The 15 Best Things to Do on Sal

Sal: Island Experience Tour with a Certified Local Guide - Starting in Santa Maria, where salt built the resort town

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 3,249 reviews · 7 hours · from $41Our pick

See Sal’s salt lakes, lemon sharks, Buracona, villages, and desert sights on a seven-hour guided island tour for $41.

“Everything went very well and Cristian was an excellent guide. It was my second time doing this visit, my first one was 7 years ago and was done by another tour agency. This one was hundred times better than my first. Very nice group and guide. I recommend! thank you Cristian”

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Sal Tours, Salt Lake & Pedra de Lume, Shark Watching, Tour Reviews, Tours

Sal: All-Inclusive Salt Lake, Blue Eye and Shark Bay Tour

2.All-Inclusive Salt Lake, Blue Eye and Shark Bay Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,033 reviews · 4 hours · from $53

Explore Sal’s salt lake, Blue Eye, mirage and lemon sharks in four hours with hotel pickup, entry fees and a local guide.

“Excellent! Loved this excursion, got to see most of the island, see baby sharks and float in the salt lake. Great experience for the whole family.”

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Guided, Sal Tours, Shark Watching, Tour Reviews

Experience on Sal Island with native and certified guide (including sharks)

3.Experience on Sal Island with native and certified guide (including sharks)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,166 reviews · from $37Top rated

Explore Sal Island with a certified local guide, from lemon sharks and salt craters to Buracona, Palmeira, Espargos, and Santa Maria.

“Great tour overall, all in one experience covering pretty much the whole of Sal island and its offerings. From the minuses I would mention poor pacing (20 minutes on the beach and same time swimming in Salinas), which felt us a little bit rushed. Also, guide did not provide clRead more”

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Sal Tours, Salt Lake & Pedra de Lume, Shark Watching, Tour Reviews

From Sal Island: Blu eye, Salt lake, Lemon Sharks & Palmeira

4.Blu eye, Salt lake, Lemon Sharks & Palmeira

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,003 reviews · 6 hours · from $35Best value

See Sal Island’s Blue Eye, salt lakes, lemon sharks, desert mirage, and fishing villages on a lively six-hour guided tour.

“The tour was absolutely fantastic! Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly, everything was very well-organised, and the driver was professional and careful. We visited some truly stunning places that are definitely worth seeing – highly recommended!”

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Guided, Sal Tours, Santa Maria Beach & Pier, Snorkeling, Snorkeling in Sal, Tour Reviews, Tours

Santa Maria: Guided Snorkeling and Reef Tour

5.Guided Snorkeling and Reef Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 809 reviews · 2 hours · from $44

Review of Sal’s Santa Maria snorkeling tour, with reef wildlife, turtles, wrecks, safety tips, pricing, transport, and practical advice.

“This was one of the most amazing and best tours i have ever made! super nice, great knowledge, very careful with safety and super friendly!! Both guides were amazing!! abslutly amazing! stongly recommend them!”

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Sal Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours, Zip Lines

Complete Excursion and Flight on the Zipline Cabo Verde

6.Complete Excursion and Flight on the Zipline Cabo Verde

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 591 reviews · from $57

Review of Sal’s Zipline Cabo Verde: 100-meter views, 4x4 pickup, local music, snacks, safety tips, pricing, and who should book.

“This was a great adventure. We were picked up from the hotel in their jeep and taken for a very exciting drive to the site and to the top of the zipline. The zipline was a great ride and very safe. The guides were professional and great fun.”

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Horses, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews

Horse Riding in Sal Island – Cabo Verde

7.Horse Riding in Sal Island – Cabo Verde

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 500 reviews · from $60

Ride Sal Island’s beaches, salt flats, and dunes with friendly guides, cared-for horses, hotel transfers, and small-group attention.

“I did the 2 hours tour and got lucky because I was the only one. It was a great tour to see some landscape and surroundings (salt pans, kite beach, etc.). Nice team, friendly horses and the photographer took some really good photos 😊”

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Boat Tours in Sal, Cruises & Boat Tours, Half-Day, Sailing, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews

Sal: All-Inclusive Half-Day Lounge Catamaran Cruise

8.All-Inclusive Half-Day Lounge Catamaran Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 486 reviews · 4 hours · from $81

Sail Sal’s west coast on a spacious catamaran with swimming, snorkeling, snacks, music, hotel transfers, and unlimited drinks.

