Sal Island - Roteiro
Seen from the sky, when the plane approaches the runway of the Amilcar Cabral Airport, the view looks disappointingly lunar. Then it shows itself to be the island with the most beaches. We are on the island of Sal.
It was formerly called Lhana, since the island is almost flat, apart from some peculiar higher ground. Then it got the name of Sal (salt) because of the industry which existed between the 18th century and the first half of the 20th. This made it famous but nowadays this is almost abandoned, exclusively in exchange for tourism.
Sal now has the youngest population of the archipelago and has gone through various distinct stages of development which have altered the lifestyle. In recent decades there has been an explosion of tourism, and the island of Sal is sought out by people from all over the world, but mainly from Europe, which is only a few hours away.
Evidence of the salt industry still exists, the most important being at Pedra de Lume, in the central region, not far from Espargos, the principal urban centre of the island. The salt mining went on inside an extinct volcanic crater. The access is via a small tunnel which seems to separate two worlds, and which was opened by the owner at the time, António Manuel Martins, in 1850. He became vice-consul to the United States and ended up selling Pedra de Lume to Frenchmen from Bordeaux, who in 1919 founded the Société Salines du Sal, then set up the transport system which can be seen. During the golden period, salt was sent to the entire African coast, to Brazil, England and the United States.
This is a unique, strange landscape. The colour of the soil varies from the turquoise of the sea, the green of the vegetation, the brown of the walls, and the white and pink of the salt; striking images which stay in the memory of the visitor. Nowadays, the rock-salt mines of Pedra de Lume are the property of the Italian tourism company, Turinvest Holding, who use it, for example, as a privileged place for a relaxing rest and a salt massage.
The town of Santa Maria, on the extreme south of the island and with easy access to the airport, is an excellent tourist area. It benefits from a long golden beach of eight kilometres and marvelous turquoise, transparent warm water. Situated here are the most important tourist attractions of Cape Verde, serving the efforts towards expansion of tourism, which the country has been developing. Attractive all year round, the hotels of Santa Maria, which are ever more numerous, have transformed Sal into a tourist destination much appreciated worldwide. Here the tourist can find varied facilities, communications supported by the latest generation technology, and access to bank accounts with easy money withdrawal. There is also an excellent transport system; witness the frequent air connections, both to the various other islands of the archipelago, operated by two national airlines, and to numerous foreign countries.
Also on the island of Sal real estate opportunities have been launched, and others will follow, from Santa Maria to Murdeira and Monte Leão on the west coast, and on the east coast from Santa Maria to Pedra de Lume.
Alongside the natural beauty and good accommodation, the area of Santa Maria is also an exciting destination for enthusiasts of the most varied water sports. The water and the winds encourage windsurf and kite surf enthusiasts, so much so that there are international competitions here. The pure water and the fact that these are pollution-free areas also guarantee moments of intense pleasure for fishing enthusiasts. It is possible to acquire various packages in the agencies in Santa Maria, and also for diving, an activity for which it is possible to have classes and obtain qualifications locally.
Handicrafts now have a centre, right in the middle of the Vila de Santa Maria, where local artists can give leave to their imagination using simple stones, corals or shells, or via painting or tapestry. However, most of the handicraft is from the African continent. This implies that perhaps there is room for more home production.
Lovers of 4x4 also have suitable territory here in Sal to explore the sandy terrain of the island, looking for picturesque little spots in an arid landscape, full of contrasting undulations. If Lhana is the original name of the island because it is flat, then these discoveries make one understand that this baptism does not necessarily correspond to the truth.
On these expeditions in the north-east of the island, the traveller, after passing Palmeira, the fishing port of Sal, and Regona, an inlet of particular beauty, will come across a unique natural phenomenon in the archipelago, known as Buracona. It is a large chasm which goes down through the rocks, the bottom of which can only be seen at midday, when the sun’s rays have the right angle. Apart from fulfilling a curiosity which arises from the origins of this phenomenon, the visitor can also appreciate how pure and pollution-free the waters of this island are.
Near Buracona there are natural rock caves filled by the tides and breakers, providing an excellent opportunity for a safe dive in the inviting transparent waters.
A trip around the island should also include a stop at Espargos, near the airport, to see its main urban area, guarded by the interesting Morro do Coral, a knoll where one of the large dishes of the Atlantic radar system of air traffic control can be found. Espargos, with its growing urban area, reflects the economic development of this island, which for many decades had the only international airport in the country. It was built by the Italians in the forties, during World War II, and finished by the Portuguese. The airport, named Amílcar Cabral, was also one of the best runways of the region, strategically situated between Europe and Africa on one side, and the Americas on the other. Nowadays it is one of the only airports of the region with category 1 maximum safety requirements.
Sal is an island whose inhabitants are geared towards tourism. The nights are captivating and animated, especially at the weekend. It is possible to share enjoyable, relaxed tasty dinners in restaurants in Santa Maria, Murdeira, Espargos or in Palmeira. During the meals, the traveller can feel immersed in the warmth of the Cape Verde atmosphere; the bands play the traditional songs of the country and the local gastronomy is sometimes accompanied by the murmuring of the waves.
Also the nocturnal festivity is omnipresent in the island of Sal. In the town of Santa Maria, for example, we can find bars and discos open every night where interaction with local inhabitants or with tourists of various nationalities is a reality, allowing us to share our experiences on the morabeza islands.
