Cape Verde · BLUE EYE & NATURAL POOLS
Buracona’s Blue Eye is a hole in the lava roof of a sea cave and it only glows when the sun is high enough to drop light through it. Timing is the whole trick. These 15 tours reach it, and the notes below say which get there near midday.
Half-day Sal tour with salt-lake floating at Pedra de Lume, Blue Eye pools, desert mirage stops, and lemon sharks at Shark Bay.
“The perfect length of time to explore all the key sights on Sal. Our guide Chan was knowledgable and charismatic.”
Small-group half-day on Sal Island with Salt Lake Salinas float, Buracona Blue Eye pool stop, and Shark Bay lemon sharks, plus pickup.
“This was a great opportunity to see other parts of Sal outside of the resort. We unfortunately had rough water so we couldn't swim at the Blue Eye but overall the experience was still a lot of fun and worth the trip. Shawn was a great tour guide!”
Full-day Sal tour: Murdeira Bay swim, Buracona blue eye, lemon sharks, and floating salt lakes at Pedra de Lume salt pans.
“This tour made our whole trip, we definitely recommend if you want to explore the island. We were on the back of the pickup truck, which also made the whole experience as well (however, you can get quite wind swept, cold and dirty from all the dust but it was worth it). There are extra costs for crocs to go and see the Lemon Sharks (€3), salt flats (€6), blue eye (€3) and food at a chosen restaurant (which cost is both €10; however this is optional). It is recommended to bring cash. We are vegan and vegetarian, so we were worried about being catered for but our requirements were…”
Full-day Santa Maria tour on Sal, Cape Verde with Kite Beach, Miragem, Blue Eye, Palmeira, lemon sharks, and salt mine saltwater pools.
“Emerson is an excellent local guide with fantastic insights on Cape Verde life and the changes that are ongoing. The future is bright in paradise. We had a multi national group who were all included in the commentary and conversation. The tour is excellent showing multiple sides of the island starting in the south going through the middle and the Atlantic coast landscape, via the mirage, blue hole, fishing village, lunch is Espargos (which was of excellent quality and price - recommend the Cachupa at 11 euros as recommended by Emerson - massive portion! Drinks were reasonable too) The afternoon was spent with the sharks which are very present, the…”
Private half-day in Sal, Cape Verde: Blue Eye pool, Pedra de Lume salt lake float, Miragem mirage sights, and lemon sharks.
“De hele excursie was top. We hadden een supervriendelijke gids Jose. Het leukste vonden wij shark Lake. De meeste indruk hebben we gekregen bij de lokale bevolking. De excursie is zeker een aanrader. Wel vinden wij de prijs een beetje aan de hoge kant voor de standaard hier.”
Sal Island in one day, with pickup, salt flats, snorkeling, Buracona’s Olho Azul cave, and lemon sharks, plus optional viewpoint time.
“Wow what an amazing Sal island tour we had with Mr friend's tour. We were picked up on time and taken on a full day tour around Sal island with the WONDERFUL Nelson and Carla. Both were so lovely, considerate and knowledgeable and tRead more”
Sal Island day tour with local guides: Santa Maria, Pedra de Lume, Buracona Olho Azul, and lemon shark viewing in nature.
“Aucune interaction avec le guide Babacar qui s’est contenté de nous transporter d’un point à un autre sans aucune explication. Sur les questions posées, pas de réponse à donner . Sûrement un guide PAS local qui était constamment avec son téléphone et ses oreillettes et qui n’en avait clairement rien à faire . Arrêt requins de 10 minutes à peine, moyennant 3 euros par paire de chaussures. Toujours aucune explication sur la faune observée . Ni sur l’exploitation de la mine de Sel. Finalement excursion sans trop d’intérêts. Quel dommage !”
A 6-hour Sal island day trip from Santa Maria to Kite Beach, Shark Bay, Pedra Lume salt mine, Palmeira, and the Blue Eye cave.
“Buracona and Salinas were amazing. Shark watching was pretty remarkable as well! Marino and Manuel did some top guiding!”
Float in Pedra de Lume salt flats, swim at Buracona Blue Eye, and spot lemon sharks at Shark Bay on a guided Sal, Cape Verde day tour.
“Trip was great. Guide really friendly! Shark bay the best”
Small-group Sal Island tour with Blue Eye, Pedra de Lume salt lake, baby lemon sharks, grogue tasting, and Creole towns in one day.
“The tour was basically just a taxi, you have to pay entry at every attraction.”
Private 4-hour Sal tour with Pedra de Lume salt lake, Blue Eye swim, desert mirage stops, and lemon sharks at Shark Bay.
“Perfect with our guide Dekiki. He was so kind and friendly. We enjoyed a lot with private bus in family. Nice places for visit”
Private day trip from Santa Maria on Sal: Blue Eye pools, lemon sharks in Shark Bay, and salt-crater floating at Pedra de Lume.
“Excellent visit, attentive guide Djibril, cool and safe driver Eddy, sharks there! everything is truly magical in this island of Sal 😃👍🌞”
7-hour Fogo day trip from São Filipe: lava views at Cova Figueira, organic coffee in Mosteiros, and a swim at Salinas de São José.
“The guide and driver were really nice and gave us a lot of interesting information about Fogo, Plants, agriculture, coffee, customs, social aspects and animals. We also tried cashew fruit which was very interesting. The swim in the saline was also fun. The water has a high visibility so I recommend a scuba mask if you wanna explore underwater. Definitely recommend this.”
Half-day on Fogo’s west, from São Filipe’s sobradôs and Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição to the volcanic Salinas pool and Calabaceira punch.
“The trip showed a section of Fogo. Communication was difficult at times because our tour guide didn't speak English very well. The Salinas were impressive because the sea was very rough. Swimming would have been life-threatening.”
Relax on Santiago Island's black sand beach and swim in a natural volcanic pool near Ribeira das Prata, with pickup for 4 hours.
“the black sand beach is very beautiful, the sea there is more wild with higher waves. the view from the rocks by the natural pool was also really nice, but the pool itself is full of dead fish”
Every kind of day out on the islands, and the best of each.
