Explore Sal Island

Discovering Places on Sal Island

Sal is not an island of dramatic cliffs or lush forests. It’s flat, dry, and open — more desert than tropics. At first, it seems empty, with low buildings scattered across the landscape and long roads stretching across bare ground. But spend some time here, and the quiet starts to feel intentional. This is a place where the pace is slow, the scenery uncluttered, and the everyday feels close to the ground.

In the south, Santa Maria is the hub of activity. It’s the island’s main town and the centre of tourism, but still small enough to walk end to end. The 7 km long beach, famous pier, and cluster of cafés and bars give it a laid-back atmosphere. Fishermen unload their catch at sunrise, and by midday, visitors are stretched out in the sun or sipping coffee in the shade.

Just inland, Espargos is a different world — Cape Verdean to the core, less polished, more lived-in. This is where most islanders work, study, and shop. Its streets are plain, but from the hill above town, you get a full view of the island’s shape and scale.

In between the towns and coastlines, Sal holds a handful of oddities: a salt lake inside a volcanic crater at Pedra de Lume, where you can float effortlessly; a desert road where heat bends the horizon into a shimmering mirage at Terra Boa; a natural rock pool at Buracona that turns a deep blue when the sunlight hits just right. These aren’t big-ticket attractions — they’re quiet places that reward patience.

The coastline adds its own rhythm. In Murdeira Bay, the water is calm and the sunsets stretch slowly across the rocks. At Ponta Preta and Kite Beach, the wind pulls surfers across the waves.

Life happens outdoors: swimming, grilling, walking, sitting. It’s all public, all shared.