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Secrets of Sal tour with villages, lagoon and crater visits
Excursions & day trips
Sal, Cape Verde
4.4/5
Free Cancellation
Language:
English
Mobile voucher accepted
Duration: 4 Hours
Do this because
You'll journey through Sal's unique landscapes and visit the communities of Palmeiras and Espargos
Strolling through Palmeiras' narrow streets, lined with cafés and local shops is part of the itinerary
At Buracona Lagoon, you'll witness the natural wonder of the 'blue eye'
There's a rare chance to swim in the lake of a volcano crater and feel like you've had a spa experience
A local guide will share their unrivalled knowledge of Sal's hidden gems along the way
What to expect
If you're looking for the hidden gems of Sal, then this half-day tour will tick all the boxes, taking in colourful fishing villages, an enchanting lagoon and even a dip in an extinct volcano's crater lake. Tito, one of our local expert guides, says, “from fishing villages to volcanic craters, you'll see how Sal has been shaped over thousands of years.”You'll take a ride in a comfy minibus as an expert guide shows off the best of this island. Your drive will take you to the quaint village of Palmeiras, full of cutsie shops and cozy cafes, where you'll get time to stroll its narrow streets and soak up the ambiance of this coastal community. Then on the way to the livelier village of Espargos, there's a stop at Buracona Lagoon where you'll see its ‘blue eye' – a natural phenomenon where the sunlight casts an ethereal glow over the water's surface.Round off the day with a trip to an extinct volcano crater, where you'll have the rare chance to swim in its saltwater lake – like a natural spa experience. The mineral-rich waters mean you'll be floating effortlessly and heading back to your hotel feeling refreshed and invigorated.
What's included
Transport
Guide
Guided tour
Exclusive TUI itinerary
What to remember
Viewing of the Buracona ‘blue eye' cannot be guaranteed, as the optical illusion depends on the sun's position on the day
Bring bathing gear and sunblock
Bring a towel
Bring money for extras or gratuities
This experience doesn't follow our general cancellation policy. If you need to cancel, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Not suitable for those with reduced mobility due to uneven paths or steps
Not suitable for those with reduced mobility due to moderate walking distance during tour
Provider
TUI CAPE VERDE
Booking Fee
Good news! No extra fees are applied to this booking.
Cancellation Fee
Receive a 100% refund if you cancel up to 1 day before the experience begins
Reviews
great
4.4/5
Based on
32 reviews from verified customers
A
Annie
February 2026
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 35 years old
Excellent
Our guide, Edmilson, was great. Very knowledgeable and good fun. It felt like we packed so much into 4 hours and yet nothing felt rushed.
L
Lowther
January 2026
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 40 years old
Excellent
The whole experience was excellent. Our guide Lucy was amazing, her knowledge & information was fantastic. We enjoyed every moment & would definitely recommend this experience.
J
JaxUK
January 2026
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 48 years old
Great
I really enjoyed the salt pan floating. The walks around Esteponas and Palmirah were interesting and the guide Stefan was very good.
K
Karin
January 2026
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Average
Ok so the guide Lucy was the best. Very fun and bubbly and informative. The salt lake was good and the blue eye was ok but the rest was pretty boring. Get there is not a lot to see on Sal but not sure seeing a kindergarten or the shanty town is relevant or needed. £40 each for this trip was way too much.
H
Helen
January 2026
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 34 years old
Excellent
Arrived at the hotel late which was worrying initially but the tour guide was fabulous, friendly and knowledgable about the island. She spoke a number of languages and was very engaging. Stopped in some lovely places and the salt lake in particular is worth a visit
H
Holiday often
December 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 34 years old
Poor
Tui, cancelled the night before, after the Tui in resort meeting.
H
Helen
November 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 42 years old
Great
R
Rita and Dave
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 44 years old
Great
Experience of guided tour informative, kept safe by crossing roads . Interesting, saw many historic places. Learnt about individual areas. Fishing town Palmeria. Loyalty figs to the fisherman owners. How schools have emerged in the local areas. Saw a private school. See poverty,in a few areas people generally seem to be coping with life .
