Ilha do Sal is an island in Cape Verde belonging to the group of northern islands called Barlavento.
Like the rest of the Cape Verde Islands, Sal was uninhabited when the Portuguese discovered it in 1460.
The island of Sal is known as a pearl of gold in the middle of the turquoise ocean, because it is on the Island of Sal that you will find the largest stretches of golden sand of the archipelago.
There are also small arid zones and dry valleys, as well as small oases and dormant volcanoes that allow to distinguish the appearance of the island.
For many years, the island was a center of salt extraction, being this the origin of the name of the island.
The highest elevation of the island is Monte Grande, with a height of only 403 meters. The island is generally very flat, almost without rain, with sun and kilometers of beaches.
In Espargos in the interior of the island, just outside the international airport and the capital of the island, are located all kinds of establishments like banks, health center, the main post office, a hotel, some pensions, bars, cafes and restaurants and - of course - all kinds of shops.

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Ilha do Sal, Cape Verde's most popular tourist destination, offers excellent golden sandy beaches and crystal clear waters, clear sea, water sports and nightlife. It is the gateway for those who want to know the beauties of the Cape Verde archipelago, humble people, who presents with contagious sympathy and always with a smile on their lips.
One of the main natural attractions of Sal Island is the biodiversity of its marine fauna, and resident and migratory seabirds.
To enjoy all its beauty, there are several proposals in Diving and Sport Fishing.
Water sports such as windsurfing and kitesurfing and mountain biking or TT vehicles (Jeeps and Moto-Four) are experiencing great expansion.
Santa Maria, a tourist village, with a white sandy beach of 8 km, where it is reached by a modern fast track, and places of visit such as the Salinas de Pedra de Lume, inside the crater of an extinct volcano, where you can take a bath of water twenty times saltier than the sea, without the risk of going to the bottom; the Buracona, excavation in the rock where the solar rays when crossing the water produce beautiful and enigmatic effects; to Fontona, in times past a leafy oasis of date palm trees, coconut trees and tamarindeiros; the fishing village of Palmeira, the beach of Calheta Funda, the sunset on Ponta Preta beach, perfect for hiking and surfing; the Calheta Funda cove, the calm and shallow waters of the Bay of Murdeira, ideal for an underwater fishing session, have transformed the Island of Sal into the most international of the Cape Verde Islands hosting, for 20 years, important hotel and tourist structures of international standard.
The festivities of the island are in September attending the Musical Festival of the Beach of Santa Maria. Throughout the year there are some religious festivals. The most outstanding are those of Santa Cruz, Santo António, Santa Ana and Nossa Senhora da Piedade.
The strong wind blowing from November to June turned the island into an Eldorado for surfers.

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As gastronomic specialties you can choose the typical national dish of Cape Verde "Catchupa" (based on meats - chicken, beef, pork and sausages - and vegetables - chicken, beans, cabbage and potatoes) or sea delights (lobsters, stone crackers and other seafood, skewers and fish stews).

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The Island of Sal receives very little rain and if there is some rain, it will usually be during the rainy season between August and October.
Based on 30-year records, Sal Island receives an average of 33.6 millimeters of rainfall in September (historically the wettest month) and 0.0 millimeters of rainfall in May.
For an entire year rainfall occurs on average in just 10 days.
Water temperatures range from about 20 ° C in the winter to 27 ° C in late summer.

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