Sports

Sal Island represents a true garden of delight for water sports enthusiasts: sailing, windsurf, kitesurf, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling.
Lovers of diving and photography will be able to live an experience like not other in the ocean surrounding Cape Verde, which offers panoramas of incomparable beauty.
Sal Island is also the perfect spot for both expert and novice fishermen: there is an abundance of species native to these warm waters, and you can fish from the shore or try the thrill of deep-sea fishing on a boat.
A sailing vacation can be a true cure-all for getting back in touch with nature: it is impossible to forget the excitement of mastering the waves, when the boat becomes your new dwelling in a world where the thrill of discovery is triggered by sailing the pristine seas of Cape Verde.

But Cape Verde is fascinating even far from the waves, with the splendid chromatic contrasts of the golden sun and blue skies, between smooth flatlands and the infinite horizon, inviting tourists to enjoy long, relaxing walks, The excellent weather on this island is perfect for wonderful walks, calling those who wish to profit from their vacation time to restore their strength in a totally unpolluted environment.

For those who prefer a sport on a grassy green instead of amidst turquoise waves, Cotton Bay offers a paradise of golf courses where guests can dedicate themselves to a discipline that calms your soul and stimulates your intellect, without giving up being able to breathe in the tangy salt air of Cape Verde.

The Cotton Bay golf resort is the largest botanical garden on the island: two million square metres of lush golf courses where guests of the Cotton Bay residential complex can play on incredibly velvety greens.

What to see in Sal

Pedra de Lume: an ancient volcanic crater with an artificial tunnel excavated in 1804 for the purpose of extracting salt. The bottom of the crater is at the sea level, allowing the infiltration of sea water even though it is located about one kilometre from the beach.

The saltpans: a true historical attraction located about one kilometre from the city.

Vila des Espargos: for those in Santa Maria, the Vila offers pleasant accommodations, especially for its varied and spontaneous vegetation.

Palmeira: the port of Palmeira, where cargo ships are allowed to dock, also boasts a desalination facility and numerous lobster farms that offer excellent prices.

Cuisine

Cape Verdian cuisine, with its strong African origins, is rich and varied. The national specialty is the tasty catchupa, prepared with corn, beans, pork, manioc, sweet potatoes, and aromatic herbs.

Other typical specialties of the archipelago of Cape Verde are the fantastic fish barbecues with crayfish, lobster, octopus, “buzio” and tuna: all delicacies you won’t want to miss. Cape Verdian cuisine also includes sweets and tea, as well as the famous grog, a brandy made with sugar cane.

Shopping

Typical crafts you can purchase include ceramics, hand-dyed batiks, coconut sculptures, costume jewellery, compositions with shells finished by hand, rag dolls, and sand paintings. There are plenty of open-air markets where you can buy curiosities, like surprising tin toys, aromatic spices, and hand-made terracotta objects.