Brazil Travel Blog

Even in the tiniest of places, and Caraíva is a small village indeed (population: 1,500), you will find a chapel or a church, often painted in bright colours, to remind you of the importance in the daily life of Brazilians of the ever present Christian churches.

Here’s two maps of the Arraial d’Ajuda and Porto Seguro region, with the most important beaches highlighted as well as other places of interest.

ARRAIAL D’AJUDA

See larger map

PORTO SEGURO


See larger map

Many of you will stretch your Salvador trip to visit lovely Morro de São Paulo. Here’s an explanation of the different means of transportation that will take you there.

LIGHT AIRPLANE

From Salvador airport, there are two companies that fly to Morro. The flight lasts 20 minutes and both companies charge a similar fare, around R$180 each way. During the high season there are several flights per day.

BY BOAT

The boat leaves from the Terminal Marítimo, just across the Mercado Modelo in Salvador. There are several differen types of boat crossing to Morro, including catamarans. The trip lasts 2 hours and there are several sailings per day. Each way costs between R$50 and $60 depending on the type of boat.

Careful, depending on the state of the sea, the trip can be a really rough experience.

BY BUS AND BOAT

The companies Aguia Branca and São Geraldo go to Valença, the nearest city to Morro, making a very long detour. From Valença you can take a boat that will take you to Morro in a couple of hours (R$4), or a speedboat that will get you there in 20 minutes (R$10).

You can also take a ferry to Itaparica (Terminal Bom Despacho) from the Terminal São Joaquim in Salvador. When you get to Itaparica, take a bus or a van to get you to Valença (1 hour and a half), from where you’ll take a boat as explained in the previous paragraph.

WHICH OPTION IS BEST?

Flying is the fastest way to get to Morro, but it doesn’t come cheap. If sailing is not your thing and you can afford the plane, it’s an interesting option. The second fastest alternative is the catamaran. For those wanting to save up to the latest possible cent/penny, a trip through Valença would be the choice.

In Morro de São Paulo: How to get there you will find all the details of the different means of transportation explained here.

NAME: pousada Capim Santo

WHERE: Trancoso, Bahia

WEBSITE: www.capimsanto.com.br

IN ENGLISH: no

PRICES ON THE WEBSITE: yes

LOCATION: unbeatable location, in a quiet cul-de-sac a few meters from the Quadrado, the historic square of Trancoso.

THE BUILDING: a number of houses and the pool are scattered in the middle of a lush garden.

THE ROOMS: the suite master where we stayed - the best room in the pousada - is a large room, really nice, very pleasant and quiet, all painted in white, with a very comfortable bed and an ample bathroom. The room has TV, DVD, air conditioning, a fan, a safe and a minibar. And a mosquito net with no holes in it! A real treat.

PRICES IN MAY 2007: During the high season the suite master costs R$300 per room and night. In the low season, R$250. As we got there in the very lowest season, a couple of days before the pousada closed its doors for its annual break, we ended up paying R$190 for the room. Add a 10% taxa de serviço to all the rooms.

BREAKFAST: included in the price. Great variety of savoury and sweet food. Some of the desserts weren’t as fresh as you would expect - no doubt a consequence of the low movement of clients during the low season.

FOOD: the pousada has a well-known restaurant (with a branch in São Paulo). We didn’t have a meal there.

RECEPTION: correct and a touch unfriendly.

OUR OPINON: there are cheaper alternatives in Trancoso, but we decided to make the most of the low season and give ourselves a treat. The room where we stayed is truly charming. But the pousada offers little beyond the lovely rooms. On the same cul-de-sac as the pousada there is another one that looked quite interesting.

It all began here. In the Cidade Alta of Porto Seguro you will find the marco do Descobrimento, a stone brought from Portugal at the beginning of the XVI century. Its mission was to affirm Portuguese sovereignty over the place where the stone was placed. Porto Seguro had been, after all, the entry point for the Portuguese discoverers of Brazil. One side of the stone has the cross of the Avis Order carved; on the other side you will find the coat of arms of Portugal.

