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Shark Bay · Pedra de Lume · Buracona
Shark Bay, Sal
Wade into the warm shallows of Shark Bay on Sal's east coast while young lemon sharks swim round your ankles, float in the salt lake inside an old volcanic crater, and see the Blue Eye at Buracona, in one morning with hotel pickup.
- 4.7 / 5 3113+ Reviews
- 4 hours Duration
- 3 in 1 Shark Bay, the salt lake and the Blue Eye in a morning
- 2 hrs The shortest shark trip, from Santa Maria
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Shark Bay Tour Covers
Lemon sharks in the shallows, a float in the salt lake and the Blue Eye, in four hours with a guide born on Sal.
Highlights
- Float in the Pedra de Lume salt lake inside an old volcanic crater
- Wade among young lemon sharks in the shallows of Shark Bay
- See the Blue Eye and the lava coast at Buracona
- Stop at the Terra Boa mirage on the way
- A guide born on Sal, with hotel pickup
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Air-conditioned transport
- A certified local guide
- Entry to the Pedra de Lume salt lake
- Entry to Buracona and the Blue Eye
- The Shark Bay visit
- Liability insurance
Good to know: Pickup is from hotels and apartments in Santa Maria, Murdeira and Espargos; the exact time comes the day before. · Baby and child seats are free on request. · Whether the Blue Eye shows depends on the weather, the sea and the sun. · Swimming in the Buracona pool depends on the sea. · Water shoes are recommended for Shark Bay and can be rented there for €2. · Not recommended for people with reduced mobility: the stops include rocky, uneven ground. · Anyone who has been drinking alcohol cannot take part. · Not suitable for: People with mobility impairments, Wheelchair users · Not Included: Water shoes for Shark Bay (Bring yours or rent it on site for €2), Personal expenses
How the Morning Runs
Pickup in Santa Maria, Murdeira or Espargos, three stops across the island, and back about four hours later.
Pickup at Your Hotel
A guide collects you from your hotel or apartment in Santa Maria, Murdeira or Espargos; the exact time comes the day before. Child seats are free on request.
Float at Pedra de Lume
About 40 minutes at the salt lake inside the old volcanic crater, where the brine holds you up. The entry is included in the price.
Lemon Sharks at Shark Bay
Half an hour on the rocky shore of Shark Bay, wading into the shallow water among the young lemon sharks or watching from the edge. Bring water shoes or rent a pair there for €2 (checked October 2026).
Buracona, Then Back
The natural pool and the Blue Eye at Buracona on the north-west coast, entry included, then the Terra Boa mirage on the drive back. The whole morning takes about four hours.
Photo Gallery
Shark Bay and the Island
The shallows, the salt lake and Buracona.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Plan the Day
Shark Bay, the Salt Lake and the Rest of Sal
The lemon sharks and when they are there, safety with children, the Pedra de Lume salt lake, the Blue Eye, the island tours side by side, and the sharks and turtles of Boa Vista.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked October 2026. Listing prices are per person, adult fare.
Four Shark Bay Tours Compared
All four pick you up at your hotel on Sal. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Shark Bay, salt lake and Blue Eye | Lemon shark eco-tour | Salt lake and Shark Bay | Island day at an easy pace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From £38 per person (checked October 2026) | From £24 per person (checked October 2026) | From £25 per person (checked October 2026) | From £34 per person (checked October 2026) |
| Paid on the Day | Water shoes, €2 to rent, unless you bring a pair | Nothing listed: water shoes are lent | Salt lake entry €6; water shoes €2 to rent | Salt lake and Buracona entries; water shoes |
| Time | 4 hours | 2 hours | 3 hours | 6 to 7 hours |
| Stops | Pedra de Lume, Shark Bay, Buracona, Terra Boa | Shark Bay only | Shark Bay, Pedra de Lume village and salt lake | Shark Bay, the salt lake, Buracona and the coast |
| Time at Shark Bay | About 30 minutes | About 40 minutes | About 30 minutes | Not stated |
| Best For | The three sights of Sal in one morning | Only the sharks, and the cheapest | Sharks and a float, no Blue Eye | A slower day in a small group |
| Check dates | See the shark tour | See the half day | See the island day |
Other Ways to Go
More Ways to See the Sharks and the Island
A two-hour shark trip, the salt lake and sharks in three hours, full island days with and without lunch, a catamaran and a night walk for nesting turtles.
