Holidays to Sal
Sal holidays are hot, beachy and packed with adventure. Even better? It’s hot all year round! This paradise island floating out in the Atlantic is perfect for a spot of winter sun, with white sands, crystal-clear water and average January highs of 25C.
Just beachy
The number one attraction in Sal? The island’s banging beaches! Expect sand as white as Ross’ teeth in that Friends episode, and water so clear it looks like the fishing boats are levitating!
There’s plenty of variety too. Head to Santa Maria Beach for bustling sands surrounded by restaurants, hotels and shops, or choose the tranquil Ponta Preta Beach, which is backed by dunes. Catch some waves, try your hand at kitesurfing or just put your feet up and soak up that lush, lush sunshine.
Swimming in salt
Fun fact: ‘Salt’ (Sal) is literally the name of this island. Less fun fact: it’s because Sal was once a centre for salt mining. Still, it’s worth checking out the remnants of this once-burgeoning industry.
Visit the salt mines of Pedra de Lume, which sit in the creator of an extinct volcano, before diving right into the salt water. There’s so much salt in these pools that you can’t help but float! You can also get buffed up with a salt scrub at the spa and grab a bite at the on-site restaurant. That’s more like it.
Santa Maria
The island’s biggest resort, Santa Maria, is the hub for all your activities. Its lengthy white-sand beach is simply glorious, and there are plenty of hotels and restaurants around here too.
This is also the place to be if you want to taste Sal’s nightlife. Loads of bars here put on live music, while the clubs churn out Afrobeats and Latin music into the early hours. Keep up with the locals and you will be dancing until dawn!
Winter sun
Just under six hours from the UK by plane, Cape Verde holidays are the perfect antidote to the endless cold, dark days of our chilliest season. January temperatures here average around 20C, with highs of 25C, making Sal a top-notch winter sun destination. You can visit earlier or later in the cold season too, as November through to the end of February marks Cape Verde’s dry season.
Whether you go for a sun-kissed Christmas break or a February vitamin D boost, winter holidays here mean (almost) guaranteed great weather.
Sneak Peek
Best for... All-year sunshine and salty adventures 🏖️
Go... Travel in winter for sunny, dry conditions ☀️
You have to... Float away your stresses in Pedra de Lume’s salty pools 💦
Details
Currency
Cape Verde Escudo
Language
Cape Verdean Creole, Portuguese
Time difference
GMT -1
Cost of a beer
350 Esc
3-course meal
2000 Esc
Flight time
5-6 hrs
Top beaches: Fly like the wind
For a change from the island’s main beach, Santa Maria, hop over to Serra Negra. Make an entrance here by ziplining onto the beach from a mountain peak. You might be able to tell from the name, but Kite Beach is the perfect spot for kitesurfing and windsurfing. The strong breeze between November and March, in particular, makes it ideal for these wind-fuelled sports.
Food and drink: Stew on it
Local food is a blend of Creole and Portuguese flavours. Santa Maria has the best choice in restaurants, serving fresh seafood, the national dish cachupa (a stew of veggies, sweet potato and sometimes meat or fish) and canja de galinha (a rice and chicken stew). Cape Verde’s national beverage is sugarcane grogue. Try it in a punch-style pontche of honey and lime. It’s a zesty way to kick off a night out!
Family-friendly: Wild adventures
From hurtling on Serra Negra’s 1km zipline to skimming waves on a kiteboard and floating in the salt waters of Pedra do Lume, there are heaps of activities for all ages on the island. The chances of your kids getting bored on a Sal holiday are nigh-on impossible! If you’re visiting between July and October, you might get to see turtles lay their eggs (or the eggs hatching!) too. Talk about bucket list stuff!
When to go to Sal
The weather in Cape Verde is warm throughout the year, so there’s arguably no bad time to visit the archipelago. That said, November to June is one of the best times for a holiday to Sal, as the destination’s warm, sunny and dry conditions coincide with the UK’s bleakest weather.
August in Cape Verde is hot, but it’s also the rainiest month. However, Cape Verde’s islands, including Sal, typically don’t see that much rainfall, so it shouldn’t ruin your holiday. July to October is also the time to see turtle nesting and hatching.
If you’re looking for cheap Sal holidays, avoid December and early January and aim for either side of those months.
