Santa Maria: Guided Coastal Hike & Monte Leão Sunset

Perfect for long walks along the coast, enjoying where they used to have the World Surf Championship.

Murdeira is geographically located in the center of the island. Its bay is bathed by crystalline waters and full of corals, Natural Reserve of Baía da Murdeira, rich in an underwater ecosystem with unique endemic species, with nesting beaches for sea turtles and also habitat for seabirds.

Calheta Funda is located about 5 km northwest of town Santa Maria. Get here by quad, car or also hiking. There are two ways to get here from Santa Maria town: follow the sandy, rocky coast from Baia do Algodoeiro up north by the coast. Or, the fastest way is to take the highway and drive 4km to the north from Santa Maria, and then turn west onto the sandy gravel road to Calheta Funda. The second option is faster, but the first is more beautiful and closer to nature just by the ocean.

On the west coast of Sal, we find Monte Leao. A hill that follows us on the horizon whenever we take the road from Santa Maria to Espargos. The Lion Mountain certainly lives up to his name, if you have an active imagination. Shaped like a resting lion facing out towards the ocean, this rocky hill sits right on the mid-western coast of Sal.