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price-date4 Hours

Island Tour with Shark Experience

Everyday in the morning
From €35 / Participant

Get to know the life, the culture and the history of the capeverdeans while descovering the highlights of Sal with our tour. The best beaches, the natural swimming pools, the mirage and the volcano.


INCLUDED



Shuttle

Pickup and Drop-off



Family Friendly

For all the ages



Local Guide

Friendly and Professional

OVERVIEW

This might be the option that you were looking for! With this tour you’ll get the chance to see both the highlights and the hidden treasoures of Sal Island, with a professional and informative guide that will take you in this unforgettable trip in Cape Verde.

Discover the highlights, the history and the day to day life of Sal and the cape verdeans on a half day, guided, island tour with several stops.

 

What to Expect


Pick-up

Our guide will pick you up in front of the reception of your hotel/accomodation


Ponta Preta Beach

Located on the southwest coast of the island, Ponta Preta is Sal's most beautiful beach.


Murdeira bay

Murdeira Bay has great views of Lion Mountain


Palmeira Village

Palmeira is Sal's main ocean port.


Buracona / The Blue Eye

A stunning underwater cave with majestic blue and turquoise waters.


Terra Boa Mirage

Experience the natural wonder of Sal Island's Terra Boa Mirage.


Shark Bay

Walk close with lemon sharks in this shallow bay on the eastern coast of Sal.


Pedra de Lume

In the crater of an old volcano, you can find the second most salty water of the world.


Returning back



Entrance Fees

May apply



Souvenirs

Available for Purchase



Small group

Group of maximum 8 people

You May Also Be Interested In

Located on the southwest coast of the island, Ponta Preta is Sal's most beautiful beach.

Ponta Preta Beach changes quite drastically from season to season based on the ocean tides. Typically during summer there are no waves on this side of the island the sand accumulates on the beach making the shore grow larger day after day.

In contrast, during winter months big waves often crash upon the beach which wash away much of the sand and make the beach up to 50 meters smaller than in summer time.

While Ponta Preta is not an ideal beach for beginner kite surfers, it is an amazing spot for experts. This is why for the last several years in February this beach has hosted the first step of the World Championship of Kite Surfing.

Located on the west coast of the island, Murdeira Bay (Baia da Murdeira) is one of the two natural reserves of Sal and owes its name to the village of Murdeira which lies upon its shore.

With the surrounding land and Lion Mountain protecting it from heavy currents, Murdeira Bay is a natural port with very few waves and slightly warmer waters than other parts of the island.

These conditions make Murdeira Bay a perfect place for the sea animals to reproduce, like the loggerhead sea turtles (between May and October) and whales (between March and May).

In Murdeira Bay, you can experence great views of Lion Mountain (Monte Leão). Originally named “Rabo de Junco”, its name eventually changed to “Monte Leão” because its shape resembles the head of a lion.

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 northeastern coast of the island near the village of Pedra de Lume, “Baia da Parda” (better known as “Shark Bay”) is the only place on the island where you can see lemon sharks from the shore while they are swimming in their natural habitat.

The shark bay is a lagoon with the lava rocks at the bottom which make the area a perfect spot for the lemon sharks hunting for food. Because of the shallow water, the tide of the ocean makes the place different every few hours and can make it easier to see the sharks depending on the level of the water.

Additional Info

In order to enter to see the sharks, it’s recommended to wear shoes (any type of shoes except flip flops). If needed, you can rent shoes directly from local on-site vendors which cost on average roughly 2/3€ per person.

If you are not on a guided tour, you can typically give a small tip to one of the vendors and they will come with you into the water to explain a little bit about the sharks.

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).