Explore Sal Island

Quiet beaches, steady winds, chilled bars. Welcome to Cape Verde’s easy-going paradise.
ARTICLESOUR MISSION
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THE OCEAN, SAND & SUN

“Paradise is when your mind is in a perfect state,” says Frederick Lenz, and that’s what Cabo Verde offers you — it’s both a colourful and a happy place if you only discover its vibrant energy, natural beauty and great culture. The more you get to know it, the more fascinating it gets. Explore the Island of Sal through our website, and see if you fall in love with what Sal can offer you.

New Articles

Santa Maria Beach: Soft Sand and the Beautiful Ocean

Santa Maria Beach: Soft Sand and the Beautiful Ocean

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Map of Cape Verde with Sal Island Marked Black © Sal, Cape Verde

Understanding Cape Verde

An essential step towards truly understanding a country’s culture is diving into its history. Events from the past profoundly shape local customs, behaviours, and the community’s character. To see Cabo Verde beyond its image as a sun-soaked tourist paradise, you first need to get familiar with its past — learning Caboverdian history is your starting point. From there, the authentic beauty and richness of local life become genuinely visible. Explore our pages to discover more about genuine Cape Verdean culture, away from tourist clichés.

History & Culture

Carnival

FEBRUARY

When: 3 days before Ash Wednesday
Where: all islands

Independence Day

JULY

When: July 5th
Where: all islands

Santa Maria Festival

SEPTEMBER

When: Mid-September
Where: Santa Maria, Sal

Explore

Espargos: Capital of the Island in the Heart of Sal

Espargos: Capital of the Island in the Heart of Sal

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Monte Leão: The Great Lion Mountain of Sal Island

Monte Leão: The Great Lion Mountain of Sal Island

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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.

Iago Sparrow: Endemic and Easy to Spot on Sal

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

Yellow Desert Hyacinth: the Strange and Beautiful Alien

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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?

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).