Guides & tips

Plan your trip like a local

Honest answers to the questions travellers ask us most.

A dark four-wheel drive moving at speed along an open road, the background blurred by the motion

Arriving on Sal – Taxis, Aluguers and What a Booked Transfer Is Worth

Taxis on Sal are not metered and the fare is agreed before you get in. What the airport run costs, how the shared aluguers work, and when €30 for a private transfer is the cheaper decision.

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Three swimmers floating in a shallow green-blue rock pool ringed by black lava stone

The Blue Eye and Pedra de Lume – Sal's Two Natural Sights, and When They Actually Work

Buracona's Blue Eye only glows for about two hours a day, and Pedra de Lume is a salt lake inside a volcano. What each one costs, when to go, and which tour gets the timing right.

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An orange and black two-seater buggy throwing up a long plume of dust on a flat dirt track under a clear sky

Buggy, Quad or Zipline on Sal – Why the Same Two Hours Costs €44 or €145

Sal's off-road tours range from €29.99 to €145 for what looks like the same ride. What the price actually buys, which one includes the entrance fees, and who the operators turn away.

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A young man in a tour company T-shirt holding out a glass dish of maize and bean stew on a patterned tablecloth

Cachupa, Morna and the Pier at Ten – Where the Real Cape Verde Is on Sal

Sal is the tourist island, and its culture is easy to miss from a hotel. The national dish, the music UNESCO listed, the working pier at Santa Maria, and which of the 19 culture tours is worth it.

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A rider on a chestnut horse on wet sand at the water's edge, turquoise sea and a second rider behind

Sal Without an Engine – Horseback, Paddle, Fatbike and on Foot

The human-powered half of Sal is almost all one to two hours long, and that is the wind and the sun talking, not a lack of ambition. What each option costs per hour and when to do it.

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A child in a wetsuit standing up on a red foam board in small shore waves, moored boats behind

Kitesurfing, Windsurfing and Surfing on Sal – the Season, the Spots and the Honest Beginner Advice

Sal's trade winds run from November into spring, Ponta Preta is for experts only, and the island's wind scene is far bigger than the booking sites suggest. What to book and when to come.

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A loggerhead turtle crawling across pale sand in daylight, a yellow operator sign standing behind it

Lemon Sharks and Sea Turtles on Sal – the Season, the Law and the Question to Ask

Watching a nesting turtle without a licensed guide is illegal here between June and October. What you actually see at Shark Bay, why no light is allowed on the beach, and what to ask before booking.

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A snorkeller at the surface seen half above and half below the waterline, with a pale shallow reef beneath

Swimming and Snorkelling on Sal – Which Water Is Safe and Which Is Not

Santa Maria's bay is sheltered and has no lifeguards; the coast a few kilometres away is a different ocean entirely. Where to swim, where to snorkel, and what the tours actually include.

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Four bathers covered head to toe in grey mud standing on the white salt crust, the brown crater slopes behind them

Floating at Pedra de Lume – What the Salt Does, and What €5 Buys

The salt lake inside Sal's crater is the one thing on this island you cannot do at home. What the water is really like, how long floating stays pleasant, and which of the four ways to book it is worth the money.

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A small group of visitors crouching on dry pale ground, a guide pointing towards the horizon, low brown hills behind

What to See on Sal – the Whole Island in Order, and What It Is Not

Sal is 29.7 km long, flat and dry, and almost everything worth the drive sits on one loop. An honest orientation: the four real sights, the two hours that matter, and what this island does not have.

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