Sunday, August 17, 2014

Bahian Beaches


If you are in Salvador for a more than the a coupe of days it is worth booking a trip to the beaches north of the city along Route BR-099. Our tour guide arranged a trip to three beaches, each one completely different from the others.

Guarajuba

The town of Guarajuba is about 70km from northeast of Salvador along the Atlantic coast. It is an area mostly of weekend/summer homes for Baianos, other Brazilienos and even some Europeans. At the beach are several kiosks selling food and drink. Each kiosk has set up tables and chairs with umbrellas.
Places to sit, eat and drink at Guarajuba
A typical setup at Guarajuba



  The beach here is lovely, and shallow for a nice distance. The water is similar in feel and temperature to south Florida and the north shore beaches of Puerto Rico: cooler than the Caribbean but definitely warmer than NYC!



 The food from the kiosks is very fresh, as the fishing boats come from right here at Guarajuba.


Praia do Forte

Another 16 km up the road is Praia do Forte. This is a very developed area with resorts, hotels and very nice shopping area with a range of goods from touristy to high end. One reason to stop at Praia do Forte is to visit the Projecto Tamar.



The Projecto Tamar was founded 33 years ago to help replenish the sea turtle population. The beaches of Brazil have many of the major breeding sites for Atlantic turtles. The project helps to protect the nests, and also to gather the eggs and guarantee a safe hatching and introduction to the wild for the young turtles. They also have a turtle preserve and educational center with many turtles and other sea life on display.






   

Imbassaí

Another 25 km up the road is Imbassaí. This is a river that runs parallel to the coast and then finally joins the ocean. To get from the town to the beach we had a little surprise

The boat to go from the town to the beach at Imassaí

No Motor! My first pole powered boat ride.
A boat ride powered by human strength - That's right our boatman poled us down the river. The river is beautiful, with mangrove trees lining its shores.





Then you round a bend and the beach is right in front of you.



Unfortunately it started to rain just as we were approaching the beach, so we had time for a quick drink at the barraca and then we were homeward bound.









This was a great day (except for the 1.5 hour traffic jam on the way home).

1 comment:

  1. My most favorite beach in Bahia and the one I would love to stay at longer someday was Praia da Guarajuba. Just lovely!!

    My second favorite was Imbassai. Where the river meets the sea...

    ReplyDelete