Sal, an island located in the north of the Cape Verde archipelago, is undoubtedly one of the most visited islands in Cape Verde. Indeed, Sal has been able to develop in tourism with the establishment of numerous infrastructures allowing it to welcome more and more tourists each year.
Sal in Cape Verde is a heavenly destination thanks to its location, its climate and the activities that can be found there. Before going there, I was able to read very varied opinions on this island (some loved it, others didn't like it at all). For my part, I spent almost a week there and I share my point of view with you at the end of the article 😉
When is the best time to go to Sal in Cape Verde?
Cape Verde is a destination with a pleasant climate all year round given its location off the coast of Senegal.
Sal is part of the group of islands in the North of the archipelago, there is a dry and hot tropical climate mainly with two main seasons:
- A dry season: from November to April with temperatures around 25°C. December to February are the windiest months. Especially for the northern islands (Sal) which makes it the ideal time to go and do sports such as kite surfing / windsurfing etc.
- A rainy season: from May to October with temperatures around 30°C with much more humidity. The hottest months are usually September and October with more rain.
In summary, Cape Verde and Sal is an ideal destination that can be visited throughout the year.
What to do on the island of Sal in Cape Verde?
The island of Sal in Cape Verde offers a wide choice of activities that will suit everyone, young and old, sports enthusiasts or not.
Among the main activities found on the island, here are my recommendations.
1- The salt pans of Pedra de Lume in Cape Verde
One of the must-sees on the island of Sal in Cape Verde is to visit the Pedra de Lume salt pans, which are old salt mines.
To access the salt flats, you will have to pay an entrance fee of 5€. Then, you can opt for a free visit or come with a guide who will explain the whole history of these salt pans.
You will have the opportunity to swim in the salt pans which are extremely salty. It's a very fun experience given that the high salt content makes it float quite impressively. On the other hand, it is not recommended to swim if you have open sores or wounds.
After this little bath in salt water, you will have the opportunity to take a shower (1€) to rinse off all that salt.
2- Visit the fishing village of Palmeira sur Sal
Main port of the island, the village of Palmeira is also the fishing village. This village is not very big and therefore can be visited easily by strolling through the streets of Palmeira.
You will not come across too many tourists in Palmeira and even fewer hotels etc. However, I recommend that you stroll through the small streets and admire the murals and colorful houses of the village.
Obviously, it is essential to go to the main square of the village where the fishermen meet every morning to sell their catch of the day. It is a superb scene of life to attend if you have the opportunity.
3- Walk around Santa Maria at the southern end of Sal
Santa Maria is the most touristic town on the island of Sal in Cape Verde. It is mainly in this village that we find the majority of the hotels on the island, but it is also the starting point for a large part of the activities on the island.
Indeed, this village is therefore very touristy, but do not hesitate to go inland beyond the first 3 streets which border the beach. Indeed, the first 3 streets are very touristy streets (hotels, tourist restaurants, souvenir shops, etc.) but if you go a little further into the village, you will discover more typical places, more affordable local restaurants where inhabitants live and eat at the restaurant.
Of course, I recommend that you go early in the morning to the end of the pier of the Santa Maria pontoon. Every morning you will see the fishermen returning from their fishing and selling their catch of the day all along the pontoon.
4- Shark Bay and the reef sharks of Cape Verde
On the east coast of the island of Sal in Cape Verde, there is a bay which has been named Shark Bay. As you can imagine, this bay was so named because you can meet many reef sharks there.
It is therefore an additional attraction for this wild coast and far from any village. To reach this bay, several possibilities are available to you:
- Rent a car / Quad to come to the bay
- Go on an excursion to reach Shark bay
On site, you will have the opportunity to:
- Rent water shoes so you don't hurt yourself in the rocks
- Take a guide who will take you where you need to be to ensure you see sharks
Don't worry, there is nothing dangerous, they are small sharks that come to you in water about 20cm to 50cm deep. You don't have to go far to see sharks.
For my part, I actually rented water shoes because being in flip-flops, it's difficult to move around the rocks in the water. On the other hand, I had not taken a guide and that did not prevent me from seeing sharks.
However, it is true that guides lure sharks with food so going through a guide you will have almost 100% chance of seeing them, and lots of them.
5- Rent a quad/car and explore Sal for the day
If you have the possibility, I recommend that you either rent a car or a quad, or take a day trip with a quad guide, for example, to explore the island of Sal.
Sal is not a very big island, it is quite long and you can easily explore a large part of it on a day trip.
For the little anecdote, if you want to take the small wild sand / dirt roads along the coast, I strongly advise you to prefer the quad to the car.
We had rented a “4×4 type” car, however that did not prevent us from having our wheels silted up and finding ourselves stranded for hours at sunset. Obviously, it was impossible to count on the help of potential other cars since we were far from any sign of habitation and the sun had set.
