Getting Out of Town: Bahian Excursions and Alternatives

Beaches, Villages, Towns, and Etc. Within Range of Salvador

Running up and down the coast, and inland into the heart of Bahia, are a number of beautiful and interesting places. So, I'm going to divide this page into 1), places organized by geographical position with respect to Salvador, and 2), places within the Recôncavo (the fertile, crescent-shaped region surrounding the Baia de Todos os Santos). I'm also including places across the bay.

The buses referred to leave from the Rodoviária (bus station), easily reachable by city bus or taxi. Tickets can be bought at either the Rodoviária itself, or at various and sometimes more convenient in-town agents (see the bottom of the page, above the Table of Contents). Ticket prices rise with time, and some of the prices listed below may be outdated. You won't pay much more than the prices quoted though.

Bus schedules (and lots of other information) not listed can be had by dialing Telemar's (that's the phone company) InformaçãoTuristica (Tourist Information) -- 131. Information is available in English and Spanish. A telephone card is required if one is calling from a public telephone.

I'm adding information as time permits, and places with pages devoted to them are linked in red.

To the North of Salvador

Running north from the Farol (lighthouse) de Itapoan are hundreds of kilometers of wonderful beaches. These beaches are accessible via the Linha Verde (Green Line), a (toll) road (kept in excellent condition) running parallel to the coast, with access roads leading off to the coast itself.

The road runs along dunes of snow-white sand, and the coast itself is an almost unbroken line of coconut palms. The communities along this coast range from primitive fishing villages to sophisticated Praia do Forte.

• Buraquinho: Just north of Lauro de Freitas, which is just north of Salvador, Buraquinho is located where the river Joanes flows into the sea. A charming area of beach houses and well-built barracas. There is a seaside beach, and a surf-protected riverside beach (salt water) perfect for kids.

• Busca Vida: Just north of Buraquinho. No barracas here, the beach is lined by private homes.

• Jauá: Just north of Busca Vida.

• Arembepe: The so-called Aldeia dos Hippies (Hippie Village). Bus company Santa Maria - Catuense (450-4004). Ticket price (one-way) is R$4.26, and the journey takes one hour. Buses leave at 5:40 a.m., 8:50 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 6:30 p.m., seven days a week.

• Jacuipe: Next stop north, Jacuipe is a village at the mouth of the Jacuipe River.

• Itacimirim:

• Praia do Forte: A fishing village which has become a well-developed resort. On the route of bus company Santa Maria - Catuense (450-4004). Ticket price (one-way) is R$7.40, and the journey takes one hour and forty minutes. Buses leave at 5:40 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 12:10 p.m., 4:40 p.m., and 6:30 p.m., seven days a week.

• Imbassaí: On the route of bus company RD Turismo (450-5149). Ticket price (one-way) is R$6.30 and the journey takes an hour-and-a-half. Buses leave at 6:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m, and 5:45 p.m., seven days a week. They are comercial, which means no air conditioning.

• Diogo: Several kilometers north of Imbassaí.  A very small and primitive village, with a pristine beach accessible only via a lovely trek over dunes of snow-white sand.

Service with a smiiiile, on the beach in Diogo...

• Mangue Seco:

To the South of Salvador

• Morro de São Paulo: Boats to Morro de São Paulo leave from the Centro Náutico da Bahia, the beautiful blue-and-white building on the water behind the Mercado Modelo. Tickets can be purchased at the L.R. Turismo window (telephone: 216-7045) in the lobby. One-way is R$45.00 to R$50.00 reais. A launch leaves daily at 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and a catamaran leaves daily at 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. The journey takes two hours for both type of craft.

  Another choice is to go by air. Aerostar (204-1335 or 377-4406) has flights from the Salvador Airport to a landing strip near Morro de São Paulo's Third Beach. The trip is twenty minutes in duration, with planes leaving daily (including weekends) at 8:00 a.m and 12:30 p.m. Depending on demand, aircraft seating five, nine, or nineteen passengers are used. Ticket price is R$135.00 either way, or R$270.00 round-trip (no price break).

Beach at Velha Boipeba, at the confluence of the estuary and the Atlantic

Beach at Moreré, on the Atlantic side of the island

Back window of restaurant Santa Clara's kitchen

• Baia de (Bay of) Camamú:

On the way out for evening fishing on Camamú Bay

• Maraú Peninsula:

Looking inland (across the peninsula) from the lighthouse at Taipus de Fora

The other direction from the lighthouse at Taipus de Fora -- out over the Lagoa Azul (Blue Lagoon) to the Atlantic Ocean

• Itacaré:

• Porto Seguro: On the route of bus company Águia Branca (450-4400). Ticket price (one-way) is R$66.10, and journey takes 10 hours. Buses leave at 9:00 p.m., seven days a week. The buses are air-conditioned, so dress accordingly. Water and coffee are available for free on the bus. For a small charge and upon request, tickets will be delivered to anywhere in Salvador (it's R$2.50 for delivery to Barris, in the city center, for example).

Westward: Into the Great Interior

• Lençois: On the route of bus company Real Express (450-9310). Ticket price (one-way) is R$33.41, and the journey takes around seven hours. Buses leave at 7:00 a.m. on Monday through Saturday, and at 11:30 p.m. seven days a week. The morning buses don't have air-conditioning, but the night buses might. The air-conditioning on these buses is usually turned up full-blast, so dress accordingly or suffer.

Lençois, Bahia

• Cruz das Almas: On the route of bus company Cidade Sol (450-7290).

The Recôncavo Region

• Cachoeira: On the route of bus company Santana (450-4951). Ticket price (one-way) is R$8.62, and the journey takes two hours. Buses leave, from Monday through Saturday, at 5:30 a.m./6:30 a.m./7:30 a.m./7:50 a.m./8:30 a.m./9:20 a.m./10:10 a.m./10:50 a.m./ 11:40 a.m./12:30 p.m./1:50 p.m./2:10 p.m./3:40 p.m./4:30 p.m./5:20 p.m./6:10 p.m./7:00 p.m./and 9:30 p.m. On Sundays, they leave at 5:30 a.m./7:30 a.m./8:30 a.m./9:20 a.m./10:50 a.m./12:30 p.m./1:50 p.m./2:50 p.m./4:30 p.m./6:10 p.m./7:30 p.m./and 9:30 p.m.

The railway, automobile, and foot bridge connecting Cachoeira and São Felix, across the Paraguaçu River.

• Santo Amaro

• Maragogipe

Across the Bay

• Mar Grande: Pequenas lanchas (small boats; small only by comparison to the big ferry boats, really) leave the Centro Náutico da Bahia, the blue-and-white building on the water behind the Mercado Modelo, every half hour, seven days a week, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., then there's one last boat at 6:40 p.m. Coming the other way, from Mar Grande to Salvador, they likewise leave every half hour, from 5:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The trips (which are fun) take a half-hour or so either way. The price is R$2.00 Monday through Saturday, and R$2.80 on Sundays and holidays.

Tickets for bus companies Águia Branca, Bomfim, Itapemirim, and São Geraldo, as well as the Ferry Boats and Catamarans to Itaparica, can be bought at the two Ticket Center outlets, one located at Piedade (across from Shopping Piedade), on Rua Junquiera Ayres, 148, telephone 329-5433, and the other located in Shopping Iguatemi on the second floor, telephone 450-0144. There is a website at www.tktcenter.com.br.

Salvador | Bahia | Brazil