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Ilha Do Sal Cape Verde – Top 10 Sights and activities
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Ilha Do Sal and its cozy and relaxed beach atmosphere offers its best with wonderful turquoise clear ocean views, long sandy beaches and hot rhythms all year round. Ilha Do Sal is one of Cape Verde’s most popular holiday islands and most of the island’s tourism is almost invariably concentrated in the southern tip of the seaside town of Santa Maria.Cape Verde islands are located about 600 kilometers off the coasts of West Africa and Senegal, and each of Cape Verde’s ten islands are different. The islands of Sal and Boa Vista are the most popular for tourists due to their stunning beaches and good holiday settings, but the other islands also offer very interesting things to see and do, from beautiful beaches to magnificent green mountain sceneries, adorable fishing villages and of course local culture, history and ordinary city life. It is popular to travel to the islands for various types of fun water sports, especially surfing and kite surfing. Cape Verde is also an easy destination for those who wish to do island hopping to explore more than just one island during the same trip.
Check out this island tour with an experienced tour guide and enjoy a day full of fun!
Santa Maria
ILHA DO SAL, A BEACH PARADISE FOR A RELAXING LIFESTYLEAs I mentioned already in the previous article, this time I’m going to dig a little more deeper into what Sal Island has to offer with its attractions, things to do and a little bit of the different places of the island. The general vibes and my first thoughts about the island of Sal can be read from the previous post and with this you can already get the best pieces in your back pocket for your own future trips to the fantastic Cape Verde islands.
Santa Maria 
Santa Maria
SANTA MARIASanta Maria is the place to be for travelers. Santa Maria’s colorful main street and surrounding areas offer restaurants, bars and cafés for all tastes, and the city’s small but feisty nightlife can also be found along this main street. Santa Maria’s beaches are long light sandy beaches with turquoise sea water glistening in the background far into the horizon and colorful, wooden fishing boats brighten the beach landscape nicely next to the iconic Santa Maria Pier. In addition to being able to admire the local fishermen at work on that pier, there is also a popular tradition of jumping off the pier into the sea, at least once in a lifetime, or, like some the locals, almost every week. This tradition still awaits its performer on my behalf, but maybe next time, maybe…
Santa Maria is a great base for exploring the rest of the island, with services and restaurants working well every day of the week. On the island, traveling is possible in a very short time from place to place, as the length of the island from one end to the other is only about 30 kilometers. Trips are easily done either with your own car or with a travel agency, or as I like to do, on a local bus, which is already in itself a fun experience and a highly recommended one. The price from Santa Maria, for example, to the capital Espargos with the local bus is only 1 euro / way and the buses leave from the bus stop. There are no actual timetables for the buses, as they leave when they get full.My own favorite attraction in Santa Maria is its secret gem Shell Cemetery Beach, or in my own words, the Seashell beach. The Seashell beach can be found in front of The Budha Beach Hotel, about 1.5km from Santa Maria Pier, walking the road easily along the beachside in less than 20 minutes (see map below). Shell Cemetery Beach is a completely free “attraction” where it’s fun to explore the seashells, walk and sit back and enjoy the sounds of the ocean.
ESPARGOSEspargos is the capital of the island of Sal and it is located in the middle of the island, where you will also find Sal Airport. The highest point of Espargos is Monte Curral Hill, which rises to a height of 109 meters and from where it is nice to enjoy the views down to the city. Sal is quite rugged and dry and you can see this very clearly from above.
It is very easy to do a day trip to Espargos on your own from Santa Maria by bus, as I mentioned earlier. Espargos is a local and cozy town, although there is not much to do here except for small boutiques and restaurants and other normal everyday things. However, Espargos is a great break from the more touristic hustle and bustle of Santa Maria, when you just want to walk around in peace, relax and just enjoy being “somewhere else”. As it is the capital city, it is also a must visit place and I personally enjoy Espargos a lot every time I go there. On my next trip in June, I’ll be spending even more time in Espargos, so stay tuned for some extra vibes of this city by following my social media channels.
PALMEIRAPalmeira is a lovely small town on the west coast of the island of Sal, about four kilometers from the capital Espargos. Palmeira is the island’s main port and here you can enjoy the charm of a small fishing town. Palmeira is one of my own favorite places to visit for a day, as the relaxing and calm vibes of the place feel really nice and the local atmosphere provides a good balance for the more touristic and lively Santa Maria. Here I just like to watch the local fishermen at work and the best part is when the kids come to the harbor to jump off the pier to play their water games and whatever they only come up with. That genuine joy and energy is contagious.
MURDEIRAThe village of Murdeira is also located on the west coast of Sal, about nine kilometers from Espargos. Murdeira was originally a region for mostly farmers and fishermen, but in the late 1990s a bigger tourist settlement was built in the area, and nowadays the houses are mostly owned by locals and other people who have found their way to this place. This small community and village is located in a cove in the Murdeira Bay, which is also a nature reserve known for its small coral reef and rich marine life.
BURACONA AND THE BLUE EYEThe small bay of Buracona is located about five kilometers north of Palmeira and is part of the protected landscape of Buracona-Ragona, which covers the coastal area between Palmeira and Ponta Preta and the Monte Leste mountain. In Buracona, the attraction is its natural pool, which is formed by the power of the sea in the middle of volcanic rocks. However, Buracona’s best-known attraction is the Blue Eye, “Olho Azul”, a deep cave with water at the bottom. When the rays of the sun hit the cave and the water, the sight is just like a bright blue eye. Unfortunately, on my own trip to Buracona, I didn’t see this Eye because the sun wasn’t really shining that day, but next time then. Hah.