JUST THE SHARKSLemon Shark Eco-Tour to Shark Bay from Santa Maria
Sal Experiences' two-hour trip from Santa Maria, Espargos or Murdeira to Shark Bay on the east coast: about 40 minutes with a guide in the shallow water among juvenile lemon sharks, or watching from the shore. Water shoes are lent free for the rocky shoreline.
SALT LAKE AND SHARKSPedra de Lume Salt Lake and Shark Bay Half Day
Sal Experiences' three-hour half day from Santa Maria, Murdeira or Espargos: Shark Bay for the lemon sharks first, then the old salt village of Pedra de Lume and about 50 minutes at the salt lake in the crater. The salt lake's €6 entry is paid on the day, and water shoes can be rented at Shark Bay for €2.
THE ISLAND FOR LESSBlue Eye, Salt Lake, Lemon Sharks and Palmeira Day Tour
sodadetour's day from Santa Maria in groups of up to 12: Murdeira Bay for a swim, the fishing village of Palmeira, the Buracona pool and Blue Eye, the Terra Boa mirage, lunch on your own in Espargos, the lemon sharks of Parda Bay and the Pedra de Lume salt lake. The entry fees at Buracona, Shark Bay and the salt lake are paid on the day.
EVERYTHING INCLUDEDSal Island Day Tour with Lunch and Entry Fees Included
Sal Experiences' seven-hour day with everything paid up front: Kite Beach from October to March, Murdeira, Espargos, the Terra Boa mirage, Buracona and its pool, Palmeira, a Cape Verdean lunch with a drink, Shark Bay and the Pedra de Lume salt lake. Only water shoes are extra, €2 to rent at Shark Bay.
AN UNHURRIED DAYSal Island Day: Sharks, Salt Lake and the Blue Eye
Carlos Cruz Tours' six-to-seven-hour day round Sal with a local certified guide in a small group, at an easy pace: walking among the lemon sharks at Shark Bay, floating in the Pedra de Lume salt lake, the Blue Eye at Buracona and the coast, with hotel pickup. A private car with snorkelling can be arranged.
TURTLES AT NIGHTSea Turtle Nesting Walk with a Marine Biologist
Sal Eco Tours' three-hour night walk from Santa Maria with a marine biologist, in groups of up to 10, to watch a loggerhead turtle nest under the national guidelines. No flash, no torches, no touching; part of the price goes to the island's turtle conservation groups.
The Guide
Shark Bay, and the Morning That Takes in the Rest of Sal
What Shark Bay is, how many sharks you can expect, water shoes and children, what you pay with the fees on the day, and when to go.
Shark Bay is a shallow, rocky bay on the east coast of Sal, a few kilometres south of Pedra de Lume and about 26 km by road from Santa Maria. Its research name is Parda Reef. Young lemon sharks, most of them newborns between 50 and 90 cm long, cruise the warm shallows all year, and visitors wade in among them in water shoes while the sharks swim round their legs. You can go on your own; the easy way is a half-day island tour that adds the salt lake at Pedra de Lume and the Blue Eye at Buracona.
The short answer
For one tour, take Sal Experiences’ morning to Shark Bay, the Pedra de Lume salt lake and the Blue Eye, sold on GetYourGuide as Sal Island: All-Inclusive Shark Bay, Salt Lake & Blue Eye. In four hours from your hotel in Santa Maria, Murdeira or Espargos, a guide born on Sal takes you to float in the salt lake inside an old volcanic crater, to wade with the lemon sharks for about half an hour, and to the natural pool and Blue Eye at Buracona, with the Terra Boa mirage on the way. The salt lake and Buracona entries are in the price. It costs from £38 a person, with 3,113 reviews (checked October 2026). Water shoes are not included: bring your own, or rent a pair at the bay for €2 (checked October 2026).
Check dates for the Shark Bay tour
It is not suited to wheelchair users or anyone who struggles on rocky, uneven ground: the walk into the water at Shark Bay is over rocks.
Pick your trip
Shark Bay, Pedra de Lume Salt Lake and the Blue Eye Half Day
Shark Bay, a float in the Pedra de Lume salt lake and the Blue Eye in four hours, with the two entries included and hotel pickup.
Check dates →Lemon Shark Eco-Tour to Shark Bay from Santa Maria
Two hours from Santa Maria, about 40 minutes at Shark Bay with a guide, and water shoes lent free.
See the shark trip →Blue Eye, Salt Lake, Lemon Sharks and Palmeira Day Tour
sodadetour's day round the island in a group of up to 12, with Palmeira and a swim at Murdeira. The entry fees are paid on the day.
