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Located on the northwest coast of the island, Palmeira is a fishermen village which also hosts the main port of Sal. It also is the third busiest port of Cape Verde after the port of Praia (Santiago Island) and Mindelo (São Vicente Island).

Palmeira is the village of the fishermen, located on the north-west coast of Sal Island where you can find the typical colorful capeverdean houses and you can still feel the real capeverdean vibes.

In Palmeira you can also find the main port of Sal, the only port that can host the container ships coming to supply the Island.

Located on the northwest coast of the island, Buracona is one of the most famous attractions of Sal thanks to the natural swimming pool and the “Odjo Azùl” (Blue Eye).

The Blue Eye is a cave 24 meters deep that is connected to the ocean. When the sun reaches the center of the sky, the sunlight illuminates the sandy bottom of the cave that gives visitors an amazing reflection that resembles a Blue Eye.

A natural swimming pool resides adjacent to the Blue Eye. Due to the tides of the ocean, the conditions of the pool change on a daily basis. Many days the waters are ideal for swimming however on other days the pool will experience the strength of the ocean with waves crashing on black lava rocks.

There is a restaurant, restrooms, and a souvenir shop inside the area.

Entrance Fee

This attraction requires an entrance fee of 3€ per person. Entry is FREE for children and Cape Verdean nationals and immigrants with a valid ID Card.

For the best viewing experience

Since it’s a natural effect caused by the sun, it is important to view the Blue Eye on a sunny day when the sun is at its highest point between 11am and noon.

Located on the northern portion of the island, Terra Boa is the greenest place of Sal.

In Terra Boa it is also possible to see the “Mirage” (or “Fata Morgana”): the Mirage is an optical phenomenon in which the hot light rays on the ground reflect distant objects and the sky, which create the illusion of a desert lake.

Located on the northeast coast of the island, Pedra de Lume (translated: Firestone) is now a small fishermen village.

The village was built in 1796, by Manuel António Martins, and was divided into two parts:

  • The houses of the slaves, on the top of the hill.
  • The port, the warehouse and the cable car down the hill. The cable car was able to transport up to 80,000kg of salt per hour from inside the crater to the village.

The old crater of Pedra de Lume is famous because of the salt flats that you can find inside. Salt flats that had seen their “golden times” during the 18th century when the salt was mostly exported to Brazil, until 1887 when the Brazilian Government decided to banish the salt importation.

The salt production was revived by a French company named “Salins du Cabo Verde” which was the owner until the end of the 20th century when they closed the production and sold the area to an Italian company who bought it for touristic purposes.

Today the volcano of Pedra de Lume is one of the main attractions of Sal and a must for every tour. You can either enjoy the view from the top of the crater or swim (actually float) in the second most salty water of the world.

Entrance Fee

In order to enter to the crater you will need to pay an entrance fee of 5€ per person. FREE entry for children under 120cm height and Cape Verdean nationals and immigrants with a valid ID Card.

If you swim in the salty waters and would like to shower afterwards, you will also need to pay an extra 1€ for the shower (highly recommended).