Square and church
A blue and white church.
Adriao — CC BY 3.0 · Kojote — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Christian Pirkl — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Karel Bílek — CC BY 4.0 · Kojote — CC BY-SA 3.0
Sal Rei is the main town of Boa Vista island in eastern Cape Verde, on its northwest coast, and the seat of its municipality. Home to about 5,800 people, its name means «King Salt» in Portuguese, from the days when salt production was the island's main industry. The town was founded among Boa Vista's saltpans. Pirates sacked it in 1815 and 1817, so Fort Duque de Bragança was built on the small nearby islet of Ilhéu de Sal Rei to protect it. The harbour on the bay has ferries to Santiago, Sal and Maio, and a new quay was built in 2015. Broad sands and turquoise water line the shore, with the low islet of Sal Rei across the bay. The town has a wide cobbled square with a blue and white church and old houses with red doors. On a small hill at the north end, a little white chapel reached by steps looks out to sea. Cabral beach, where tourism is concentrated, lies on the edge of town. The climate is desert-dry, with an average temperature around 24 degrees. The Cabo Santa Maria shipwreck is about 6 km away in a straight line, and the Viana Desert about 8 km. Bring sunscreen, and watch for wind and currents when swimming.
A blue and white church.
Above the sea.
Sand and turquoise water.
Sal Rei, Boa Vista, Cape Verde
«King Salt», from the salt-producing era.
The Cabo Santa Maria wreck and the Viana Desert.