Why now
Prime time in July: 29°C days, dry, sea 26°C.
The trade winds blow hardest through the northern winter, which is when kitesurfers and windsurfers arrive; the calmer late summer suits swimmers and divers, with the rare short rains. European holiday weeks fill the resorts, and the island's small size means everything feels it.
Best months here: October, November, December. July is not one of them — the label above measures the month against a fixed bar, not against the rest of the year here. Daytime highs, sea temperature and rainy days from three years of Open-Meteo reanalysis; a rainy day is one with at least 1 mm of rain, which is the WMO threshold and not the same as "it drizzled". This page stands for a whole country, and its weather is measured at one point — 16.75°, -22.95°, near Espargos. Somewhere else in Cape Verde the numbers will differ.
The place
Sal is the flat, dry, windy island of Cape Verde where the charter flights land: a long white beach at Santa Maria, salt flats in the interior, and not much else, which is either the point or the problem. It suits people who want sun, wind sports and a Creole soundtrack without long transfers, and who accept that the greener islands are a flight away.
What you can do
- 01Float in the salt lake at Pedra de Lume, an old crater with the rusting salt works around it.
- 02Watch the loggerhead turtles nest on the southern beaches with a licensed guide.
- 03Eat cachupa, the slow-cooked corn and bean stew, and grilled tuna on Santa Maria's pier.
- 04Kitesurf or take a lesson at Kite Beach, east of Santa Maria.
- 05Snorkel the natural pool at Buracona on the northwest coast and see the Blue Eye when the sun is high.
Where to stay · neighbourhoods
Stay in Santa Maria itself for restaurants and music within walking distance; the resorts at Ponta Preta are self-contained and shuttles run only at set hours.
Unusual things
- ◦The shark bay at Shark Bay beach, where lemon sharks cruise the shallows in the afternoon.
- ◦Palmeira, the working fishing port in the northwest, for lunch among fishermen rather than tourists.
- ◦A morna or funaná night at one of Santa Maria's music bars, where local bands play most evenings.
Day trips
Flight options
Routes come from OpenFlights (historical) and a 2026 route reference compiled from public timetables. Durations are the published schedule where we have it, otherwise a block-time model fitted on measured nonstop flights. Verify schedules with the airline before booking.
Entry requirements · IT passport
Source: passport-index-data, March 2026 (coarse indicator), covering 258 of our 268 destinations for each of 199 passports. Always confirm with the destination's official site.
Airports
Distances are centre to airport derived · nonstop counts are our route reference for 2026, not every flight that exists.
Local transport
- Airport to city
- Taxi, 15 min, ~€10
- Car needed?
- No — walkable or good public transport
- Getting around
- Taxis are cheap and plentiful, and the airport is 20 minutes from Santa Maria; aluguer minibuses run to Espargos. Inter-island flights and the occasional ferry link the rest of the archipelago.
- Clock
- 3 hours behind Pisa (Atlantic/Cape_Verde) derived
- Daylight
- 13 hours of daylight in July · sunrise 06:06, sunset 19:09 derived
- Currency
- CVE
Good to know
Rip currents on the wave beaches are strong, and several drownings occur each year; swim at the town beach or where lifeguards are present.
Alternatives at a similar price
Whole trip per person for 4 days from Pisa in July, then the flight time; estimates, like the total above.
Porto
Tenerife
Valencia
Nantes
Fuerteventura
Nice