[from our friend Lily]

Lençóis is a charming little village in the state of Bahia, entry point to the Chapada Diamantina, a National Park in the middle of the Brazilian sertão. Most visitors to the National Park will spend some time in Lençóis, a place that depends almost exclusively on tourism.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the piece and quiet; the well-kept village, that has managed to conserve its charm while at the same time providing all sorts of services to tourists

WE LIKE THE LEAST: couldn’t find anything wrong with the place, if only, the four-hour bus trip from Salvador

HOW TO GET THERE: with the bus company Real Express from the bus station in Salvador. There are three buses a day.

CAREFUL WITH: unprofessional and underage guides, totally unprepared. Reliable agencies provide reliable guides - all the agencies in Lençóis have the same prices.

FAVOURITE PLACES: the entire Chapada Diamantina is a present (yet another one!) mother nature gave to Brazil

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• if you are not a trekking kind of person, don’t bother with the four-hour trip to Lençóis. Lençóis is all about walking outdoors
• excellent (and cheap!) Brazilian food next to the Hostal Chapada - there’s a lady with an improvised dining room that prepares a chicken that will blow you away

LINKS: Lençóis Town Council, Guia Lençóis, Guia Chapada Diamantina

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Lençóis for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Lençóis

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

Caraiva is a small jewel in the south of coast of the state of Bahia. A tiny fishing village, everything in Caraiva is basic, from the unpaved streets to the lack of electricity supply - electricity is arriving in Caraíva only as we speak.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the absolute peace and tranquility of the place, mass tourism hasn’t arrived there yet, and the less conventional tourist is getting there in dribs and drabs
WE LIKE THE LEAST: the road leading to Caraiva, in a sorry state

HOW TO GET THERE: from Porto Seguro/Arraial d’Ajuda, or in the bus that goes to Caraiva twice a day, or on a rented car

CAREFUL WITH: the road that goes to Caraiva, especially if it has rained the previous days, it is in a truly sorry state - I don’t advice anyone to get in there with a rented car

FAVOURITE PLACES: the village, the beaches, the point where the river meets the sea

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• everything is quite basic in Caraiva, and there are very few shops. Bring whatever you are likely to need with you
• although theoretically you might be able to get to Caraiva and back on the same day using the bus that goes there, it would be an insane trip, long hours on the bus for a very short time in Caraiva. Plan on staying there at least the one night
• across the river, where Nova Caraiva is, there is a pousada with a bar and an excellent viewpoint of Caraiva

LINKS: Caraiva

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Caraíva (Porto Seguro) for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Caraiva

PHOTOS: Caraiva

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

During our recent trip to the region, we were witness to an exceptional moment in the serene and remote Caraiva (a scene that belongs to the imagery of the big city): the rush hour. Of a serene and gentle kind of sort, that is, nothing like the frantic comings and goings we’ve grown used to.

When the kids arrive back from school, across the river, there is a temporary explosion of boats going up and down the river, people crossing on one direction, people coming back on the opposite one. The rush hour reaches its climax in moments like the one portrayed here, when three boats dispute simultaneously the space in the wide Caraíva river. If only the rush hour could always be like this!

The most recent entry completed the core of entries related to our recent trip to the region. In a few week’s time we will be reviewing the pousadas where we stayed and will also mention some other topics. But the essential entries are here. To help locate the information, here’s a small index:

• location of the pousadas
• low season and the weather
• prices
• trips
• photos of Arraial
• photos of Caraíva
• photos of Trancoso

Here’s a shortish listing of prices we paid for some services during our week in Arraial d’Ajuda. This info complements this blog’s Prices page.

TRANSPORTATION

• Ferryboat Porto Seguro - Arraial d’Ajuda: R$2,5 (each way, on the way to Arraial you pay a full return fare, no fare is paid on the way back)
• Bus ferryboat - Arraial d’Ajuda: R$1,30 (ida)
• Bus Arraial d’Ajuda - Trancoso: R$4 (ida)
• Van back from the Pitinga beach to Arraial d’Ajuda: R$2
• Trip to Caraíva in 4-wheel drive: R$200 (4 people, low season price)

FOOD

• crepe: from R$8 to R$15.
• ice-cream (two scoops): from R$2,50 to R$3
• coconut at the beach: R$2,50
• pizza for two at a restaurant: from R$15 to R$25
• beer at a beach bar: from R$2,5 to R$4
• caipirinha: from R$7 to R$10
• single-course meal (in Portuguese, prato feito): around R$15
• baked fish for two (with rice and a salad): from R$40 to R$60

SEE ALSO: Round-up of entries on Arraial 2007