PEDRA DE LUMEThe village of Pedra de Lume is located on the east coast of Sal, about five kilometers from Espargos. Pedra de Lume has both a small harbor and a lighthouse, but its most famous attraction is its saltwater pools, where it is also possible to float and experience the refreshing and healing power of saltwater. The saltwater pools are located inside the old volcanic crater and the crater and pools are part of a protected area along with Mount Cagarral. Salt ponds flourished in the late 18th century and the best periods of the salt production continued until the end of the 19th century, after which the value of salt production was no longer the same anymore. Today, tourism is the largest and most important source of livelyhood on the island.
SHARK BAYShark Bay is my own favorite attraction on the island of Sal, because here it is possible to walk in the ocean with Lemon sharks and see these beautiful animals in nature and up close. Lemon sharks come here to eat fish and plankton and care for their babies and they are not a danger to humans. Sharks may come very close, especially if there aren’t many people present, and the babies especially can come swimming between your legs because they are small enough to swim in the shallows. You should definetely come to Shark Bay in the form of a guided tour * to get more information about the sharks and the area. Water slippers are rented on site for 2e, as the bottom is rocky and not easy to walk barefoot.
CHECK OUT THE BEST ACTIVITIES AND TRIPS ON THE SAL ISLAND HERE:
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HAVE YOU VISITED CAPE VERDE AND ILHA DO SAL OR ARE YOU PLANNING TO? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE AND THOUGHTS AND, OF COURSE, QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENT FIELD! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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Ilha Do Sal – Relaxing beach life in Cape Verde
*Article contains affiliate linksIlha Do Sal is always a sunny and picturesque island in Cape Verde. Sal is a popular holiday destination for many, but its relaxed lifestyle and tranquil beachfront atmosphere can also tempt you for a longer visit.
Sal is one of the ten islands of Cape Verde and here you will find a beautiful light sandy coastline with clear turquoise ocean water shining in the background. In the wintertime the island is windy, but temperatures still remain favorable for beach vacations throughout the year. The capital of the island is called Espargos, where I also visited quickly, but my own trip was mainly on the beaches and the colourful small streets of the lovely beachfront city of Santa Maria.
My own journey ended up being anything but what I had originally planned. Usually when I travel I try to get to know the places as well as possible, but this time I was totally caught up with the stress-free and relaxed atmosphere of Sal and ended up taking it really easy on this trip. I found myself enjoying the no stress -life to the fullest.Cape Verde has been popular with many tourists this spring, but my own reason for the trip was primarily to get to meet one of my best friends after a long time, because she is currently living in Sal for work. My friend and I met here in Portugal when we started working together in the same job at the same time and have been an inseparable crazy duo ever since. The reunion at the sunny heat of Sal was really wonderful and was followed by an almost two-week adventure with beach life, exploring places and partying with new local acquaintances until the late night.
ILHA DO SAL – WHAT AND WHY?Sal is the oldest island in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, born about 50 million years ago after a volcanic eruption (source: Wikipedia). The size of Sal is around 216 km² and it is only a little over 30 km long from the north to the south. The local currency is Escudo, but the euro also works well and local money can be easily withdrawn from the ATM, so it is not necessary or worth exchanging money in advance. Various half-day and full-day excursions are organized on the island, where you can easily explore the best pieces of the island from end to end in one day with a professional tour guide. You can also get around the island with your own rental car or public transport options, but be careful when considering renting your own car, as the roads are really bad in some places.
The most popular places to visit in Sal are the town of Santa Maria and its relaxed beach life, the capital Espargos, the blue eye of Buracona, the coastal village of Murdeira, the fishing village of Palmeira, Shark Bay and of course the old Pedra Lume salt mine, where you can still visit and float on the salt water lake created in an old volcanic crater. This was a very fun experience and this also is really good for the skin.In Sal, water sports are really popular and in addition to lounging on the beach, you can easily find yourself trying out, for example, surfing or kite surfing, which is a big hit on the island. Diving and snorkelling, as well as dolphin and whale watching, can also be done here.
Espargos 
Palmeira 
Palmeira 
Buracona 
Salt water lake
IS SAL A SAFE DESTINATION?Travelling in Sal is safe, but common sense should be used here as well. Pocket thefts are quite common, especially in bars, so it is a good idea to keep your valuables in your home or safety deposit box and not give the thieves a chance. It is also not advisable to wander the dark streets alone at night, if it is not absolutely necessary and you should keep an eye on your own drink so that no one can slip anything there even half-accidentally. Also don’t leave with strangers whether it is an acquaintance found in the nightlife or a merchant who tries to attract you to his boutique during the day, but these are of course choices that everyone can make for themselves and decide what to do.
The highlights of my own trip, instead of doing a lot of sightseeing, were spending time with my dear friend, and getting to know new wonderful people on the island. Through my friend who has already lived on the island for a longer time, I had the opportunity to get to know many fun and nice locals and these encounters and new friendships really made the trip the best it could be.
Sal left me with such a big desire to travel back, that a new trip to Cape Verde is already under planning, and I can’t wait to see what the next time will bring. <3
TRAVELLING TO SAL? EXPERIENCE THESE AT LEAST:- The capital city Espargos
- The relaxed beach vibes of Santa Maria
- Palmeira fishing town
- Murdeira
- The Blue Eye of Buracona
- Shark Bay – Go chill in the water with Lemon sharks!
- The old salt mine of Pedra da Lume
In the next post, I’ll tell more deeply about the island’s attractions and different cities, so stay tuned for more about Sal Island!SAVE THIS FOR THE FUTURE ON PINTEREST!
HAVE YOU BEEN TO CAPE VERDE AND ILHA DO SAL? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES ON THE COMMENTS BELOW! 🙂<3: Tiina Johanna
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