MapCape VerdeSal Rei, Boa VistaPraia Carlota (Estoril)Sal Rei, Boa Vista

Praia Carlota (Estoril)

Sal Rei - Boa Vista

also known as Praia Carlotta, Praia do Estoril, Estoril Beach, Sal Rei

Part of Sal Rei, Boa Vista →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–May

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-30 kt

Character: trade

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

24.8 °C in summerIlheu de Sal Rei protects the bay from open Atlantic swell, leaving flat to small-chop water close to the beach

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

International Airport (BVC)

Transfer times under Getting there

NE and NNE trade winds

11:00 · 14:00 · 17:00

The NNE trade reportedly stabilizes around 11:00 and eases around 17:00; a competing account has the winter NE starting around 14:00.

The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Ilheu de Sal Rei / Djeuno page yet
Leoano page yet
Funanano page yet
Ponta Antoniono page yet
Santa Monicano page yet
Varandinhano page yet

The spot

Location and water

Praia Carlota runs into Praia do Estoril just south of Sal Rei, a short walk from town, and it is where kiting on Boa Vista happens. Ilheu de Sal Rei sits offshore and takes the Atlantic swell off the bay, so the inside is flat to lightly choppy over sand, with waves farther out and around the reef sections.

Wind and water conditions

The winter trade blows NNE to NE, which here is cross-offshore to offshore. Smooth water, and a good reason to care about your upwind ability and about who has a boat.

Facilities

Kitekriol, Duotone Pro Center Boa Vista, Wind Sports Center and Ocean Adventure all work the beach, with rescue boats, storage, rental gear and lessons.

Season and development

Season is November to April or May, January to March the windiest stretch, though the operator pages disagree on speeds and on the hour the wind fills in. It is developed by Boa Vista standards, with beach bars and Sal Rei behind the sand, and the bay is big enough that it stays roomy.

Skill levels

Beginners learn here under a school, intermediates get the flat water, and stronger riders go out to the waves, toward Djeu and Ilheu de Sal Rei, or downwind around the island.

The wind

locals call it NE/NNE trade winds

Direction

cross-offwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

cross-off

Dominant direction

NNE to NE through the main winter trade-wind season; SW winds are also reported in summer.

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

7-12 m across the season. For a 75 kg rider the recommendation is 9-11 m; an 80-85 kg rider will use the 11-12 m end in the November and May shoulder months and a 9 m or smaller through the windier January-March stretch, when the trades run into the high twenties.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

15-30

Typical strength

15-30 kt in the main season, with 15-25 kt quoted generally and 12-16 kt for the winter NE. The three figures do not agree.

Reliable main-season trade wind, but cross-offshore to offshore and sometimes gusty near shore after passing over land/town; cleaner farther from the beach.

Strong wind runs from the end of October through May. The reliable season comes out as November to April, with the schools open from late October to late April; November-May also gets used, January-March strongest and steadiest. Island-wide the kite season is put at November-May with 16-22 kt.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

15 ktJan23°
14 ktFeb22°
14 ktMar22°
14 ktApr22°
14 ktMay23°
12 ktJun23°
10 ktJul24°
9 ktAug26°
10 ktSep27°
12 ktOct27°
13 ktNov26°
14 ktDec24°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station; no windfinder page found for this spot)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	14.5 kt	N	22.2 °C	22.8 °C
Feb	14.4 kt	N	21.7 °C	22.2 °C
Mar	13.9 kt	N	22.2 °C	22.2 °C
Apr	14.2 kt	N	22.8 °C	22.2 °C
May	13.9 kt	N	23.3 °C	22.8 °C
Jun	12.3 kt	N	24.4 °C	23.3 °C
Jul	9.5 kt	N	25.6 °C	24.4 °C
Aug	9 kt	N	27.2 °C	26.1 °C
Sep	10.3 kt	N	27.8 °C	26.7 °C
Oct	11.6 kt	N	26.7 °C	26.7 °C
Nov	12.5 kt	N	25.6 °C	25.6 °C
Dec	13.6 kt	NE	23.3 °C	24.4 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station; no windfinder page found for this spot)

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Vila de Sal Rei, Boa Vista · WeatherSpark (modeled climatology, MERRA-2 reanalysis) · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station; no windfinder page found for this spot)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

The sheltered inside is sand with no obstacles and runs about 1-2 m depending on the tide, so most of the teaching zone is chest-deep or less around mid tide and parts drop under 1 m at low water.You can stand across much of it, which is why it works as a lesson bay - but it also means it is not deep enough for hard landings or a foil close in when the tide is out.

Tides

The bay is shallow enough that the tide changes the usable depth rather than the shape of the spot: roughly 1-2 m over the sheltered sand, dropping under 1 m at low water, which is when jumps and foiling close to the beach stop being sensible. Bigger tide swings also put more current around Ilheu de Sal Rei.

Temperature

24.8 °C summer · 23.1 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 22–27 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts or shorty most of the time; 3/2 mm wetsuit can be useful for wind-chill comfort. Local operators state the water stays above 20 °C year-round.

Currents

Some currents can develop around Ilheu de Sal Rei, especially on larger tide swings; no quantified current data found.

Conditions

Ilheu de Sal Rei protects the bay from open Atlantic swell, leaving flat to small-chop water close to the beach. Outside the sheltered area and around nearby reef/wave sections, riders can find waves from waist to shoulder height or larger depending on swell.

