The island of Sal in the Cape Verde archipelago, from salt flats to sky surfing

The suggested departure point is in front of the Tourist Office in Santa Maria, on the island of Sal. The square is called Praça Manoel À Martins, but you probably won't find a street sign, as is the case everywhere in Santa Maria.

(S/E) Head north and walk up the street until you reach some houses. Continue until you see an easy landmark, a tiny blue building on the left, which is a water point for residents who do not have running water.
Turn left towards the west and take a look at the small clothing market.

(1) Turn right heading north and go to the covered market, Rua da Morna. This is the Mercado Municipal de Santa Maria with its beautiful roof structure.

(2) Leave the covered market and take Rua Da Morna westwards to the junction with Rua Taburna.

(3) Turn right towards the north, leaving the football stadium and the high school on your left to reach the entrance to the salt flats.

(4) Entrance to the salt flats. The route described follows the path taken by the various vehicles visiting the salt flats, but you can take any other route for a quieter ride as long as you keep heading north. There is no risk of getting lost.
Pass the small dunes north of the salt flats and you will arrive at a beautiful sandy beach less than 50 metres away.

(5) Turn left towards the north-west and walk up the beach to the SkySurf club.

(6) Turn around and head south along the beach until you reach the previous crossroads.

(5) Continue along the beach until you reach the paths that go around the south-eastern tip of the island.
Then head west along the beaches to reach the town. You will arrive at the shell beach.

(7) Continue until you reach the Tourist Office square.

(8) Turn left towards the south, then right towards the west. Pass between the luxury hotels on this pedestrian street to reach the beach and the fishermen's pier.

(9) Return north to Rua Amilcar Cabral.
Turn right east onto Rua Amilcar Cabral to reach the Tourist Office (S/E).

There are no water sources or shelters. Walking on the sandy beach can be a little tiring, but otherwise normal walking shoes are sufficient.

It is recommended that you take bottled water with you, as Europeans often find the tap water difficult to stomach. Bottles are sold everywhere in small shops called supermarkets or similar in Santa Maria (0.5 litre, 1.5 litre and 5 litre).

Also take some coins with you, including euros: in the salt flats, you may find a worker who will exchange them for a very large salt crystal. These crystals are then sold for a fortune in shops. The salt flats are abandoned and the work is difficult.

Be careful of sunset times; it is best to return by 6pm at the latest, as it gets dark quickly.

(2) Covered market: fruit and vegetables on the ground floor, small shops upstairs. Go up to the top floor, where you will find real artisans.
(6) Skysurfing is affordable for beginners with very good instructors. The owner is a former world champion.
(7) Shell beach characterised by an impressive volume of empty shells.
(9) Fishermen's pier: watch the fishing boats return. If the fishing is good, come in the early afternoon. In the morning, the fishermen return to the beach pier with magnificent fish. Fish cleaning, buying and selling, price haggling, it's all happening on this modest pier.

Locals offer day trips to discover the whole island and more, for a hefty sum (the Sleeping Lion, Buracona, the Blue Eye, the northern salt flats, etc.).
We preferred to leave it to our guide at the end of our stay: he recommended a good agency that wasn't too expensive and picked us up at the hotel.

Santa Maria remains a seaside resort close to the beach. Head two or three streets away from the east-west axis to discover authentic local cuisine featuring fish caught that day.
Next to the departure point, there are four or five typical restaurants that are very affordable (try the Petisck restaurant and its fish of the day). French is understood and spoken (a little) everywhere.

There are few souvenir shops of interest to travellers.
This reinforces the idea of a long walk to keep yourself occupied.