We partner with Rewilding Britain to help protect our natural spaces for future adventures.
All centres are vetted for safety and quality. Your adventure is in good hands with adventuro.
Two morning quad rides sit on this booking: a 2-hour run to the Cabo Santa Maria wreck, or a 4-hour southern loop to Santa Monica beach. Hotels in Rabil and Sal Rei are on the collection list, with the briefing in Rabil. You ride a single quad per person on the circuit you choose.
Pickup from Rabil or Sal Rei comes first, then the same vehicle briefing in Rabil before either circuit leaves town. Drivers show a Category B licence here. The shorter ride heads east to Praia de Atalanta, where the Cabo Santa Maria has sat on the sand for about 50 years, then returns through volcanic ground and Floresta Clotilde on the Via Pitoresca. Time on the beach is for wreck photos before the convoy turns for home.
South is the longer line, through Povoação Velha, the first village on Boa Vista, where some clay-brick houses and thatched roofs still stand. From there the route reaches Santa Monica beach for time on the sand and a swim if the sea allows, continues along the south-eastern coast to the Varandinha limestone caves, and finishes toward Morro de Areia Nature Reserve. Book the option you want rather than treating these as one combined length. Drop-off is at your hotel after either circuit.
Wind lifts dust off the sand tracks around Rabil, the second town on Boa Vista and the usual briefing point for quads. Sal Rei sits a short drive north beside the island's main bay, which is why collection covers hotels in both towns before you reach the start.
The wreck ride stays on the eastern shore around Praia de Atalanta. The Santa Monica ride crosses to the south, passing clay-brick houses in Povoação Velha, the long beach, the sea-cut caves at Varandinha, and the dunes of Morro de Areia.
Dust and sun sit close to the quad on both circuits, so bring water and closed-toe shoes if you can, plus trousers or a bandana. Anyone driving needs a valid Category B driving licence and should be ready for sand, rock, and uneven tracks under guidance.
Previous quad experience is not required. Shorts are fine if you do not have longer trousers. Both products are rated easy, and the pace is set after the Rabil briefing. Choose the 2-hour wreck ride for a shorter window, or the 4-hour Santa Monica ride for the southern loop.
Guides brief you in Rabil and know both the eastern wreck tracks and the southern run to Santa Monica, Varandinha, and Morro de Areia. The return is to your hotel in Rabil or Sal Rei, so you are not left crossing the island on your own.
A single quad per person keeps control simple on sand. Caps stay at 10 on the wreck circuit and 8 on the Santa Monica circuit, so the convoy stays manageable on narrow dune lines.
No. You choose one of two separate quad rides when you book. Take the 2-hour ride to the Cabo Santa Maria wreck if you want a shorter eastern circuit, or the 4-hour ride to Santa Monica if you want the southern loop.
The two options are not one merged day. Pickup, briefing, and drop-off sit on whichever ride you select, and the live calendar shows the times for that ride only.
The Cabo Santa Maria wreck ride lasts two hours from the Rabil briefing through Praia de Atalanta, the wreck stop, Floresta Clotilde, and the return on the Via Pitoresca. Hotel pickup and drop-off sit around that core window.
The Santa Monica ride lasts four hours and adds Povoação Velha, Santa Monica beach, the Varandinha caves, and Morro de Areia Nature Reserve. Book the length you want, because the day you get depends on the ride you choose.
A Category B driving licence has to be shown before a quad leaves Rabil. We cannot let you ride without that document, because both circuits use public tracks and sand routes on Boa Vista.
Each booking is a single quad per person, so plan on driving yourself unless the live options show a passenger arrangement for your date. Bring the licence to pickup so the briefing stays short and the convoy can leave on time.
Rabil and Sal Rei hotels are on the collection list, with a briefing in Rabil before either circuit. We drop you back at the hotel when your chosen ride ends.
Share your hotel name when you book so we can set a collection time that matches the 2-hour or 4-hour departure. The meeting town is Rabil, which is the second town on the island and the usual start for these quad tracks.
That circuit follows sand and rock tracks from Rabil toward Praia de Atalanta, where the Cabo Santa Maria has sat on the beach for about 50 years. You have time on the sand for photos of the wreck, which is a well-known landmark on Boa Vista.
From the beach you ride through volcanic ground and the acacia stands of Floresta Clotilde, then return to Rabil on the Via Pitoresca. The whole guided loop is two hours, then we take you back to your hotel.
After the Rabil briefing you pass Povoação Velha, the first village on Boa Vista, where some clay-brick houses and thatched roofs still stand. The route then reaches Santa Monica beach, a long pale strand on the south of the island, with time on the sand and a swim if the sea allows.
You continue along the south-eastern coast to the Varandinha limestone caves, cut by the sea into the dunes, and finish toward Morro de Areia Nature Reserve before hotel drop-off. That southern loop is the four-hour ride.
The 2-hour wreck ride runs with a maximum of 10 guests. The 4-hour Santa Monica ride runs with a maximum of 8 guests. Both start from a minimum of one, so a solo rider can still join when a date is open.
Those caps are per ride, not a single combined group. When you book, the live system holds you on the ride you chose, so the convoy size matches that circuit only.
Dust lifts off both quad circuits, so pack closed-toe shoes plus a bandana and trousers if you own them. The sun sits high even on the shorter wreck ride, and sand gets into open footwear quickly.
Shorts are acceptable if you do not have longer trousers. We do not provide clothing, so pack these items the night before pickup. Bring any sun protection you already travel with.
Quad tracks on Boa Vista are only mildly affected by everyday wind and haze, which are common on this island. Light cloud or a breeze does not usually stop a departure, and the sand routes to Atalanta or Santa Monica still run in those conditions.
If a storm or flooding makes the tracks unsafe, we will contact you about moving the booking. Keep an eye on the messages we send after you book, and have a flexible morning or afternoon if the forecast looks unsettled.
A 100% cancellation fee applies if you cancel 2 days or less before the quad ride. The fee drops to 50% when you cancel 6 days or less before, and it is 0% if you cancel up to 1000 days before the event.
Quads and guide slots are held for the circuit you booked. Get in touch as soon as plans shift if you want to try the other ride length or another morning from Rabil.
About the centre
Rabil
We run guided outdoor adventures across the Cape Verde archipelago, from volcanic ridge walks and valley hikes to boat trips, snorkelling, and off-road tours on sand and lava trails. Local guides lead each trip with knowledge of island paths, Atlantic conditions, and the rhythms of each community you visit.
Whether you join a morning snorkel, a full-day hike on Santo Antão, or an off-road run to a shipwreck on Boa Vista, you get small-group attention and a clear briefing before you set out. Book the dates and islands that fit your trip, and we keep you informed about meeting times and what to bring.
Operated by Bu Country Turismo SU, Lda, a partner of adventuro.
