Experience the best of Santa Maria
Santa Maria, on the southern tip of Sal in Cape Verde, is a beach town of pale sand, steady Atlantic wind and a fishing pier.
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Santa Maria occupies the southern tip of Sal, a flat, dry island in the Cape Verde archipelago off the coast of West Africa. Sal means salt in Portuguese, a nod to the salt pans once worked here for export. The sandy streets of Santa Maria, lined with pastel houses, lead down to a long beach and a pier where local fishermen sell their catch.
Pedra de Lume, a salt lake inside an old volcanic crater on the east coast, lets visitors float in the dense water, and the old salt works preserved there recall the island's trade. Buracona, on the north-west coast, has a rock pool called Blue Eye that glows in the midday sun, and lemon sharks drift in the shallows of Shark Bay near Palmeira. Kitesurfers and windsurfers use the steady trade winds off Ponta Preta.
Cachupa, a slow-cooked stew of corn, beans and meat or fish, is the national dish, and tuna and grouper come fresh off the boats. The sun shines nearly all year, with a little rain in late summer, and the winds of winter suit the water sports. In the evening, Cape Verde's morna and funaná music drifts from the beach bars.
- Free cancellation on 98% of experiences
- 4.7 across the top 24
Top experiences in Santa Maria
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