Itineraries — Bahia

Salvador and the Northeast is Brazil's cultural and historical soul — the region where Afro-Brazilian traditions take root, where the country's first capital was founded in 1549, where capoeira, candomblé, axé music and dendê cuisine flourished. It's also the region concentrating some of Brazil's most beautiful beaches and one of its most spectacular national parks, the Chapada Diamantina.

The region is organised around Salvador da Bahia as central pivot — 3.5 million inhabitants, country's 4th city, first colonial capital 1549-1763, UNESCO-listed since 1985 for its exceptionally preserved Pelourinho (800 Baroque buildings, 17 colonial churches, living Afro-Brazilian culture). It's also Brazil's second world Carnival scene — 6 days of trios elétricos crisscrossing the city, more popular and participatory experience than Rio.

Around Salvador gravitate several satellite destinations that magnificently complete the cultural dimension with nature and beach dimensions. The Chapada Diamantina (250 km west, 4h drive or 50 min flight) is one of the country's most beautiful national parks — vertiginous waterfalls (Cachoeira da Fumaça 380 m), turquoise caves (Poço Encantado), colonial villages frozen in time (Lençóis, Mucugê). The Bahian coast offers exceptional beaches: Praia do Forte (family), Morro de São Paulo (tropical island), Itacaré (wild), Trancoso (luxury). Further north, Pernambuco (Recife-Olinda), Ceará (Jericoacoara) and Maranhão (Lençóis Maranhenses) add additional diversity to the Northeast trip.

Our advice: combine Salvador (4 nights) with Chapada Diamantina (3 nights) and a beach stop (Praia do Forte or Morro de São Paulo, 3-4 nights) for a complete 10-12 day Northeast trip. Note: Salvador is 1h flight from Rio, allowing Rio (4 nights) + Salvador-Bahia (8-10 nights) over 2 weeks for a balanced Brazilian trip between Southeast and Northeast.