Historical Center of Salvador and Praia do Forte 7 days

Pelourinho © Embratur

Salvador, Brazil´s first capital, was once the glory of colonial Brazil and the second city in the Portuguese empire. Today it is a vibrant city with fine colonial buildings and a designated World Heritage Site by Unesco. Salvador is the bastion of Afro-Brazilian culture brought by the slaves like culinary, art, religious manifestations and architecture. Surrounding Salvador, the "Recôncavo Baiano", with rich soil and hot climate, was perfect for planting sugar and tobacco. And so the toil of African slaves made this a region of opulent wealth for several centuries. The colonial towns and plantation estates like Cachoeira (centre of Candomblé), and Santo Amaro, remained as if frozen in time. A cultural manifestation that was created in this region - samba -was recently declared a World Cultural Heritage by Unesco.

Praia do Forte is an old fishing village located 60km (37 mi.) north of Salvador in the state of Bahia. With diverse ecosystems, beautiful beaches traversed by rivers and estuaries, dunes, coconut groves, lagoons and mangroves, Praia do Forte is home to rare tropical wildlife. The perfect 13km (8mi.) stretch of beach is thickly lined with palm trees, and the clear blue waters reveal coral reefs that stretches some 150ft (46mt) into the ocean and natural pools are formed at low tide. Praia do Forte is now the headquarters of the extensive national turtle conservation project- TAMAR Project- with the largest number of spawnings of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), considered to be one of the most threatened with extinction. After nightfall, thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, and with the right timing visitors can witness the miraculous hatching of the tiny turtles.

Program Summary

Day 1 - Salvador
Arrival in Salvador, a special welcome by Baianas handing out Fitinhas do Bonfim - a typical bracelet from Bahia´s Bonfim Church (for groups only). Transfer to hotel.

At night, we will visit the tourist port of Salvador and after a short boat ride we'll arrive at San Marcelo Fortress. Totally restored, and with one of the most beautiful views of the city at night. Nowadays, the fortress houses an excellent restaurant - Buccanero's.
After dinner return to hotel

Overnight: Tropical da Bahia Hotel

Day 2 - Salvador
Full day historical city tour in Salvador. Starting in the city´s modern neighborhoods, Barra and Ondina, we continue our journey to where the colonial period took place. A visit to Saint Antonio´s Fortress is the beginning of this journey. 
 
Stop for lunch at Senac-School Restaurant, where it is served up to 40 dishes of Afro-Bahian cuisine. After lunch, we will visit the Third Order of Carmo and Santo Antonio District to the Lower City.

Sightseeing of the Itapagipe Peninsula, Ribeira and Bonfim with a visit to the most famous Brazilian religious syncretism – Bonfim Church. We follow to Montserrat, Boa Viagem Districts and a final stop on Mercado Modelo Market, which was formerly the custom building. Free time to see local crafts.
Return to hotel and free night

Overnight: Tropical da Bahia Hotel

Day 3 - Salvador
Full day tour to the Recôncavo Baiano - area amidst to the Bay of All Saints - which was a major center of the sugar industry in Brazil during the colonial period. That turned Salvador to one of the richest cities at the time.

Departure at 8:00 a.m. to Santo Amaro City. Visit the ruins of the former farms and sugar factory, the street market and Samba de Roda Cultural Center – an important cultural event of the Recôncavo, which gave rise to today´s samba and was recently declared by UNESCO as World Cultural Heritage. Possibility of watching samba presentations.

Afterwards, visit a cocoa and sugarcane plantation farm, until reaching the heroic city of Cachoeira, which has been the capital of Bahia twice. Lunch at Pousada do Convento - former convent of the Carmelite.

After lunch we will stroll around the historic center and visit:
-Matriz Church,
-Museum of Sacred Art with important acquits of the Third Order of Carmo,
-Casa da Camara,
-the jail house,
-Igreja d´Ájuda Church (one of the oldest in Brazil),
-order of the Boa Morte (Good Death)
-and the Independence Square

At the Independence Square, we will board for one-hour boat ride at Rio Paraguassu River with a stop at the former convent Franciscan – an imposing building by the bank of the River and ending at the busy Maragojipe Port where we will return to Salvador arriving by the end of the day (minimum of 5 pax).

Night: transfer with guide for dinner in Pelourinho and have a glance at the nightlife of the project Night and Day - project created by the Bahia Government that helped economically with the preservation of the historic heritage sites of this traditional neighborhood. The project has the night of Pelourinho its great asset that pleases baianos and tourists. Streets with many bars, squares with all types of music and many options for shopping and dining.
Dinner will be served at the Casa da Gamboa Restaurant or similar.

Overnight: Tropical da Bahia Hotel

Day 4 - Salvador - Praia do Forte
Departure from Salvador to Praia do Forte. Check in at hotel. Visit the ruins of Garcia D´Ávila´s Castle , considered the first big Portuguese construction of the 16th Century in Brazil. Chance to enjoy a beautiful view of the coastline covered with coconut trees.

Overnight: Porto da Lua Hotel

Day 5 - Praia do Forte
Free day. If you wish, you may visit Tamar Project on your own. Just a short walk from the hotel, the Tamar Project is a sea turtle project for preservation of the species, where it is possible to see the various species of Brazilian turtle at their different life stages.

Optional: Whale watching tour

Overnight: Porto da Lua Hotel

Day 6 - Praia do Forte - Salvador
Transfer to Salvador.
Farewell dinner at Paraíso Tropical. The restaurant, situated in a non-tourist part of town, has nearly 6,000 fruit trees in the backyard that are used to season the typical dishes from Bahia.

Overnight: Tropical da Bahia Hotel

Day 7- Salvador - Outbound
After breakfast, transfer to airport.

General Information

Capacity:	Minimum of 2 and maximum of 15
Guide Language:	English. Other languages upon request
Level:	Easy to Moderate Level
Included:	Accommodations, transfers, guides, all meals and tours mentioned above
Not Included:	Airfares, insurance, medical expenses and hopitalization, beverages and optional tours
Personal Gear:	Sunblock, sunglasses, light clothing, bathing suit, comfortable shoes, sandals, raincoat and sweater
Optional Gear:	Camera and film