See the island day →Sal Island Day: Sharks, Salt Lake and the Blue Eye
Carlos Cruz Tours' six-to-seven-hour day in a small group at an easy pace: the sharks, the salt lake and the Blue Eye.
See the slow day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked October 2026; Viator checked October 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
What you will see in the water
The sharks are lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris, a species that grows to about 3 m and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (assessed 2020). The ones at Shark Bay are babies. The bay is a nursery: lemon sharks give birth in warm, sheltered shallows, and the young stay there, out of reach of bigger predators, for many months before moving to deeper water.
The researchers who study the bay, the Sal conservation group Projeto Biodiversidade with Queen Mary University of London, count between 12 and 23 young sharks at a time, in every month of the year. They tagged 83 of them between November 2022 and February 2025: the 81 they measured were 50 to 92 cm long, nine in ten under 80 cm, and some stayed in the bay for up to 22 months. Around four in five of the sharks in the shallows are newborns or in their first year, rising to about nine in ten from June to September. In 2025 the IUCN’s shark specialists named Parda Reef an Important Shark and Ray Area for that reason.
So expect sharks about the length of your arm, sleek and pale yellow-brown, gliding past your shins. Among the 214 written reviews in the newest 350 of the Shark Bay tour (17 August to 31 October 2026), 46 mention the sharks; reviewers of the two-hour shark trip describe them swimming between their legs and brushing past their shins. Adult lemon sharks are sometimes seen at a distance, but you will not be in the water with them.
The rules: no touching, no feeding
Shark Bay is not a nature reserve, and lemon sharks have no legal protection in Cape Verde. The rules come from the researchers who study the bay. Projeto Biodiversidade’s guidance is plain: never touch or feed the sharks, even if someone suggests it, and if a tour feeds them, choose a different tour. The tours here walk you in with a guide, who shows you where to stand.
- Stand still, or move slowly. The sharks swim round still legs; splashing scatters them.
- Keep your hands to yourself, out of the water if you like.
- No food in the water, ever.
- The sea floor is rock, with sea urchins: keep your water shoes on the whole time.
The is Shark Bay safe guide has more on children, the rocks and the waves.
Water shoes
You need them. The shore at Shark Bay is basalt rock and the water hides sea urchins, which is why Projeto Biodiversidade calls renting water shoes there essential. Local guides at the bay rent pairs for a few euros: €2 on the tour listings checked October 2026. Bring a pair from home and you need not rent; plastic clogs or old trainers that can get wet work too. The two-hour lemon shark eco-tour lends them free.
Where Shark Bay is
| Place | What it is | Trip for it |
|---|---|---|
| Shark Bay (Parda Reef) | A rocky bay with young lemon sharks in the shallows, east coast | The two-hour shark trip |
| Pedra de Lume salt lake | Salt pans in an old volcanic crater where you float in the brine | Salt lake and Shark Bay in three hours |
| Buracona | A natural rock pool and the Blue Eye, a sunlit sea cave, north-west coast | The Shark Bay tour's last stop |
| Palmeira | Sal’s fishing harbour on the west coast | The island day |
| Espargos | The island’s main town, by the airport | On every island day |
| Santa Maria | The resort town at the southern tip, where pickups start | - |
What it costs, with the fees on the day
| Trip | Listing price | Paid on the day |
|---|---|---|
| Lemon shark eco-tour, 2 hours (Sal Experiences) | From £24 in current promotion (usually £25) | Nothing listed: water shoes are lent |
| Salt lake and Shark Bay, 3 hours (Sal Experiences) | From £25 in current promotion (usually £26) | Salt lake €6, water shoes €2 |
| Shark Bay, salt lake and Blue Eye, 4 hours (Sal Experiences) | From £38 | Water shoes €2 |
| Island day, 6 hours (sodadetour) | From £24 | Shark Bay, salt lake and Buracona entries; lunch |
| Island day with lunch and entries, 7 hours (Sal Experiences) | From £54 | Water shoes €2 |
Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked October 2026. The charges on the day are those each listing states, in euros, checked October 2026.
Cape Verde’s currency is the escudo, pegged to the euro at 110.265 escudos to €1. Carry a few euros or escudos for the small charges at the bay and the salt lake.