“The activities were great. Loved jumping to the ocean, swimming in the inflatable swimming pool and dancing with our guides. The only thing I’m not happy about is poor choice of vegan options for a snack. I specified when booking the cruise that my partner and I are vegan. There was no separate food for us - all we got was fruits, olives and crisps. Everyone else got salad, pizza and sandwiches. We left a bit disappointed and hungry. Other than that, it was a great experience :)”

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Sal Tours, Santa Maria Beach & Pier, Sea Turtle Tours in Sal, Sea Turtle Watching, Tour Reviews

Santa Maria: Sea Turtle Watching Experience on Sal Island

9.Sea Turtle Watching Experience on Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 446 reviews · from $41

Watch nesting sea turtles on Sal Island at night with expert guides, small groups, hotel pickup, and careful conservation practices for $41.

“A genuine natural marvel - spectacular to witness. I didn’t expect to get so close - I could have reached out and touched the turtle’s shell. The guides were very knowledgable, answering all questions in detail, and importantly they are very keen to minimise disturbance to the turtles. Would definitely recommend this experience.”

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Full-Day, Guided, Lunch Experiences, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Sal Island: Guided Full-Day Highlights Tour with Lunch

10.Guided Full-Day Highlights Tour with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 414 reviews · 6 hours · from $69

Review of Sal Island’s six-hour highlights tour, with Buracona, lemon sharks, Pedra de Lume, local lunch, transport, and practical tips.

“All the most important spots on the island visited, nice home made meal and good guide :)”

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Buggy & SSV Tours, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews

4h SSV Buggy Island Adventure – 1000cc or 500cc

11.4h SSV Buggy Island Adventure – 1000cc or 500cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 363 reviews

Review of Sal’s four-hour SSV buggy tour, with desert tracks, shark bay, Terra Boa, costs, stops, safety tips, and booking advice.

“Amazing experience from start to finish, this is an absolute must do when in Sal. Our guides Chips, Zé and Valdir were incredible - so knowledgeable and helpful yet equally a lot of fun and cheeky! We had a blast and would do it again and again and again if we could!”

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2-Hour Experiences, Buggy & SSV Tours, Desert & Dune Adventures, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews

2h SSV Buggy Desert Adventure – 1000cc or 500cc

12.2h SSV Buggy Desert Adventure – 1000cc or 500cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 361 reviews

Ride Sal’s beaches, dunes, salt flats, and volcanic coast in a 2-hour buggy tour with hotel pickup, safety gear, and 500cc or 1000cc options.

“Rien d extraordinaire, très cher pour 1h30 de buggy, pas possible de faire un peu de vitesse, et pourtant j avais un buggy puissant”

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3-Hour Experiences, Boat Tours in Sal, Cruises & Boat Tours, Sailing, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews

3-hour Catamaran Adventure on the waters of Sal Island

13.3-hour Catamaran Adventure on the waters of Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 349 reviews · 3 hours · from $69

Review of Sal Island’s $69 catamaran cruise, with small groups, snacks, drinks, snorkeling, wildlife chances, pickup details, and practical tips.

“The weather wasn’t great very cloudy, but hey, no one can control that. The guys at Cape Verdi Sailing were great , enthusiastic and made sure we all had the drinks and snacks we needed. We were fortunate in that we saw masses of dolphins which was great fun watching them. Those who snorkelled later also managed to find a sea turtle , the boat crew then produced a bottle of fizz to help celebrate my birthday, a simple but nice gesture. Pick up was on time and drop off smooth. Overall I feel it’s good value from pick up to drop off we were 4 1/2 hours away (slightly…”

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Cycling Tours, Guided, Sal Tours, Tour Reviews, Tours

Electric Beach Bike – Guided Tour in Sal Island

14.Electric Beach Bike – Guided Tour in Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 349 reviews · from $35

See Sal Island by powerful e-bike, from Santa Maria beaches and dunes to salt mines, with guides, gear, insurance, and a swim stop.

“It was fun getting a tour of the south end of Sal. I particularly enjoyed the sand dunes. Mo had a great sense of humour.”

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Sal Tours, Santa Maria Beach & Pier, Shark Watching, Tour Reviews

Sal Island: Shark Bay Experience from Santa Maria

15.Shark Bay Experience from Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 345 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

See lemon sharks up close at Sal’s Shark Bay with hotel pickup, guides, water shoes, and a choice of shore or shallow-water viewing.

“Great trip. Interesting facts on the journey there and then about the sharks themselves. Top tip- use crocs not the swim shoes. Great couple of hours. We'll worth it.”

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