Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A fifteen-minute walk from the centre of town brings you to the
Aldeia Hippie
,
the
“Hippie Village” made famous in the 1960s and 1970s when Mick Jagger, Janis Joplin
and other stars enjoyed its pleasures. It has vestiges of its hippie past, but is now known
more as a fine place to cool off in the Capivara River in the late afternoons.
Projecto Tamar
Estrada Geral do Projeto Tamar • Daily 9am-5pm • R$5 •
T
71 3624 3694,
W
tamar.org.br
Projecto Tamar
runs a small Centro de Visitantes with displays on the group's conservation
work with turtles, as well as cute but injured turtles saved from the wild - it's not as big as
the centre at Praia do Forte (see p.230), but a good introduction all the same.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
AREMBEPE
By bus
Regular buses from Salvador's Estação da Lapa,
Terminal da França and rodoviária run northeast along the
coastal road (Estrada do Coco aka BA-099) to Arembepe
(R$6; 1hr).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
★
3
Mar Aberto
Largo de São Francisco 43
T
71 3624
1257,
W
marabertorestaurante.com.br.
Well known
for its memorable fresh fish dishes - especially the
legendary fish balls (
bolinho de peixe
) - and dazzling
views across the beach
.
Try the
bacalhau ao molho de
ervas
(cod in herb sauce) or traditional
moquecas
. Mains
cost R$55-65
.
Mon-Thurs 11.30am-9pm, Fri & Sat
11.30am-11pm, Sun noon-6pm.
Pousada A Capela
Praia do Piruí (south of town),
Estrada do Coco Km 30
T
71 3624 2708,
W
pousadaacapela.com.br.
Located on a gorgeous, clean
and tranquil strip of Piruí beach (where coral pools form at
low tide), this lodg
e conta
ins ten modern, comfy rooms
overlooking the sea.
R$280
Itacimirim
Fifteen kilometres northeast of Arembepe lies the barrier island beach of
ITACIMIRIM
. It is
not as developed as many resorts, though there are a few hotels and lots of smart weekend
residences. Out of high season and during the week, you can have this palm-fringed
paradise with several natural pools to swim in more or less to yourself; high-tide swells
make this a good place to surf too (you can usually rent boards from shacks on the beach).
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
ITACIMIRIM
By bus
Itacimirim is a short drive (5km) south of Praia
do Forte (see below); buses between Salvador and Forte
will drop you on the highway (BA-099) from where its
2km to the beach.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotel Pousada Praia das Ondas
Rua Principal de
Itacimirim 60
T
71 9630 9030,
W
praiadasondas.com.br.
Boasts luxurious a/c rooms (with a balcony or a patio with a
hammock), amid leafy gardens with two outdoo
r pools,
a hot
tub and free wi-fi. Also has excellent restaurant.
R$280
Pousada Dourada
Ilha do Meio 182
T
71 9262 1002,
W
pousada-dourada.com.
Simple, clean and modern
accommodation in a small house, with pool, a/c and free
wi-fi, though it's
not on
the beach. One English-speaking
owner (Vincent).
R$150
Praia do Forte
The hip little resort of
PRAIA DO FORTE
, some 83km north of Salvador, has a small but
dazzling palm-lined beach and an array of arty craft shops, restaurants and bars along
the main pedestrianized street, Alameda do Sol. There's also a pretty church right on
the waterfront, the
Igreja São Francisco de Assis do Litoral
, completed in 1900.
Castelo Garcia D'Avila
Alameda Farol • Daily 8.30am-6pm • R$10 •
T
71 3676 1133,
W
fgd.org.br
he
Castelo Garcia D'Avila
is a ruined fortress some 5km inland from town. The fort was
one of the first major structures built by the Portuguese in Brazil (it has its origins way