Seen from the sky, when the plane approaches the runway of the Amilcar Cabral Airport, the view looks disappointingly lunar. Then it shows itself to be the island with the most beaches. We are on the island of Sal.
It was formerly called Lhana, since the island is almost flat, apart from some peculiar higher ground. Then it got the name of Sal (salt) because of the industry which existed between the 18th century and the first half of the 20th. This made it famous but nowadays this is almost abandoned, exclusively in exchange for tourism.
Sal now has the youngest population of the archipelago and has gone through various distinct stages of development which have altered the lifestyle. In recent decades there has been an explosion of tourism, and the island of Sal is sought out by people from all over the world, but mainly from Europe, which is only a few hours away.
Evidence of the salt industry still exists, the most important being at Pedra de Lume, in the central region, not far from Espargos, the principal urban centre of the island. The salt mining went on inside an extinct volcanic crater. The access is via a small tunnel which seems to separate two worlds, and which was opened by the owner at the time, António Manuel Martins, in 1850. He became vice-consul to the United States and ended up selling Pedra de Lume to Frenchmen from Bordeaux, who in 1919 founded the Société Salines du Sal, then set up the transport system which can be seen. During the golden period, salt was sent to the entire African coast, to Brazil, England and the United States.
This is a unique, strange landscape. The colour of the soil varies from the turquoise of the sea, the green of the vegetation, the brown of the walls, and the white and pink of the salt; striking images which stay in the memory of the visitor. Nowadays, the rock-salt mines of Pedra de Lume are the property of the Italian tourism company, Turinvest Holding, who use it, for example, as a privileged place for a relaxing rest and a salt massage.
The town of Santa Maria, on the extreme south of the island and with easy access to the airport, is an excellent tourist area. It benefits from a long golden beach of eight kilometres and marvelous turquoise, transparent warm water. Situated here are the most important tourist attractions of Cape Verde, serving the efforts towards expansion of tourism, which the country has been developing. Attractive all year round, the hotels of Santa Maria, which are ever more numerous, have transformed Sal into a tourist destination much appreciated worldwide. Here the tourist can find varied facilities, communications supported by the latest generation technology, and access to bank accounts with easy money withdrawal. There is also an excellent transport system; witness the frequent air connections, both to the various other islands of the archipelago, operated by two national airlines, and to numerous foreign countries.
Also on the island of Sal real estate opportunities have been launched, and others will follow, from Santa Maria to Murdeira and Monte Leão on the west coast, and on the east coast from Santa Maria to Pedra de Lume.
Alongside the natural beauty and good accommodation, the area of Santa Maria is also an exciting destination for enthusiasts of the most varied water sports. The water and the winds encourage windsurf and kite surf enthusiasts, so much so that there are international competitions here. The pure water and the fact that these are pollution-free areas also guarantee moments of intense pleasure for fishing enthusiasts. It is possible to acquire various packages in the agencies in Santa Maria, and also for diving, an activity for which it is possible to have classes and obtain qualifications locally.
Handicrafts now have a centre, right in the middle of the Vila de Santa Maria, where local artists can give leave to their imagination using simple stones, corals or shells, or via painting or tapestry. However, most of the handicraft is from the African continent. This implies that perhaps there is room for more home production.
Lovers of 4x4 also have suitable territory here in Sal to explore the sandy terrain of the island, looking for picturesque little spots in an arid landscape, full of contrasting undulations. If Lhana is the original name of the island because it is flat, then these discoveries make one understand that this baptism does not necessarily correspond to the truth.
On these expeditions in the north-east of the island, the traveller, after passing Palmeira, the fishing port of Sal, and Regona, an inlet of particular beauty, will come across a unique natural phenomenon in the archipelago, known as Buracona. It is a large chasm which goes down through the rocks, the bottom of which can only be seen at midday, when the sun’s rays have the right angle. Apart from fulfilling a curiosity which arises from the origins of this phenomenon, the visitor can also appreciate how pure and pollution-free the waters of this island are.
Near Buracona there are natural rock caves filled by the tides and breakers, providing an excellent opportunity for a safe dive in the inviting transparent waters.
A trip around the island should also include a stop at Espargos, near the airport, to see its main urban area, guarded by the interesting Morro do Coral, a knoll where one of the large dishes of the Atlantic radar system of air traffic control can be found. Espargos, with its growing urban area, reflects the economic development of this island, which for many decades had the only international airport in the country. It was built by the Italians in the forties, during World War II, and finished by the Portuguese. The airport, named Amílcar Cabral, was also one of the best runways of the region, strategically situated between Europe and Africa on one side, and the Americas on the other. Nowadays it is one of the only airports of the region with category 1 maximum safety requirements.
Sal is an island whose inhabitants are geared towards tourism. The nights are captivating and animated, especially at the weekend. It is possible to share enjoyable, relaxed tasty dinners in restaurants in Santa Maria, Murdeira, Espargos or in Palmeira. During the meals, the traveller can feel immersed in the warmth of the Cape Verde atmosphere; the bands play the traditional songs of the country and the local gastronomy is sometimes accompanied by the murmuring of the waves.
Also the nocturnal festivity is omnipresent in the island of Sal. In the town of Santa Maria, for example, we can find bars and discos open every night where interaction with local inhabitants or with tourists of various nationalities is a reality, allowing us to share our experiences on the morabeza islands.
