Maio
The quietest of the inhabited islands, flat and dry with long empty beaches and an acacia plantation.
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Maio lies east of Santiago and has stayed the least developed of the inhabited islands: flat, dry, with a population of a few thousand, and beaches running for kilometres with nobody on them. Salt was worked here for centuries and shipped to Europe. A large acacia plantation was put in during the twentieth century to hold the soil, and loggerhead turtles nest on the beaches through the summer.
What you actually see
- The empty beaches - long stretches of sand with almost no development.
- The salt pans - the workings the island's economy was built on.
- The acacia plantation - the planted woodland put in to hold the soil.
- The turtle nesting - loggerheads coming ashore through the summer.
When to go
November to June is the dry season. Turtle nesting runs from June to October. Ferries and flights are infrequent and unreliable.
Honest expectations
Transport to and from Maio is genuinely unreliable and being stuck is common. Facilities are very limited across the island. There is little to do beyond the beaches.
Nearby
Salinas do Porto Ingles is nearby, and Santiago is west.
What to pack for Maio
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.
