Nature of Sal Island
Despite its dry landscape, Sal Island hosts unique ecosystems around its salt flats, turtle nesting beaches, and coastal shallows frequented by rays, sharks, and migrating whales.
Turtle Watching on Sal Island: All You Need to Know
Turtle Watching: Sal Island is famed for a rare natural spectacle. Every summer, its beaches host thousands of nesting loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta).
Humpback Whale: The Beautiful Giant in Cape Verde
Humpback whale is among the most recognisable and widely studied of the great whales, known for acrobatic breaches, haunting songs, and long pectoral fins.
The Mirage of Terra Boa: Sal’s Beautiful Desert Illusion
In Terra Boa, you may feel small amid the emptiness. Take a moment to feel the surrounding. It’s just you, the wind, and a mirage that shimmers like a promise.
Land, Wind, and Sea
Sal Island’s landscape is shaped by wind, sun, and salt. It is one of the flattest and driest islands in the archipelago, with an arid, desert-like terrain dominated by plains, dunes, and volcanic rock. Rain is rare, and the vegetation is sparse, primarily consisting of drought-resistant shrubs and grasses. Yet the simplicity of Sal’s landscape is precisely what makes it striking.
Much of the island is defined by its salt flats. The Pedra de Lume crater, once a major centre of salt production, remains one of the island’s most iconic natural sites. Visitors can still float in its dense, mineral-rich waters, while the old tunnel and rail system offer a glimpse into the island’s industrial past. These salt pans have shaped both the economy and environment of Sal for over two centuries.
Along the coast, long stretches of sandy beach define Sal’s shoreline, particularly around Santa Maria. The beaches are wide, clean, and buffeted by steady trade winds from the northeast. These conditions have made Sal a global destination for wind and kitesurfing. Underwater, the surrounding Atlantic hosts rich marine life: sea turtles nest on the southern shores, while rays, nurse sharks, and migrating whales can be seen offshore.
Despite its dry conditions, Sal supports protected areas and wildlife conservation projects. Several species of birds stop here during migration seasons, and turtle nesting sites are monitored and protected. The island’s nature may seem minimal at first glance, but it reveals a delicate balance between wind, sea, salt, and life — one that continues to define the rhythm of the island.
Monte Leão: The Great Lion Mountain of Sal Island
Rising starkly from the flat desert plains of Sal Island, Monte Leão, also known as Rabo de Junco, asserts a quiet dominance over the surrounding coast. Towering approximately 165 m above sea level at the northern rim of Baía de Murdeira, this distinctive “Lion Mountain” functions both as a geological sentinel and as a cherished destination — a point where geology, ecology, and human aspiration converge.
Flying Fish: Crazy and Beautiful Sea Gliders of the Sky
Flying fish don’t truly fly like birds. Instead, they glide on extended fins. With a swipe of a tail, they launch themselves out of the water at over 60 km/h.
Murdeira Bay: Beautiful Reef and Rock Pools
Murdeira Bay, situated on the southwest coast of Sal, is a nature reserve known for its rich underwater sea life and a small coral reef.
Iago Sparrow: Endemic and Easy to Spot on Sal
These cute little birds you observe on the streets and in the crowns of trees are far cousins of European sparrows and – contrary to popular belief – didn’t migrate to the islands from far away. These little guys are Iago sparrows (Passer iagoensis) and are endemic to Cape Verde. That’s why they are often called Cabo Verde sparrows by professional and hobby ornithologists. Iago sparrows occur on all islands of the archipelago besides of Fogo, and on most of them it is quite common.
Yellow Desert Hyacinth: the Strange and Beautiful Alien
Cistanche phelypaea is a desert plant with stout, flowering stems bearing bright yellow flowers. It can grow up to even 30-50 cm above the ground. Because of its looks, Cistanche phelypaea is commonly called a yellow desert broomrape, but some people call it also a desert hyacinth.
Have You Seen This Beautiful Crimson-Speckled Flunkey?
The crimson-speckled flunkey (Utetheisa pulchella), first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, is a widespread moth that occurs naturally in northern and central parts of Africa, the Mediterranean, Near East and Central Asia. However, it can travel far north with plumes of warm air during the summer or autumn and is observed sporadically even in England (less than 100-200 records in the last century).
Shell Cemetery Beach: The Great Hidden Gem of Santa Maria
Known as Shell Cemetery Beach, this stretch of coast offers a landscape at once alien and visceral, where seashells reshape our sense of place and time.
Lemon Sharks: Close Look at the Beautiful Species
The lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) occupies shallow waters, coral keys and mangrove forests along the Atlantic Ocean and parts of the Pacific. It inhabits and returns to specific nursery sites for breeding, like the Shark Bay of Sal Island – the shallow bay where you can go in the water to see the little lemon sharks closely.