Along the south coast of Boavista lies the ghost town of Curral Velho. The old fishing village is deserted and you will only find ruins today. Curral Velho is the oldest settlement in Boavista and dates back to the 17th century. You can walk among the ruins of the old buildings and then enjoy the nearby beach (Curral Velho beach). This is a beautiful stretch of untouched beach.
Curral Velho was remote and the south coast was hard to reach. Besides, there was a lack of drinking water in the dry season. Besides the fact that the village lived from fishing, there was also a salt trade. There is a great salt plan near Curral Velho. Salt was traded to the other islands of Cape Verde and to the mainland. Curral Velho was abandoned around the 19th century. Due to the endless drought and pirate attacks, most of the inhabitants of the fishing village left to the biggest city of Boavista.