Best Places to Eat Best Beaches When to Go Why Go?

©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
Bahia
Pop 15 million
Includes 
Salvador......................399
Recôncavo.................. 422
Cachoeira &
São Félix...................... 422
Praia do Forte.............428
Morro de São Paulo.....431
Itacaré......................... 437
Ilhéus..........................440
Porto Seguro...............445
Feira de Santana......... 457
Lençóis........................ 457
Parque Nacional
da Chapada
Diamantina.................462
Best Places
to Eat
¨¨Rabanete (p452)
¨¨Caranguejo de Sergipe
(p416)
¨¨Lampião (p462)
¨¨Restaurante do Senac
(p415)
¨¨Paraíso Tropical (p416)
Best Beaches
¨¨Trancoso (p451)
¨¨Morro de São Paulo (p431)
¨¨Itacaré (p437)
¨¨Praia do Espelho (p452)
¨¨Arraial d’Ajuda (p449)
Why Go?
Africa meets South America in the staggeringly beautiful
northeastern state of Bahia. The heady blend of two seem‑
ingly disparate cultures – classic Portuguese architecture
and African drum beats, Catholic churches and Candomblé
(Afro‑Brazilian religion) – is unique, and for most travelers,
truly intoxicating. Bahia’s centerpiece is Salvador, a j­ ewel‑box
colonial city with gilded churches, cobblestone streets, live‑
ly festivals, powerful percussion reverberating off old stone
walls and capoeiristas battling against the backdrops of
16th‑century buildings. The Afro‑Brazilian capital is especial‑
ly traveler‑friendly these days: Salvador underwent a minor
face lift before serving as a World Cup host city in 2014. Be‑
yond the city limits, Bahia awaits with more than 900km of
coastline, World Heritage–listed sites, deserted beaches and
paradisaical islands. In the south, idyllic coastal villages at‑
tract vacationers and divers, while inland, the spectacular
Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamantina features waterfalls
and quiet hiking paths waiting to be explored.
When to Go
Salvador
Rainfall inches/mm
°C/°F Temp
40/104
20/500
16/400
30/86
12/300
20/68
8/200
10/50
0/32
4/100
0
J
F
M
Dec–Mar Crowds,
higher prices and
packed pousadas
(guesthouses) in
Salvador for Feb‑
ruary’s Carnaval.
A
M
J
J
A
Apr–Sep Lovely
warm weather,
occasional rainy
days. Festas juni‑
nas in the second
half of June.
S
O
N
D
Oct & Nov
Minimal crowds
and summery
weather.
398
History
Portuguese, though some – like the Pataxó –
are still around today. The indigenous tribes
practiced some form of agriculture, raising
manioc, sweet potatoes and maize, and
practiced hunting and fishing, while gath‑
ering fruits from the forests. Little else is
Prior to the Portuguese arrival, the region
known today as Bahia had a wide variety
of ethnic groups scattered inland and along
the coast, speaking dozens of languages.
Many of the tribes were wiped out by the
Juazeiro
200 km
100 miles
Represa de
Sobradinho
BR
020
a
err
BR
BR
242
Barreiras
BR
020
Santana
ra
iva
de
S
BR
407
BR
235
BR
122
Minas
Gerais
Itabuna
ço
nh
a
Es
do
rra
Itaobim
101
ha
itinh on
Jequ
Rio Parque Nacional
do Pau Brasil
Parque Nacional de Monte Pascoal
Parque Nacional
BR
do Descobrimento
116
Teixeira de
Freitas
BR
365
Teófilo Otoni
Diamantina
Una
Ilhéus
Ecoparque de Una
BR
Cachoeira
do Pajeu
pi
Montes
Claros
Pirapora
Euclides
da Cunha
Senhor do
Bonfim
Vitória da
Conquista
Januária
Sergipe
Paulo
Alfonso
ARACAJU
São Cristóvão
Jacobina
BR
Sitio do
052
Conde
BR
Conde
324
Esplanada
Bahia
BR
Alagoinhas 101
Baixio
Feira de Santana
BR
Seabra
242
Santo Subaúma
Amaro
Lençóis
Itaberaba
Praia do
Boquira
SALVADOR
Forte
Parque Nacional
Nazaré
Bom Jesus
BR
da Chapada
Ilha
de
Itaparica
116
da Lapa
Valença
Diamantina
Morro de Sao
Livramento
Paulo &
Jequié
Boipeba
do Brumado
Rio de C Camamu
Taipú
de Fora
Caetité
ont
as
Itacaré
Brumado
Se
Ba h ia h is t o r y
rra
Se
p
Ca
Ri
Frano São
cisco
Santa Maria
da Vitória
ão
S
Xique-Xique
135
co
cis
an
Fr
Rio
Piauí
Patamuté
Sali
tre
0
0
Espírito
Santo
Canavieiras
Belmonte
Porto Seguro
Arraial d'Ajuda
Trancoso
Prado
Alcobaça
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Parque Nacional
Marinho de Abrolhos
Bahia Highlights
1 Following the sounds of
the famous Olodum drum
corps in Salvador (p399),
Latin America’s inspiring
Afro‑Brazilian capital.
2 Hiking to natural
waterslides in the
magnificent Parque
Nacional da Chapada
Diamantina (p462).
3 Zooming around the
island villages of Morro de
São Paulo (p431) and
Boipeba (p434) on a
speedboat tour.
4 Traveling over dirt roads
to beautiful Taipu de Fora
(p436) beach on the
Peninsula de Maraú.
5 Lingering over alfresco
meals and coastal strolls in
Arraial d’Ajuda (p449).
6 Watching tiny sea turtles
hatch on the sand in Praia
do Forte (p428).
7 Catching a wave or
taking a capoeira lesson on
the sand in surfer‑happy
Itacaré (p437).
8 Tracing the footsteps of
Brazil’s literary great, Jorge
Amado, in Ilhéus (p440).
9 Diving beneath the
deep in the remote Parque
Nacional Marinho de
Abrolhos (p456).