S
Sharon
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
Alone
- 34 years old
Excellent
Unfortunately the weather turned bad so we were unable to go and look at the blue eye, it had been closed off for safety reasons as the area was very wet and hazardous. Instead our lovely tour guide took us on a tour of one of the local villages, he was very informative and great fun to be with. The salt lake was fabulous, I've never experienced anything like it before. It was very relaxing floating without any effort. Overall a very nice trip, had a lovely time :)
S
Suzanne
September 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 43 years old
Excellent
A great little half day tour to see a bit of the island & island life if you don’t wish to spend a whole day on a bus getting off & on this is the one for you & is great in a wee minibus only 8 of us. Our driver & Stefan our TUI guide were excellent. Stefan was so helpful & informative with the history & knowledge of the island. He looked after us well. Was definitely worth doing & great value.
N
Nev
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Excellent
A
AFMWalsh
August 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 43 years old
Excellent
Guide amazing and very informative all through experience. Enjoyed by us sll
S
Stuart
July 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 25 years old
Excellent
A
Ann Crossey
June 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 58 years old
Great
A
Anonymous
May 2025
From United Kingdom
Excellent
M
Manda
May 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 29 years old
Excellent
Excellent Excursion both staff Ronaldo and driver pleasant and professional. Well done guys from England ????
I
Ian Morgan
April 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 44 years old
Excellent
Loved the variety of stops. Glad we only opted for 1/2 day version - I think the full day would have been too much
J
Jean Lindsay
March 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 47 years old
Poor
The guide was very good, but there is really nothing to see. The souvenir shop we stopped at was so bad and so poor, it was not a great experience. the blue eye - the tour must know what time the sun hits the water in the cave - sun and timing is not rocket science. Our tour was not there at the right time. Mirage is a joke. The bathing in the salt lake is really not good. It should be clear that people with mobility issues would struggle. Overall, the island is so poor and so desolate.
L
Lloydy
February 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 51 years old
Great
Excellent tour giving an overview of the islands highlights. The blue eye is disappointing at this time of year and is just a dark pond in a hole.
C
Chrissie
February 2025
From United Kingdom
Excellent
Our guide, Ronaldo, was superb. He was really informative and knowledgeable, but he had a good sense of humour too. Our trip covered everything we wanted to see. We chose this trip for that reason. As I am coeliac (gluten free), we did not want to go on a a trip which included a meal. So this one was ideal.
B
Bikeit123
February 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 47 years old
Excellent
Very knowledgeable guide Ronaldo. A very nice guy. Answered all the questions asked to him. A good sense of humour
J
Jon
January 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
Excellent
Duration of the trip was just right. Enough time to enjoy the places we visited. Our guide was knowledgeable and interesting. Excellent.
D
David Colvine
January 2025
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 32 years old
Average
Not really that informative Wife fell on slope down to salt lake on loose cobbles guide was no where to be seen eventually he got first aid box The eye can’t be seen in the winter they tell you this once your on the bus Just didn’t enjoy it really
C
Chopper
November 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 53 years old
Average
J
Jan
November 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With friends
- 42 years old
Excellent
Good overall trip, Stephan was excellent very informative friendly and considerate
A
Andrea
October 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 35 years old
Excellent
The tour guide Rynaldo was amazing. He knew so much about the whole island. He made our holiday and needs an award
A
Ali
October 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 32 years old
Great
We purposly booked this trip for the salt lake experience, however this part of the trip was very rushed & all the other tours seemed to arrive at the same time so there were queues for changing in /out of costume a d then we were 'hurried' along by our guide as a result!
S
Stephanie
September 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 44 years old
Excellent
Enjoyed salt lakes and blue eye especially plus beach stop on way back.
S
Saintdave
July 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
With family
- 43 years old
Excellent
Baracuna blue eye was spectacular and the salt lake was an experience for a non swimmer like me. Nice walkabout of a couple of towns but could have done without the fishing village as not much there. The guide, Ronaldo, was tremendous.
J
Jaxh
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 48 years old
Excellent
Really enjoyed the guide Ronaldo's enthusiasm and the knowledge he had and the way he presented the facts about the history and culture of the island . He was five star
D
David R.
June 2024
From United Kingdom
Traveled as
As a couple
- 41 years old
Great
Great trip. The guide was fantastic, helped my wife get back from the Salt Lake by fetching a 4x4 to pick her up. Also good knowledge of the island.
A
Anonymous
May 2024
From United Kingdom
Excellent
Wife has walking disability, however tour guide took it at her pace.
Concerned about getting down to see blue light, but not a problem.
Main issue was to get to salt lake, but the guide got one of the 4x4's to take us down and back up.
Whole experience was really good and would recommend the trip.
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