Arid volcanic landscape with dirt track crossing rocky desert terrain on Sal Island, Cape Verde
A panoramic view of Sal Island's characteristic arid landscape featuring a winding dirt track cutting through volcanic rocky terrain under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds, captured in June 2009.
Read more about this photo
The Desert Island of Sal
Sal Island in Cape Verde presents one of Africa's most striking volcanic landscapes, where ancient lava fields have weathered into endless fields of reddish-brown rocks stretching to the horizon.
A Harsh Beauty
The unpaved track winding through this barren terrain serves as the only infrastructure in this remote wilderness, connecting isolated settlements across the island's desert interior where vegetation struggles to survive.
Atlantic Crossroads
Despite its Sahara-like appearance, this landscape sits in the Atlantic Ocean, where trade winds sweep dust across the rocky plains and the ocean breeze provides the only relief from the intense equatorial sun.
Spot a mistake or location error? Let us know!
Photos from the day