Going on your own
You can. Shark Bay is a short drive south of Pedra de Lume on a rough track (the salt lake and Shark Bay half day pairs the two), and local guides at the bay rent water shoes and walk visitors into the water. Sal’s taxi fares are set by the island council: the fares published on 22 October 2026 put the airport to Pedra de Lume at 800 escudos by day and 1,000 at night, and the airport to Santa Maria at 1,700 and 1,900, but list no fare to Shark Bay itself, so agree the price and the waiting time before you set off, and weigh it against the two-hour shark trip at £24 in current promotion (usually £25) a person (checked October 2026), which includes the pickup and the shoes.
When to go
The sharks are there all year: the research counts find young lemon sharks in every month, and the share of newborns is highest from June to September. The weather on Sal is dry for most of the year, with what little rain falls coming mostly in August, September and October. The sea is coolest from February to April, about 22 to 23°C, and warmest in September and October, about 28°C (model averages for the sea off Shark Bay, 2022 to 2025). For UK visitors the island’s winter sunshine is the draw, and the sharks do not mind the month.
Calm days are easier. On windy days the waves at the bay make it harder to stand still and watch; reviewers of the tour describe days when the sharks were harder to see after a storm, and days when Buracona was closed and the guide went to Palmeira instead.
Who should pick something else
- You only want the sharks: the two-hour lemon shark eco-tour spends longer at the bay and lends the shoes. The lemon sharks of Cape Verde guide has the biology.
- You are travelling with young children: read is Shark Bay safe? first: the rocks, not the sharks, are the problem.
- You want to float more than you want sharks: see the Pedra de Lume salt lake guide.
- You want the whole island: the Sal island tours guide sets the half days and full days side by side, with lunch and without.
- You are staying on Boa Vista: its 4x4 tours visit turtles and a bay of their own; see Boa Vista shark and turtle tours.
Lemon Sharks, a Salt Lake and the Blue Eye
Sal Experiences' four-hour morning with a guide born on Sal and hotel pickup: Shark Bay's shallows, a float in the Pedra de Lume crater and Buracona, with the salt lake and Buracona entries included. Starting from £38 per person.
See datesMore Trips with Open Dates
More Sal and Boa Vista Trips with Open Dates
Shark Bay, island tours, boats and turtle walks with live availability. Times and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Shark Bay Sal: Questions
The sharks, water shoes, children, the fees, getting there and the best time.
A shallow, rocky bay on Sal's east coast, south of Pedra de Lume, where young lemon sharks swim in water you can stand in. Researchers call it Parda Reef and count 12 to 23 newborn and juvenile lemon sharks there at a time, in every month of the year. Visitors wade in wearing water shoes and stand still while the sharks swim round their legs.
From £24 a person for the two-hour shark trip, and from £38 for the four-hour morning that adds the salt lake and the Blue Eye (checked October 2026). The four-hour tour includes the salt lake and Buracona entries; water shoes are €2 to rent at the bay unless you bring your own (checked October 2026). Full island days with lunch and every entry start from £54.
They are babies: the 81 measured by researchers between 2022 and 2025 were 50 to 92 cm long. They circle still legs and sometimes brush past them. They are still wild animals, so never touch or feed them; the hazards that actually hurt people are the wet rocks and the sea urchins. See is Shark Bay safe?
Yes. The shore is volcanic rock and there are sea urchins under the water; the Sal conservation group Projeto Biodiversidade calls renting water shoes there essential. Local guides at the bay rent them for €2 (checked October 2026), and the two-hour shark trip lends them free.
No. The guidance from the researchers who study the bay is never to touch or feed the sharks, even if someone suggests it, and to choose a tour that does not feed them. Stand still and let them come to you.
Any month: the young sharks are in the bay all year. Newborns are the largest share from June to September. Calm days are easier, because the waves on a windy day make it harder to stand still and see them. The sea is about 22 to 23°C from February to April and about 28°C in September and October (model averages, 2022 to 2025).
Yes, by taxi or hire car to the bay south of Pedra de Lume, about 26 km by road from Santa Maria. Local guides there rent water shoes and walk visitors in. Sal's council taxi fares, published on 22 October 2026, list no fare to Shark Bay itself, so agree the price and the waiting time first.
Yes, with water shoes that fit and a hand held on the rocks. The sharks are smaller than many children. Sal Experiences provides child seats free on request. It is not suited to wheelchairs or anyone unsteady on uneven ground.
No. It is not one of Sal's protected areas, and lemon sharks are not protected under Cape Verdean law. In 2025 the IUCN's shark specialists named it an Important Shark and Ray Area, a scientific recognition rather than a reserve. The lemon shark is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
Still have questions? Email us at info@sharkbaysal.com