Top Tips from Wanda, our Representative on Boa Vista

Wanda, our rep on Boa Vista, has worked with us for over seven years. Here she shares her tips on how to make the most of your Cape Verde holiday.

“My name is Wanda Fernandes. My father is Angolan and my mother is Romanian. We moved to Portugal when I was ten years old.

 

I first visited Cape Verde eight years ago, on holiday with friends to Boa Vista. I was touched by the ‘morabeza’ (hospitality) feeling that I found there. It reminded me of my own country, Angola. I returned to Cape Verde and looked into the possibility of working on the island. A year later I moved to Boa Vista.

The first job I had was working in a bar, but then I met my partner and when we had our son I started working as a guide. It went really well, and I progressed to an assistant, and then took on the responsibility of managing the agency. Now I also have a daughter.”

 

1. What do you like most about being a rep?

“Dealing with different kinds of people, with different travelling and life experiences. I like seeing people happy with my knowledge of the island and my recommendations."

 

2. What do you like most about Boa Vista where you live and work?

“It is genuine. Though there is tourism here it's still genuine, the landscapes are breathtaking, and because there are not many things here we end up relating more to people.”

 

3. What is the one thing people visiting Boa Vista for the first time should not miss?

“The Morro D'Areia Dunes. It’s my favourite spot. Stunning. Take the half day Santa Mónica excursion to the south and you will be speechless!

And of course, don´t forget to visit Sal Rei, the capital of Boa Vista, so you can have a perspective on how the locals live.”

 

4. What is your favourite thing about the Cape Verde Islands and its culture?

“The people's ‘morabeza’, the way of receiving others… always with a smile. Not having much but always smiling, always willing to still share. This is the sentiment that you can feel in Africa.”

5. What is your favourite island or place in Cape Verde?

“Boa Vista, because it is the one that touched me first. My first love in Cape Verde. Though I must say that all of them are very beautiful and the best thing is to see the difference between each one: the landscapes, the people's features, the crioulo (Creole language), even the mentality.”

6. Do you have any tips for first time visitors to Cape Verde?

“I think it is very important to study the place before you arrive, so that you know what to expect and that you don’t come with false expectations. At first sight, there is nothing much here, but when you see the stunning landscapes, the simplicity of the people here... you will be pleasantly surprised and will return for sure. And that is what is happening... more and more, we are getting repeat guests year after year.”

 

7. Do you have any hobbies outside of work?

“It is not a hobby, it is a passion and at this moment my second source of income. I am also a designer, so I make design pieces and clothes with African fabrics. I sell them in Sal Rei, from a showroom next to Migrante Guesthouse, and in a shop in the main square in front of Esplanada Silves, it´s called Nha Cretcheu, that means ‘my beloved’.

 

As well as all this, working in the agency and my family, I still give training to those who want to learn how to make crafts.”

Feeling inspired to visit Boa Vista to experience their strong sense of ‘morabeza’? Check out our holidays to Boa Vista today.