We ended up getting out of it by returning around 23pm to the hotel even though I really believed at one point that we would end up having to sleep in the car and wait for the sunrise.
So that's why I advise you to rent a Quad rather than a car if you want to take the small dirt roads.
6- Go diving / snorkeling
Cape Verde is an archipelago of islands in Africa, so one can easily imagine colorful seabeds and with an abundance of fish and other marine species. Indeed, Cape Verde is particularly known for its seabed. If you enjoy scuba diving or snorkeling, you will not be disappointed.
The island of Sal is particularly suitable for diving or snorkeling trips. You will find a number of dive centers in Santa Maria.
Having done 4 scuba dives around Sal, I can tell you that the seabed is varied which is super interesting. There are also many diving spots for corals, rocks, wrecks, offshore diving spots to observe manta rays and other mammals. There is therefore something for all tastes and above all all levels.
Unfortunately, I couldn't take any photos/videos because I had my go pro stolen the day before my dives…
7- Relax on the beach
When we talk to you about Cape Verde and the island of Sal, you surely think at first of the photos that we find on the internet with beautiful sandy beaches and turquoise waters?
Well it's not a myth, on Sal you will find magnificent heavenly beaches along the east and west coasts of the island and mainly on the southern half of the island.
One of the activities to do on Sal is to take your time and relax on these beautiful beaches.
Among the most beautiful beaches on the island, there are:
- Santa Maria Beach
- Ponta Preta Beach
- Kite surfing beach
8- Enjoy water activities
If you are a fan of water sports such as surfing, kite surfing or windsurfing, you have surely heard of Sal in Cape Verde.
This island is conducive to this kind of activity throughout the year. There is also a kitesurfing spot that is world renowned.
You will find many surf or kite schools around Santa Maria. Whether you are beginners or experienced, you will find something to please you without any problem.
Accessibility to this type of activity makes it an island where you can easily spend whole weeks perfecting your skills in these sports.
9- Visit Buracona - Blue Eye Lagoon
In the North West of the island, above Palmeira, Buracona is a chasm in which the sun comes to light it and we see the clear turquoise blue water through it. This is the reason why it is called “Blue eye Lagoon”. You will also have the opportunity to swim in the nearby natural pool.
These natural caves and pools were carved out of volcanic rock by salt water from the ocean.
To get there, you can use the car you rented for the day to explore the island, or take a day trip that will take you to the Blue Eye Lagoon.
10- Turtle watching on Sal in Cape Verde
Cape Verde is one of the main nesting grounds for loggerhead turtles in the world. Observing the laying of its turtles on the island of Sal is therefore something to do if you go there during the right period which is between July and the end of September.
Several options are available to you, day or night observation.
Also, you can take a guide specialized in the protection and preservation of turtles for a few hours to learn more about these species. But you may as well be lucky enough to stumble upon these turtles while strolling on the beach.
11- Take a boat trip from Santa Maria to Sal
Another famous activity, go on a day (or half-day) excursion aboard a sailboat or catamaran to visit the island of Sal by the ocean. You may have the opportunity to see turtles, humpback whales and other mammals.
Conclusion of my stay on Sal in Cape Verde:
As I explained in the introduction, before going to Sal, I hesitated a lot because the opinions I had read on the internet were not necessarily very positive. Indeed, I read a lot of negative things (island far too touristy, only luxurious hotels, there is nothing to do, it's very expensive…). Despite everything, I still decided to spend a few days there and I absolutely do not regret a single second!
It's like everywhere, tastes and colors, there's something for everyone!
I agree that Sal won't be for everyone.
If you like water sports, diving, and the beach it's great because depending on the weather and the water conditions you will always find an activity for you:
- If there is a lot of wind: the conditions for diving are bad, the waves too but on the other hand it is ideal for kite surfing, windsurfing or wing foil
- If there is no wind: you can forget kitesurfing but on the other hand you can go diving if the water is calm or surf if there are waves or simply land on the beach and tan.
Obviously, Sal is a tourist island unlike others (Sao Nicolau, ..), but that does not prevent that by going a little further inland you can still discover local and more typical life (for example in Santa Maria, you have to go beyond the first 3 streets by the beach).
Indeed Sal is more expensive than other islands especially if you stay in very touristy places, but this also comes from the fact that many products (fruits, vegetables) are imported from other islands (Santo Antao for fruits and vegetables) therefore the prices are necessarily a little higher.
I think that if you're looking to get away from it all, if you don't particularly like water activities (diving, surfing, kiting...), you'll quickly go around the island and I advise you to spend more time on other islands for which you will have more affinities.
On the other hand, if you like nautical activities, you will enjoy yourself on Sal. For my part, I really liked being able to do these activities at the end of my vacation and after seeing different and calmer islands like Sao Nicolau or Santo Antao.
For more information to prepare your trip, I suggest you consult this list of articles:
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