The bottom near the main launch is sand with no obstacles. The water is also said to be deep enough for foiling right from the entry, which conflicts with shallow-water reports at low tide.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The flat sheltered water and school/rescue-boat infrastructure make it a main learning spot, but the offshore component means true beginners should use a school or boat-supported lesson. Independent riders need upwind ability and self-rescue judgment. Advanced riders use the outside wave sections, reefs, Leoa/Funana area, and rides toward Djeu/Ilheu de Sal Rei.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterfreestylebeginner lessonsfoilwave ridingdownwind trips

Who it suitsbeginner

The social hub for kiting on Boa Vista: schools, storage, beach bars and restaurants along the sand. The bay is wide enough that it still does not feel crowded.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

6 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Rescue boats are the point of the setup here, because the wind has an offshore component. Kitekriol runs two rescue boats and watches its clients on the water; Ocean Adventure keeps its own boat for lessons.

Rescue pricing

Wind Sports Center teaches with boat support and sells 2026 rescue tickets at 25 EUR for 1 rescue, 40 EUR for 2 and 60 EUR for 5; go out without a ticket and a pick-up can cost up to 75 EUR. All of it stops when the schools close.

Emergency services

There is no lifeguard, and the national emergency numbers are 130 for an ambulance, 131 fire and 132 police.

Launch

Long sandy bay on Praia Carlota/Praia do Estoril, roughly 5-10 minutes on foot south of central Sal Rei, with kite schools directly on or beside the beach. Main launch has sand and easy access; schools provide beach help and storage.

Hazards riders report 9 reported

Wind

reef sections offshore
offshore component to the wind means riders can be blown out to sea if they can't self-rescue
Cross-offshore to offshore wind can push riders away from the beach and toward open water if they cannot stay upwind.
Gustier wind near shore because the NE/NNE wind passes over land and the town before reaching the beach.

Waves and currents

Very shallow sections at low tide; avoid jumping or hard landings in shallow water.
Currents may develop around Ilheu de Sal Rei on larger tide swings.
Reef and wave zones outside the sheltered flat-water area.
On big-swell days, Wind Sports Center says aggressive shorebreak can stop safety boats from launching and sessions may move to other spots.

Other

No lifeguard/rescue backup outside school operating hours.

Rules & access

1 min read

2022: Praia Carlota is named as the terminal point of the Boa Esperanca Nature Reserve boundary in Cabo Verde's protected-area decree, and adjacent marine strips up to 300 m form part of the reserve description. No Praia Carlota kite permit, zoning map or seasonal kite ban is published by the municipality or by the operators.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Buy a rescue ticket or ride with a school if you are not fully independent, because the wind here has an offshore component.
Check the tide before you jump close in; low water leaves very little under you.
If the wind feels gusty on the beach, go farther out for cleaner air, but stay inside rescue cover and inside your upwind range.
Ask in the morning whether the safety boats can launch, because big swell and shorebreak stop them.
Stay in Sal Rei or Estoril so you can walk down and watch the window instead of paying for a transfer every day.
Ask the schools about guided downwinders toward Varandinha or a trip to Ponta Antonio, and give the turtles room when they surface next to you.

Getting there

Airport

Boa Vista-Rabil / Aristides Pereira International Airport (BVC)

Route

Fly into BVC, then taxi or pre-arranged school transfer to Sal Rei/Praia Carlota. The beach is walkable from Sal Rei and nearby Estoril accommodations, so a rental car is not needed for daily sessions.

Transfer

About 10 minutes by car from BVC to the center/beach; travel-time estimates give 6 minutes from Sal Rei to BVC, while some transfer operators quote 15-20 minutes to Sal Rei.

Cost level

medium; Wind Sports Center quotes a 15 EUR one-way airport transfer, and beach restaurant meals run around 15-30 EUR with local wine versus 5-10 EUR away from the beach.

Staying

Sal Rei and Estoril apartments and hotels within walking distance of Praia Carlota are the base worth booking. Vila de Sal Rei has the apartments the schools point people at, and one of the centres runs a surf camp of its own.

No-wind days

Surfing, SUP, wingfoil/foil in lighter wind, snorkeling/diving around the islets, beach restaurants in Sal Rei/Estoril, island tours to Deserto de Viana, Santa Monica, Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck, Varandinha cave, turtle-watching in season, and cultural/restaurant evenings in Sal Rei.

Photos

aerial view of Sal Rei incl. port/coast, 1028m — Bjørn Christian Tørrissen / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Praia Carlota?

The peak season runs November to April or May, with January to March the strongest and most consistent wind.

Is Praia Carlota suitable for beginners?

Yes; schools operate directly on the sheltered, flat sandy bay with rescue boats, though the offshore wind component means true beginners should stay with a school.

What is the wind like at Praia Carlota?

NNE to NE trade winds blow cross-off, typically 15-30 knots, stabilizing around 11am and easing by evening.

Are there kite schools at Praia Carlota?

Yes; Kitekriol, Duotone Pro Center Boa Vista, Wind Sports Center and Ocean Adventure all operate on or beside the beach with rescue boats and rental gear.

Is rescue available at Praia Carlota?

Yes, from local schools; Wind Sports Center sold 2026 rescue tickets from 25 EUR for one rescue up to 60 EUR for five, with a higher fee if rescued without a ticket.

The bigger pictureEverything about Sal Rei - Boa Vista

Last updated: August 2026