Marine Life Trips on Sal Island: 9 of Them, Priced and Timed

1.All-Inclusive Salt Lake, Blue Eye and Shark Bay Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,033 reviews · 4 hours · from $53Our pick

See Sal’s biggest natural sights in four hours with a local guide such as Kiki, Vanessa, Tony or Nani. Float in Pedra de Lume’s salt lake, watch lemon sharks at Shark Bay, visit Buracona’s Blue Eye and stop at the desert mirage. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport and entrance fees are included.

“What an incredible experience! From start to finish, this trip exceeded all expectations. Vanessa was absolutely fabulous, she took care of everyone, shared so much interesting information, and kept us laughing with her great sense of humor. Our driver, Mr. 'No Stress' ;-) (Daniel), truly lived up to his name. Such a great guy! Together, they showed us far more than we anticipated, going above and beyond to make the day unforgettable. The tour was worth every moment, I cannot recommend it enough. We had loads of fun, enjoyed a fantastic local experience, and even ended the day with a cheerful grogue toast. Cheers to the Sal Experience team! It…”

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2.Experience on Sal Island with native and certified guide (including sharks)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,166 reviews · from $36Top rated

Spend about seven hours touring Sal with a certified local guide such as Nany or Christian. See lemon sharks at Shark Bay, float in Pedra Lume’s salt crater, visit Buracona’s Blue Eye, and explore Palmeira, Espargos, Santa Maria, Murdeira, and Kite Beach. Hotel pickup, transport, insurance, and guide-taken photos are included. Lunch costs extra.

“The little sharks and the salt swimming in the caldera are great. The guide was lovely and the minibus comfortable”

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3.From Sal Island: Blu eye, Salt lake, Lemon Sharks & Palmeira

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,003 reviews · 6 hours · from $35

See Sal’s volcanic coast, swim at Murdeira Bay, visit Palmeira and Buracona’s Blue Eye, float in Pedra de Lume, and wade among lemon sharks. Guides such as Yannick, Yuri, and Nelson are praised for warmth, local insight, and patient help. Expect a small group, shared minibus, extra entry fees, and lunch at your own cost.

“Loved the guide, has excellent people skills and relaxed, happy vibes. I don’t think we could have spent more time at the salt pool as it was only 15min there swimming and we only went to one shop in the capital. Absolutely loved seeing the lemon shark bay although we were told on the booking we had to pay entry to blue eye and salt mine. Not shark bay as well.”

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4.Sea Turtle Watching Experience on Sal Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 446 reviews · from $41

Meet your guide in Santa Maria for a quiet night on Sal’s beaches. After hotel pickup, walk across the sand with trained guides such as Nany, Dani, or Chan, then watch loggerhead turtles nest under infrared light. Wear dark clothes, stay patient, and expect the outing to last until roughly 10 or 11 PM.

“A genuine natural marvel - spectacular to witness. I didn’t expect to get so close - I could have reached out and touched the turtle’s shell. The guides were very knowledgable, answering all questions in detail, and importantly they are very keen to minimise disturbance to the turtles. Would definitely recommend this experience.”

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5.Sal Island: Shark Bay Experience from Santa Maria

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 345 reviews · 2 hours · from $35

Travel from Santa Maria, Murdeira, or Espargos to Sal’s Shark Bay for about an hour beside wild lemon sharks. A guide explains their behavior and helps you across rocky ground. Stay on shore with binoculars or enter the shallow water. Water shoes, private transport, and hotel pickup are included.

“It was absolutely amazing we are very well traveled and always like to do a different experience with every holiday we have done dolphins/ stingrays / turtles / giraffes / so this one was another one off out to do list . We were very happy with the experience our guide that took us into the water to see the sharks was amazing and both my husband & I both in our 60s . He was so helpful and helped me in the water as a little slippy he was lovely thank you all it was the best .”

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6.Salt Lake Tour, Shark Bay and Pedra de Lume Village

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 274 reviews · 3 hours · from $36

Meet a local guide and travel from Santa Maria, Murdeira, or Espargos to Shark Bay and Pedra de Lume. You’ll spend about 30 minutes near lemon sharks, visit Sal’s first village, and float in a volcanic salt crater. Guides may speak English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese. Bring water shoes, swimwear, a towel, and sunscreen.

“A lovely afternoon out. Excellent guide and very knowledgeable.”

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7.Sal Island Sea Turtle Watching Experience

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 256 reviews · 3 hours · from $37

Meet your guide in Santa Maria for a night visit to Sal’s nesting beaches. In a small group of up to 10, you may watch a common turtle lay eggs, cover the nest, and return to sea, or see hatchlings reach the water. Guides speak English, Portuguese, French, and Italian. Hotel transfers are included.

“Incredible experience seeing the turtles, the tour guide was very knowledgeable”

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8.From Sal Island: Blue Eye, Salt Lake, Lemon Sharks, Palmeira

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 248 reviews · 7 hours · from $32Best value

Travel across Sal by minibus or pickup truck with a multilingual guide, stopping at Murdeira Bay, Palmeira, Buracona’s Blue Eye, Terra Boa, Shark Bay, and Pedra de Lume. You can swim, wade with lemon sharks, and float in salt water. Bring cash for entry fees and lunch.

“Our guide Rony was amazing. Full of knowledge and he was fluent in so many languages. I feel we have learnt so much about the island and have met some lovely people along the way, with many wonderful experiences, especially the lemon sharks. Organisation could be better when picking up and a little more time to spend in Palmeria but otherwise couldn’t fault the day. Thank you to Rony and our wonderful French companions for a fun filled day. 🙂”

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9.Salt Mine, Natural Pool, and Shark Bay Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 165 reviews · 6 hours · from $34

Travel across Sal in a small group with local guides such as Emerson, Domingos, Jay, and Alssis. Visit Kite Beach, float in salt pools, see Buracona’s Blue Eye, stop in Palmeira, watch lemon sharks, and cross the desert-like interior. Transport may be a 4x4 or minivan.

“Nice to experience the island. I was lucky enough to had some earplugs with me because we where placed on the back of the truck (amazing). But others were suffering ear pain because of the wind. So bring some earplugs just in case and wear a cap for the sun 😀”

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