Explore Sal Island

In the south of Sal Island, beyond Santa Maria’s golden beaches and resort hotels, lies a different kind of treasure – a broad, sunbaked expanse of inland salt flats. These salinas stretch out just north of Santa Maria town, their pale crust shimmering under the Saharan breeze. They are often overlooked in favour of Sal’s more famous crater salt lake at Pedra de Lume, but Santa Maria’s salt pans have a story all their own. It was here that the town of Santa Maria was born in 1830, founded expressly to harvest the “white gold” of salt. Today, the salt flats are quiet and mostly dry, visited occasionally by wading birds and curious tourists. However, they remain a poignant landscape – a protected site of ecological interest and a living monument to the island’s history. This article explores how these inland salt flats once fueled Santa Maria’s early growth, what has become of them since the salt trade ebbed, and how the local community regards the salinas in the present day.