local guides, and free cancellation up to 24 hours.

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

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4.Short Snorkeling Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 76 reviews · 2 months · from $53

Snorkel Boa Vista’s shallow bay, spot fish and turtles, then visit Djeu Island on this short, well-priced Cape Verde boat trip.

“Yesterday I waited half an hour for the driver to come pick me up. When the program organizer finally called me back, they said the program was canceled, didn't they tell me? They didn't say anything. I was supposed to go today but again no communication, I want my money back and the time I wasted!!! This is a scam!”

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5.Boa Vista Reef Snorkeling in Gatas Bay / Aperitif with Locals

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 46 reviews · 4 hours · from $67

Snorkel Boa Vista’s Gatas Bay reef, see tropical fish and lemon sharks, then share goat cheese and local drinks in Fundo das Figueiras.

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6.Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Cave & BBQ on the Beach

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 45 reviews · 7 hours · from $129

Explore Santiago by fishing boat, swim in Águas Belas cave, snorkel, and enjoy a beach BBQ from Praia, with practical cost and comfort tips.

“Experiência espetacular, “wild and free”. Tour incrível e recomendo 200%. Guia Cátia e Dany foram incríveis e super prestáveis 🇨🇻❤️”

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7.Swimming and Snorkeling Tour with Sea Turtles

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

Swim with sea turtles off São Vicente on a small-group snorkeling tour with gear, transfers, a local boat, and a 25-minute turtle limit.

“Absolutely lovely experience! We saw many beatiful fishes and there were 3 turtles swimming around, the turtels are very friendly and arent bothered by the people at all.”

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8.Snorkeling Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 43 reviews · from $44

Review of Sal’s Santa Maria snorkeling tour, with reef fish, the Calderinhia wreck, gear, safety, price, timing, and booking advice.

“We never went to any if the sites advertised. They took us to a part where there were barely any reefs or fish. We paid €60 to swim around and look at rocks. Waste of time and money.”

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9.Ilha Do Sal: Snorkeling with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 34 reviews · 1h 30m · from $35

Snorkel Santa Maria Bay for 90 minutes with a local guide, clear water, reef fish, rays, turtles, and a shallow shipwreck for $35.

“Foi tudo muito bom. A simpatia do Alexandre foi contagiante. Senti-me sempre muito à vontade com a experiência que ele demonstrou. Como ponto menos positivo o facto dos óculos de mergulho não vedarem bem”

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10.Snorkeling Experience in Santa Maria Bay by boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 34 reviews · from $34Best value

Review of Santa Maria Bay snorkeling by Zodiac boat, with turtles, tropical fish, hotel pickup, guides, price, and practical advice.

“Great trip pick you up and drop you back to the hotel. Need to be a strong swimmer. But the instructors very helpful and knowledgeable and always there to help.”

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11.Snorkelling trip with certificate local guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 31 reviews · 6 hours · from $50

Snorkel with turtles, coral and colorful fish off Santa Maria, guided by Nando Tours, with boat transfers, gear, photos and videos included.

“'entreprise dangereuse d'abord tu te déshabilles dans la rue le matériel laisse a désirer et c'est dans une poubelle. tu embarque de la plage à la nage jusque au bateau. aucune sécurité n'est respecté. le responsable Mr Nando fait croire qu'il va venir et ne vient pas. on est parti avec deux jeunes ados qui sûrement connaissent le lieux mais un est dans le bateau l'autre devant le groupe deux personnes ont paniqué j'en ai ramener une et la deuxième a paniqué car son tuba a cassé le matériel étant défectueux. il dit que l'activité est accessible au personne de mobilité réduite c'est impossible il dit vu de tortue garantie…”

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12.Fishing Snorkeling and Barbecue

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 31 reviews · from $92

Review of Boa Vista’s private fishing, snorkeling, and barbecue tour, including Djeu, fresh-caught fish, beach time, price, and practical tips.

“Excellent trip couldn’t have been better none stop catching fish, only disappointment was having to pay for the pick up separately as this was included as far as I was concerned.”

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

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

Swim beside sea turtles off São Vicente on a one-hour boat and snorkel trip from Mindelo, with pickup, gear, guides, and small groups.

“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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14.Ribeira da Barca: Boat Trip to the Cave, Snorkeling and BBQ on the beach

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $127Top rated

Explore Santiago’s Ribeira da Barca by boat, snorkel in Aguas Belas caves, and enjoy a beach seafood barbecue with hotel transfers.

“We celebrated our honeymoon in Praia, Cape Verde and did not expect anything like we have. We started our trip with Alex and the taxi driver, Zema. Both very sweet guys and we only took a small car since it was just a private tour for me and my wife. Alex spoke English veRead more”

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15.Snorkeling with Turtles Breathtaking Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 6 reviews · 2 hours · from $88

Swim with green turtles off São Vicente on a small-group boat trip with local fishermen, hotel pickup, gear, and safety briefing.

“Le guide ne nous a pas accompagné, il nous a laissé seul avec le monsieur du bateau qui ne parlait ni français ni anglais. Nous sommes restés 3/4 h au lieu de 2h00. Et comme nous logions à 15 minutes à pied, le guide nous a proposé de rentrer à pied et n’est pas revenu. Nous avons vraiment l’impression de nous faire voler…. Autrement, les tortues sont magnifiques !”

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