15 Island Day Trips in Sal to Build a Day Around

1.4h SSV Buggy Island Adventure – 1000cc or 500cc

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 363 reviews Our pick

Drive a 500cc or 1000cc automatic buggy across Sal with a local guide such as Chips, Zé, Valdir, Freddy, or Joseph. In four hours, you’ll visit Murdeira, Palmeira, Regona’s natural pool, Terra Boa, Pedra de Lume, Feijoal’s lemon sharks, and Serra Negra. Hotel pickup, safety gear, and water are included.

“Tour sur l’île de Sal en buggy au top. Nous avons pu voir les différents endroits de l’île à ne pas loupé. Expérience à faire absolument si vous venez à Sal .”

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2.Island Adventure with Shark Experience from Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 88 reviews · from $50

Spend about seven hours touring Sal by 4WD from Santa Maria with a local guide. Visit Murdeira, Espargos, Palmeira, Buracona, Terra Boa, and Pedra de Lume, then wade near lemon sharks at Parda Bay. Guides such as Jon, Djon, Danison, and Hamlet have led this trip. Bring water shoes, sunscreen, swimwear, and dry clothes.

“Our tour guide could not have been a nicer guy and made sure we were looked after. He was a local guy so knew lots about the island. Enjoyed seeing all of the sights but our favourite was the sharks and the salt mine where we floated in the water. Thanks guys.”

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3.Half-Day Sal Island Tour with Shark Experience from Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 75 reviews · from $40

Travel from Santa Maria with a guide such as Mamadu or Mamadou for a four-hour look at Sal beyond the resort zone. You’ll visit Murdeira, Palmeira, Espargos, Ponta Preta, Buracona, Pedra de Lume, Terra Boa, and Shark Bay. Hotel pickup, transport, and a professional guide are included, while entrance fees, food, and water shoes cost extra.

“La bonne humeur de Mamadou et sa disponibilité ! Ensuite le faite d’être en petit comité c’est plus sympa 😊”

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4.4h ATV 500cc 4×4 Quad Island Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews

Drive a 500cc 4x4 quad from Santa Maria with a local guide, stopping at Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona, Terra Boa, Pedra de Lume, Shark Bay, and Sal’s beaches. You get instruction, helmet, glasses, belt, suit, water, and hotel transfers. Bring your original driving license and closed shoes.

“Best trip I've ever been on and I'm 57 so I've been on a few. Everything about this trip was amazing . And the guides were so so good. They really put in so much effort to help. This was a faultless day I will never forget for as long as I live. There iRead more”

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5.4-Hour Buggy Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 60 reviews · 4 hours · from $305

Drive a 1000cc side-by-side buggy across Sal with a local guide, stopping at Regona’s natural pool, Terra Boa’s mirage, Pedra de Lume, Shark Bay, Kite Beach, and Santa Maria’s salt flats. The small group is capped at 10, with fuel, water, safety gear, and Santa Maria hotel pickup available.

“Haal en breng service vanaf hotel in santa maria was top! Gids giovanni deed het super leuk!”

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6.BEST VALUE small group island tour w/SHARK experience & salt lake

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 52 reviews · from $46

Spend 6 to 7 hours touring Sal with a local guide, visiting Shark Bay, Pedra de Lume salt pans, Buracona’s Blue Eye, Palmeira, Espargos, Murdeira, and Terra Boa. Hotel pickup, transport, insurance, and multilingual guiding are included. Bring water shoes, sunscreen, a swimsuit, and extra cash for entry fees and lunch.

“Overall happy with the trip packed a lot in. Would have preferred total cost of package rather having to pay out three more times for shoe hire and attractions etc. However we'll worth doing and a way to explore the beautiful country.”

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7.4-Hour ATV Quad Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 48 reviews · 4 hours · from $187

Ride a 500cc automatic ATV across Sal with a local guide, visiting Murdeira Bay, Fontona Oasis, Terra Boa, Pedra de Lume, Shark Bay, Serra Negra, Kite Beach, and Santa Maria’s salt flats. Guides including Patrick, Rafael, and Freddy have been praised for clear explanations and friendly help. Hotel pickup, fuel, safety gear, and water are included.

“We enjoyed everything about it, the tour guides were lovely and informative always making sure you were happy and having a good time. Maybe the only thing that could be added is the offer of gloves for the ride. Wish I could remember the guides names because they were brilliant on the 7th of February.”

