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Sal, Cape Verde: What on earth am I going to do there!?

Sal is a desert island! Sal is also a paradise for water sports and chilling. When you arrive and it looks like you have landed on the moon, as there is just miles and miles of sand, do not be shocked or disappointed. In 20mins you will be in Santa Maria with its stunning beaches, laid back atmosphere, and a feeling of familiarity that comes with small villages.

There are 4 main towns in Sal.

Santa Maria is the main tourist town in Sal, as it is located at the southern tip of the island and is known for its white sandy beaches. Santa Maria is awash with apartments, hotels, and little bed and breakfast pensions. Santa Maria is a quickly growing fishing village that has something to offer everybody.  All forms of accommodation are between 2 to 15min walking distance to the village of Santa Maria and the main bay of Santa Maria. The exceptions are the new developments on the west coast, which require a taxi to get into Santa Maria. Following are a list of things you can do here:

· Lie horizontally on Santa Maria Bay’s long white sandy beach. No rocks, no reefs, no sharks, no hassle.  

· Wind surf or kite surf in the bay. We are located in this Bay. Sal is one of the best destinations in the world for kite surfing, wind surfing, and surfing (look at our Map page, Frequently Asked Questions page,  and Independent Kite Surfing page for more information on other areas at which to kite surf, wind surf and surf.  

· Learn to Dive . Sal is a popular destination for divers that enjoy wreck diving and cave dives. It is also offers dive conditions for beginners.  Schools: Morabeza hotel dive centre, Dunnes Hotel dive school, Manta Diving, Cape Verde Experience diving, and Orca diving.

· Take a boat trip, from December to the end of May and sometimes in the summer, Sal is home to large schools of dolphins, whales and turtles. Every season there are boats offering snorkeling and viewing trips.

· Go Fishing.  A little expensive, but a very popular destination for big game fishing.

· Eat, drink, sleep and read a book: Look at our Surviving Sal page for more info on this.

· Take a jet ski tour of the island (located beside the Morabeza Beach Club)

· Hire a car. The morabeza Hotel has a car hire service as do most hotels. The average cost of a car per day is 60euros.

· Wind surf and/ or kite surf (as you can see I am biased towards this activity)

*Within Santa Maria the average cost of a taxi is 200escudos one way. From Santa Maria to the new developments, punta preata the avg cost is 400ecv one way

Espargos.

Espargos in the capital of sal. It is in the middle of the island and does not have much to offer in the way of tourist attractions. However, if it is the tourist that you are fleeing, Espargoes has some nice restaurants and bars. The atmosphere is very Cape Verdian here. The most popular stopping spot is café Bom Dia.

Palmera

Palmera is our port city. Not much here but a good fish restaurant. There are some nice little surfing spots. If you are looking for a little quite and not so many people, here is good place for lunch and some drinks. It is also the village you go through on your way to Baracona. Baracona is a natural lave formed swimming pool , fun place in the middle of nowhere. It is also a good dive spot.

Pedra de Lume.

Pedra De Lume is the tiniest of tiniest places. It is where Sal’s main salt mine is located. The village is popular with tourist for its natural salt pan, in which you can cleanse (sorry this does not include your soul) and float yourself.  Along the coast from this village is also a popular spot, where groups of lemon sharks come into a small cove, and people can wade out to see them. It also has one of the oldest churches on the island.

The island tour will go through all these places. The tour is approximately half a day. Most pick up’s offer an island tour. The average price is 70euros for a pick up. Approximately 8 people can fit in a pickup.  Where possible go with locals tours, as they are more flexible with how long you stay at each location. 

If none of this appeals to you, then consider visiting another island. Cape Verde islands are all very different. If it is hiking you want, then Fogo and Santo Antao and Sao Nicolau are brilliant. If it is a little culture, music, more local and less tourist then Sao Vicente is great.

There are a number of local travel agents that can help you plan your trips locally.