Sal Island Tours Compared
Sal excursions side by side: the two-hour shark trip, half days with the salt lake and Blue Eye, full island days with lunch, catamarans and turtle walks.
Every island tour on Sal is built from the same handful of stops: Shark Bay for the lemon sharks, the Pedra de Lume salt lake, the Blue Eye at Buracona, the Terra Boa mirage, the fishing port of Palmeira and the main town, Espargos. What changes is the time, the size of the group, and whether the entries and lunch are in the price. The full day that covers most for least is Sal Experiences’ seven-hour tour with a guide born on the island, from £29 in current promotion (usually £32) a person (checked October 2026), with about €11 of entries and an optional €11 lunch paid on the day (checked October 2026).
The route
Sal is small, about 30 km from Santa Maria in the south to the northern tip, and mostly flat, so a full day covers all of it at an easy pace and a half day covers the three big sights. Pickups start at hotels in Santa Maria, Murdeira and Espargos.
The ladder, from two hours to a full day
| Trip | Time | Stops | Listing price | Paid on the day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lemon shark eco-tour (Sal Experiences) | 2 hours | Shark Bay | From £24 in current promotion (usually £25) | Nothing listed; shoes lent |
| Salt lake and Shark Bay (Sal Experiences) | 3 hours | Shark Bay, Pedra de Lume | From £25 in current promotion (usually £26) | Salt lake €6; shoes €2 |
| Shark Bay, salt lake and Blue Eye (Sal Experiences) | 4 hours | Salt lake, Shark Bay, Buracona, Terra Boa | From £38 | Shoes €2 |
| Island day with Palmeira (sodadetour) | 6 hours | Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona, Terra Boa, Espargos, Shark Bay, salt lake | From £24 | All entries; lunch |
| Small-group day, up to 8 (Kapverden Tours) | 6 hours | Kite Beach, salt lake, Terra Boa, Buracona, Palmeira, Shark Bay | From £24 | Shark Bay €3, Blue Eye €3, salt lake €6; lunch |
| Island day, local guide (Sal Experiences) | 7 hours | Murdeira, Santa Maria, Kite Beach, Palmeira, Terra Boa, Shark Bay, salt lake, Buracona, Espargos | From £29 in current promotion (usually £32) | Blue Eye €5, salt lake €6; lunch €11 if you want it |
| Highlights day with lunch, up to 10 (Bu Country Tours) | 6 hours | Murdeira, Palmeira, Buracona, Terra Boa, Espargos, Shark Bay, salt lake | From £38 | Buracona €3, salt lake €5 |
| Island day, lunch and entries (Sal Experiences) | 7 hours | As the local-guide day, with lunch | From £54 | Shoes €2 |
Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked October 2026. The charges on the day are those each listing states, checked October 2026. Sal Experiences stops at Kite Beach from October to March only.
Which one
- The sharks, nothing else: the two-hour eco-tour. It spends the longest at the bay, about 40 minutes, and lends the water shoes.
- Half a day, and the three sights: the four-hour Shark Bay morning. It is the only half day here with the salt lake and Buracona entries paid, so its price is close to its real cost.
- A full day for the least money: sodadetour's day, the local-guide day, or Kapverden Tours' small group, each with about €11 to €14 of entries on top (checked October 2026), and lunch at your own cost.
- A full day with nothing to pay on the day: Sal Experiences' day with lunch and entries. Add up the local-guide day with its entries and lunch and the difference is small.
- A small group: Kapverden Tours keeps to eight, Bu Country Tours to ten, sodadetour to twelve.
Check dates for the island day
Off the road: boats and turtles
Two more kinds of trip fill a second day:
| Trip | Time | What | Listing price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catamaran sail (Cape Verde Sailing) | 3 hours | A small catamaran off the south coast, a swim stop, snacks and drinks | From £49 |
| Lounge catamaran (No-Limits Adventure) | 4 hours | Down the west coast, unlimited drinks, a swim and snorkel stop, up to 60 guests | From £52 |
| Turtle nesting walk (sodadetour) | 3 hours | An evening on a nesting beach, small groups | From £25 |
| Turtle walk with a marine biologist (Sal Eco Tours) | 3 hours | Groups of up to 10; part of the price goes to turtle conservation | From £33 |
Listing prices: GetYourGuide checked October 2026.
The turtle walks follow loggerhead turtles coming ashore to nest. On Sal, watching nesting turtles is limited to 1 July to 31 October, and an organised turtle watch needs a licence from Cape Verde’s environment authority; go only with a licensed operator, keep behind the turtle, and use no white light or flash.
Pick your trip
Sal Island Day Tour with a Local Guide
Seven hours with a guide born on Sal, nine stops, entries and the optional lunch paid on the day.
Check dates →Shark Bay, Pedra de Lume Salt Lake and the Blue Eye Half Day
Four hours: the salt lake, Shark Bay and the Blue Eye, with both entries included.
See the half day →Sal Island Day Tour with Lunch and Entry Fees Included
The seven-hour day with lunch and every entry included.
See the full 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, with a private car on request.
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.
Who should pick something else
- You want to understand the sharks first: see lemon sharks in Cape Verde.
- You are going over to Boa Vista: its tours are 4x4 trips to dunes, turtles and beaches; see Boa Vista shark and turtle tours.
More 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.
The Whole Island with a Guide Born There
Sal Experiences' seven-hour day: Murdeira, Kite Beach, Palmeira, Terra Boa, Shark Bay, the salt lake, Buracona and Espargos.
See dates