Sal
A flat, almost rainless island off West Africa, with a salt lake in an old volcanic crater, a long white beach at Santa Maria and an airfield that has been an Atlantic stopover since 1939.
- Arrival
- Amílcar Cabral International · SID
- To Santa Maria
- About 16 km south of the airport
- Private jets
- Universal Aviation FBO, open 24 hours
- Best time
- All year
The city
Salt, wind and a long white shore.
Sal means salt in Portuguese, and the island’s oddest sight is a salt works: at Pedra de Lume, a village sits in the crater of an extinct volcano and visitors bathe in its white pans. On the east coast, Kite Beach is where people come to watch the kitesurfers, or to learn.
Santa Maria, at the southern tip, is where most visitors stay: several kilometres of hotels, beach bars and craft stalls behind a pale strand. Rain is rare, with almost nothing from February to June, and a brief, light wet spell in late summer.
Arriving
A wartime stopover turned resort gateway.
Amílcar Cabral International sits two kilometres from Espargos, on the road down to Santa Maria. Italy built it in 1939 as a refuelling stop between Europe and South America, and its runway is still the longest in the archipelago.
- Dakar 1 h 10
- Marrakech 3 h 15
- Lisbon 3 h 55
- Geneva 5 h 50
- Frankfurt 6 h 20 long-range jet
When to go
All year round.
Sal lies in the dry belt off the Sahara, and most months bring less than ten millimetres of rain. Afternoons run from 25 °C in winter to 30 °C in September, the only month with real showers. The sea is coolest, about 22 °C, from January to May and warms to 26 °C in late summer.
- 25° J 6 22°
- 25° F 2 22°
- 25° M 0 22°
- 25° A 0 22°
- 26° M 0 22°
- 27° J 1 23°
- 27° J 7 24°
- 29° A 23 26°
- 30° S 58 26°
- 29° O 12 26°
- 28° N 4 26°
- 26° D 7 24°
What to see and do
Days in and around Sal.
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Landmark
Pedra de Lume
A village and its white salt pans in the bowl of an extinct volcano, where visitors can bathe in the brine.
-
Landmark
Buracona
Lava pools and underwater caves on the coast, with the natural opening known as the Blue Eye.
-
Landmark
Shark Bay
Shallow water at Baía da Parda, where visitors wade out to stand among young lemon sharks.
-
On the water
Kite Beach, Santa Maria
A large beach on Sal with diagonal onshore wind, suited to first kitesurfing sessions on small kit and waves.
-
On the water
Ponta Preta
A west coast point where a down-the-line wave breaks in front of the rocks, ridden by strong windsurfers and kitesurfers.
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Nature
Monte Leão coastal walk
A rocky coastal hike of about 6 km each way, taking two to three hours, with sunset views; carry water.
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Wildlife
Loggerhead turtle nesting, Projeto Biodiversidade
Sal holds the second-largest loggerhead rookery in Cabo Verde, and the Santa Maria NGO Projeto Biodiversidade works on the beaches through the nesting season.
Where to stay
Large resorts on the southern beaches.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Meliá Llana Beach Resort & Spa An adults-only, all-inclusive Meliá on the sand, opened in December 2016.
- Meliá Tortuga Beach The first of the group’s resorts on Sal, open since 2011, towards the surf beach of Ponta Preta.
- Oásis Salinas Sea Opened in 2013 with 338 rooms on Santa Maria beach as the first five-star hotel of the Oásis Atlântico group.
- Meliá Dunas Beach Resort & Spa An all-inclusive of more than a thousand suites, opened in November 2014 on a beach facing a coral reef.
- Hotel Riu Palace Santa Maria Six blocks of rooms joined to two sister hotels, all with direct access to the beach.
Where to dine
One table worth booking.
No MICHELIN Guide covers Cape Verde. This set-menu Japanese room is in the top price band on Tripadvisor and rated 4.5 by its diners.
- Nami Rated 4.5 on Tripadvisor Japanese, teppanyaki $$$ TUI BLUE Cabo Verde, Santa Maria
Elsewhere in Cape Verde
More reasons to come.
- Boa Vista Dunes and empty beaches, with loggerhead turtles nesting in summer.
- Praia The capital on Santiago, near Cidade Velha, the first colonial town in the tropics.
- Mindelo The harbour town of São Vicente, home of its music.
- Santo Antão Green valleys and mountain trails, an hour by ferry from Mindelo.
- Fogo A volcano still active, with vines growing in its crater.
Flying to Sal?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.