In the deserts of Boa Vista

There are many places we really should care about and one of them is definitelly Boa Vista Island, the Cape Verde. Beaches with golden sand, almost untouched by humans, white deserts with dunes form Sahara sand, shipwrecks, nice and polite locals… All of that you can find here. Well, unfortunately there is also dark side of tourism in this beautiful island and who really cares, shouldn’t just look aside. And same as the irrisponsible tourism can hurt to this place and local people, the light pollution can increase rapidly with many luxury resorts, taking us beauty of the starry sky away. I am so glad I’ve spent January 2019 weeks there to see and enjoy all of the natural heritage left here before it’s too late and I hope you consider to care.

Here come some views and mostly night photographs from the island. Most photogenic parts are, of course, the dunes of Chaves and Viana Deserts. While Chaves is on shore, giving spectacular transition between wild ocean and calm sandy desert, the Viana is deep in the island, available from main road to the airport. Both are, unfortunately, influented by the light pollution of strong lights of local resorts, but the moonlight, however, can create unique photogenic compositions anyway. As the island lies not far from equator, a stargazer can enjoy both northern and southern gems of the night sky. With no more words, just enjoy… Used Canon 6D (modified with night shots), Samyang (12 mm, 24 mm) and Sigma lenses (50 mm).

Except following also enjoy:

• Daytime shots from Boa Vista (12-26 January 2019)
• The eclipse hour over Boa Vista (lunar eclipse over Chaves Desert, Boa Vista)
• On the threshold of creation (stargazing over Viana Desert, Boa Vista)
• A meteoroid hits eclipsed Moon (captured from Boa Vista)

Against the eroded dune

When walking on Carlota beach south from the Sal Rei city of Boa Vista and low tide allows you follow the shore, you can meet this unique place. It is a small dune between two large sandy beaches, which reaches the ocean from west and due to specific air conditions it has beautifully eroded wall of hardened sand, showing structures organ tubes or flat columns, among which a fine sang fals like a waterfall. While staying there in the evening of 12 January, 2019, slightly illuminated by the Moon, the brightest star Sirius appeared above, followed by majestic Orion constellation. I felt so small in that moment, just enjoying the natural creation, which, unfortunately, people there shamely damage. The view to the stars above made me even more respectful and lowly.

Winter sky over Chaves

If you continue in walking south on the western beaches of the Boa Vista, after an hour or so you can reach first resorts of Chaves beach. Just walk on when you pass by the last one and then you finally reach the beautiful Chaves dunes. This place it truly magical as you can really find yourself between two worlds: the desolate desert one as reaches the living one, the Atlantic ocean. And once the night falls, all of it somehow retreats under the beautiful starry sky. In this view, the winter Milky Way (of northern hemisphere) features a sky arch followed by many bright stars as Sirius, Procyon, Betelgeuse, Rigel or Capella. On the left, two prominent pink nebulae appear: the large Gum Nebula and bright Carina Nebula (just over the horizon). Dunes of Chaves, even though they are illuminated by light pollution of Sal Rei city and the resorts from back, give to this scenery unreplaceable feeling. Do you agree?

Chaves Desert by moonlight: Enjoy the virtual reality…

Old lighthouse view: Enjoy the virtual reality…

Boa Vista deserts by moonlight:

Following gallery shows views over Chaves and Viana Desert of Boa Vista by moonlight. Images were taken between 16 and 19 January 2019, using Canon 6D and Samyang 12mm. Even if the deserts are free to enter, I tried to preserve their natural beauty by not walking everywhere and following my footpaths when walking back.