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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).