Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
turtle population. Four species of turtle nest off the coast of Bahia, with their favoured
spots at the end of the main drag here, beyond all the craft shops and stalls. Inside the
Tamar reserve, you can see many turtles in large aquariums, most of them injured and
unlikely to survive in the wild. The nesting season is from September to March.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
PRAIA DO FORTE
By bus
Buses leave regularly from the top of the
main street (Alameda do Sol) for Salvador with Linha
Verde (daily 5am-6pm; 14 daily; around R$10) and
for further north up the coast to Imbassaí. Day-trips by
boat from Salvador generally cost R$80/person (see
W
passeiosasilhas.com.br).
Website
For general tourist information check out
W
praiadoforte.org.br (there is no tourist o
ce).
ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Bar do Souza
Alameda do Sol
T
71 3676 1129.
This
lauded seafood restaurant and bar, known for its
bolinho de
peixe
,
moquecas
and live music, has two locations; the leafy
(nicer) spot inside the Projeto Tamar (entrance R$2, no
access to the turtles, though), and at the beginning of
Alameda do Sol in town.
Daily 10am-1am.
Pousada Ogum Marinho
Alameda do Sol
T
71 3676
1165,
W
ogumarinho.com.br.
Close to the beach at the end
of the main street, this posher option has co
sy a/c r
ooms, a
nice hammock veranda, free wi-fi and a pool.
R$320
Pousada Tia Helena
Alameda das Estrelas 286
T
71 3676 1043,
W
tiahelenapraiadoforte.com.br.
This
simple but clean choice stands for budget accommodation
in high season, just 200m from the beach. Rooms come
with ceiling fan, TV and private shower.
R$150
Praia do Forte Hostel
Rua da Aurora 3
T
71 3676
1094,
W
albergue.com.br.
Simple HI accommodation a
5min walk from the beach, with free wi-fi, self-catering
kitchen and a games room with a TV. Dorms and private
rooms have a choice of a/c or fa
n. Prices for HI
members
are given in b
rackets. Dorms
R$58 (R$48)
; doubles
R$195 (R$170)
Terra Brasil
Alameda do Sol
T
71 3676 1705.
It's a local
chain, but this modern Brazilian/Italian restaurant offers
the best value on a now highly overpriced strip, with
draught beer, decent seafood, good
moqueca
and excellent
risottos. Mains are R$26-65.
Daily noon-midnight.
3
The southern coast of Bahia
The BR-101 highway is the main route to the
SOUTHERN COAST OF BAHIA
, a region
immortalized in the much translated and filmed novels of
Jorge Amado
, born in Itabuna.
From the bus window you'll see the familiar fields of sugar replaced by huge plantations
of
cacau
(cocoa). Southern Bahia produces two-thirds of Brazil's cocoa, almost all of
which goes for export, making this part of Bahia the richest agricultural area of the state.
he
zona de cacau
seems quiet and respectable enough today, with its pleasant towns and
prosperous countryside, but in the last decades of the nineteenth century and the first
decades of the twentieth, it was one of the most turbulent parts of Brazil. Entrepreneurs
and adventurers from all over the country carved out estates here, often violently - a
process chronicled by Amado in his novel
The Violent Land
(see p.673).
Valença
South of Salvador, the coast becomes swampy and by the time you get to
VALENÇA
you're in mangrove country. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Una, about 10km
from the sea, at the point where the river widens into a delta made up of dozens of
small islands, most of which support at least a couple of fishing villages. Today, it's
also an increasingly popular destination for tourists from Salvador - mainly as a
stop-off point for the nearby island resort of
Morro de São Paulo
and the pristine
beaches of
Ilha de Boipeba
.
There are a couple of colonial churches - the
Igreja do Sagrado Coração de Jesus
(1801) and the more interesting
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo
, built in 1757 on a
hill affording beautiful views over the city and accessed from near the market. The local
beach, the
Praia de Guaibim
, is 18km north of town.
