The 15 Best Cape Verde Snorkeling Tours

1.Santa Maria: Guided Snorkeling and Reef Tour

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

Review of Sal’s Santa Maria snorkeling tour, with reef sites, turtles, shipwrecks, safety advice, pricing, and practical booking tips.

“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.”

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2.Santa Maria: Snorkeling Boat Tour

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

Review of Santa Maria’s 2-hour Nando Tours snorkeling trip, with turtles, shipwrecks, fish, safety advice, prices, and practical tips.

“Great day for me and my 7 year old son. Guides and staff were informative and friendly , saw lots of fish and a wonderful turtle. The guide takes a go pro and sends the pics afterwards, so you have lots of memories of the day. Right amount of time to go with children (2 hours)”

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3.From Mindelo: São Vicente’s Enchanting Sea Turtle Snorkeling

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

Swim with sea turtles in São Pedro, São Vicente, with hotel or port transfers, local guides, snorkeling gear, and flexible cancellation.

“Our guide, Eddie, was incredibly helpful, kind, and patient. He guided us close to the turtles and stayed with us. It was my first time and I would definitely do it again !”

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4.São Vicente: Snorkel with Sea Turtles Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 111 reviews · 1 hour · from $70

Review of São Vicente’s sea turtle snorkeling trip: what to expect, value, guides, family suitability, swimming time, and practical tips.

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5.Boa Vista: Beautiful Beaches, Turtles & Djeu Island Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 100 reviews · 7 hours · from $100

Review of Boa Vista’s Djeu Island snorkel and south coast tour, with turtles, sharks, beaches, sandboarding, lunch, and practical tips.

“Book this Tour!!!very high recommended! Amazing Guide Joshua did an awesome Job! We started with a little delay due to other customers (not Gils or Joshuas fault!!!) -but no stress! we were picked up and had a nice boat trip to Djeu Island for Snorkeling, Joshua is a very smart guy and knows a lot of the small island and about Cap Verde over all. He took us to Tortuga Beach for very good lunch, showed us the local African Market which was additional for this tour, then we got on the Pick up Truck for Sandboarding which is a lot of fun, then to the turtle and shark bay…”

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6.Short Snorkeling Trip

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

Review of Boa Vista’s two-hour snorkeling trip to Sal Rei Bay and Djeu Island, with prices, transport tips, safety notes, and honest drawbacks.

“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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7.From Mindelo: Snorkel and Swim with Sea Turtles

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 58 reviews · 1 hour · from $68

Swim and snorkel with sea turtles near São Vicente for $68, with hotel pickup, a small group, boat ride, gear, and expert guidance.

“Hat alles super funktioniert und ich hatte riesigen Spaß mit den Schildkröten.”

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

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

Review of Boa Vista’s Gatas Bay snorkeling tour, with coral reefs, tropical fish, lemon sharks, local snacks, transfers, and practical tips.

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9.From Praia: Boat Trip, Snorkeling, Cave & BBQ on the Beach

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

Review of Santiago Island’s Ribeira da Barca boat trip, cave snorkeling, black-sand beach BBQ, costs, guides, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Our driver and guide were great. Activity said snorkeling but there were 6 people and 3 snorkels. The swimming and snorkeling were over the side of the boat in the cave we only stayed for about 15 mins. The current was a bit rough and it was only large rocks to see. BBQ was tasty but beach is very rocky (recommend water shoes) and dirty with no good place to sit. Does seem typical. Overall trip was great but felt expensive.”

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10.São Vicente: 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 tour with boat transport, gear, guides, and hotel or port pickup included.

“Het was magisch, en heel respectvol naar de dieren toe! dank jullie wel!”

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11.Ilha Do Sal: Snorkeling with Local Guide

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

Review of Sal’s 90-minute snorkeling tour, with clear Santa Maria waters, local guides, reef life, shipwreck views, and practical booking advice.

“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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12.Snorkelling trip with certificate local guide

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

Review of Sal’s $50 boat snorkeling trip with turtles, coral, photos, and a local guide, including the itinerary, safety concerns, and value.

“Activité au top!! Si vous voulez nager avec des tortues et des poisson de toutes sortes pendant près de 2h!!!”

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13.Fishing Snorkeling and Barbecue

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 31 reviews · from $92

Review of Boa Vista’s private fishing, snorkeling, and barbecue tour, with fresh-caught fish, Djeu beach, pricing, transport, and tips.

“Amazing time sea fishing with my husband. We caught lots of different types of fish and I had never been fishing before !!! Due to rough seas, was advisable not to snorkel which was wise. We landed on a deserted beach and then had a delicious bbq, eating the fresh fish we had just caught. Absolutely loved the whole day and would definitely recommend to anyone 😊”

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

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

Swim with young sea turtles near São Pedro, Cape Verde, on a one-hour small-group boat trip with pickup from Mindelo.

“Bellissima esperienza. Nuotare in mezzo a queste creature è stato davvero stupendo. C'erano 6-7 tartarughe che stavano lì girando intorno senza paura, è stato possibile sia fotografarle che fare video. Hernani (driver) e Diego (in barca) sono davvero simpatici e ci hanno fatto sentire a nostro agio. Lo rifarei senza dubbio”

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15.Boa Vista: Motoryacht Trip with Fishing, Snorkel, Beach BBQ

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 15 reviews · 6h 30m · from $111

Review of Boa Vista’s motor yacht day trip with fishing, snorkeling, island fort, beach BBQ, drinks, transfers, and practical tips.

“It was very well organised with good communication. Josie and her team are very knowledgeable and quick to address any issues. They all seem to genuinely want guests to have a good time without hustling for tips. Lunch was good in a great location. Small groups so plenty of room on the boat and good toilet facilities on board.”

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