LBA SID
Flights from Leeds to Sal
Everything worth knowing before you book this route — how far it is, how long you will be in the air, whether a direct flight exists from Leeds, and what the fare is doing.
How long is the flight from Leeds to Sal?
The great-circle distance from Leeds Bradford (LBA) to Sal is 2,817 miles. Flown nonstop, that works out at roughly 6h 24m in the air, including taxi time at both ends.
Can you fly Leeds to Sal direct?
No nonstop from Leeds
The nearest direct flights leave from Manchester (about 40 miles away), Newcastle (80 miles) and Birmingham (100 miles). From Leeds itself it is a one-stop trip. That connection is usually through a European hub, so weigh the extra hours against getting yourself to an airport with the direct flight.
When to book
Sal sits twelve hundred miles south of the Canaries in open ocean, and the water around it is the whole story. The Canary Current runs past on its way to the equator, warming as it goes, so the sea here is meaningfully warmer than Tenerife on the same day — comfortable without a wetsuit through the British winter. Rain is close to theoretical: the island averages a handful of wet days a year, almost all of them in a short late-summer window when moisture occasionally reaches this far west.
Seasons, prices and the full Sal guideLanding in Sal
Barely any time-zone shift — you can plan a full first day without allowing for jet lag.
| Airport | SID, Amílcar Cabral International, beside Espargos in the middle of the island and about twenty minutes from Santa Maria. It was built as a mid-Atlantic refuelling stop and is why Sal, rather than a prettier island, became the one with flights. Small, slow and short of seating — do not arrive hours early. |
|---|---|
| Currency | Cape Verdean escudo, pegged to the euro at a fixed rate, so there is nothing to time. Euros are accepted almost everywhere and change is given in escudos, usually at a rate rounded in the seller's favour. Cards work in hotels and larger restaurants and not much else; the escudo cannot be exchanged outside the country, so spend it before you fly. |
| Language | Portuguese is official and Cape Verdean Creole is what people actually speak. English is widely understood in Santa Maria and in anything to do with tourism, and thins immediately outside it. A few words of Portuguese are received warmly. |
Where to stay in Sal
Most visitors stay in Santa Maria or Elsewhere on Sal. The list below is filtered to places rated 9+ by guests and sorted by price, with dates already filled in — change them for your own trip.
Top-rated places to stay in SalSal from other UK airports
Other destinations from Leeds
Every destination from Leeds, comparedReady to price it? The fare moves daily.
Open the Sal guide for today's confirmed fare from every UK airport, or search this route directly with your own dates.
See today's Sal fares