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8.Private Sal Island Tour Authentic Experience from Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 48 reviews

Spend 6 to 7 hours touring Sal with a private certified guide such as Adilson, Nany, or Chan. Visit Buracona, Pedra de Lume, Palmeira, Murdeira, Shark Bay, and Kite Beach, with time for floating in salt water and seeing lemon sharks. Hotel pickup, private transport, and a flexible route are included.

“An excellent day! Our trip was great thanks to our fantastic tour guide Nany! Thanks very much, Peter & Yvonne xx”

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9.Full Day Sal Island Tour in Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 47 reviews · from $46

Spend about seven hours touring Sal by private transport, with stops at Santa Maria, Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona, Espargos, Pedra de Lume, and Sharkbay. Your local guide explains island life, fishing, salt production, and Cape Verdean culture. Lunch and entry fees cost extra. Groups are limited to eight.

“Eddie was an amazing tour guide from start to finish this tour is worth every single penny. You can see the entire island in half a day with Eddie, he even took us to a great spot to see the Salt plains. Communication was 10/10 and I knew exactly Read more”

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10.Union tour Full day Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 41 reviews · from $31Best value

This private Union Tour takes you from Santa Maria to Sal Island’s fishing villages, salt lakes, Blue Eye Cave, and Pedra de Lume. Guides such as Mario and Daniel explain local life and island history. Expect a long day, hotel pickup, a lunch stop, and several short scenic visits for $31.02 per person.

“Great tour, but could have done without the coffee break and lunch at a restaurant hidden away in an Espargos industrial area.”

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11.Sal Discovery: A Guided Small Group Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 27 reviews · 6 hours · from $51

You’ll spend about six to seven hours seeing Sal with a guide such as Alejandro, from Murdeira and Palmeira to Buracona, Shark Bay, and Pedra de Lume. Swim in a natural pool, walk near lemon sharks, taste Cape Verdean food, and float in saltwater inside an old volcanic crater. Lunch and entrance fees cost extra.

“Très belle excursion qui a permis de découvrir en quelques heures l'essentiel de l'ile. Guide très professionnel”

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12.Private Creative Pictures Full Day Island Tour (Off Road inc.)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 22 reviews · from $98

Join Franek for a private 6 to 8 hour tour of Sal in a pink pickup vehicle. You will visit salt mines, Pedra de Lume, Shark Bay, Buracona, Terra Boa, Palmeira, Murdeira, and quiet off-road sites. Franek adds local stories, playful photo ideas, and flexible stops, with pickup included.

“You don't want to miss this Pink Panther trip during your visit to Sal. Franek is - besides a friendly (multilingual) guide - a fantastic driver with an incredible knowledge about the island and also, a creative photographer who has a lot of ideas hoRead more”

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13.Sal Island tour: Blue Eye, Salt Lake, Sharks w/ Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 14 reviews · 6 - 7 hours · from $58

Explore Sal with Carlos and his local team on a 6 to 7 hour small-group tour. Visit Buracona’s Blue Eye, Pedra de Lume salt lake, Shark Bay, Espargos, Palmeira, Murdeira, and Kite Beach. Transport, hotel pickup, and grogue tasting are included, while entry fees and lunch cost extra.

“Der Tagesausflug wurde mit Deutschsprachigen Reiseführer bestellt. Beim Ausflug hat sich herausgestellt, dass keiner von den 3 Reiseführer deutsch konnte:(”

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14.Sal Island Tour Off-Road by Jeep

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 13 reviews

Travel from Santa Maria in a private off-road Jeep or Hummer-style vehicle with a professional guide. You’ll see Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona’s Blue Eye, Terra Boa, Sal’s capital, and Pedra de Lume, with time for lemon sharks and natural pools. Hotel pickup is included, while site fees cost extra.

“Awesome guide, knowledgeable explaining all sites, history and geography. The sites are really unique on this planet, so when you are staying in Sal, go for it. We had a great time.”

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15.Small Group Full Day Island Tour in Sal

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 12 reviews · from $45

Spend about seven hours touring Sal with a local guide such as John or Calu. Visit Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona’s Blue Eye, Espargos, Terra Boa, Shark Bay, and Pedra de Lume. Hotel or port pickup is included, but lunch and entrance fees cost extra. Expect a small group of up to 15 people.

“Volgens de aanbieding zouden we een schooltje bezoeken en dit is spijtig genoeg niet gebeurd. Er reed een fotograaf mee, maar dat vind ik geen meerwaarde. Mooie foto's kan hij van ons niet maken want ons kapsel kon je niet goed maken met die wind.”

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