Itacare Tropical Paradise

After flying to the coast of Bahia, you arrive in Ilheus, once a renowned beach resort city itself, which was somewhat usurped by the prettier beaches to the north once road improvements made the journey much quicker! Driving north from the airport, you have 75km of drive up the coast-hugging road, with beaches and ocean visible through the palm trees for the first half. The Serra Grande Viewpoint gives you a wonderful look back down towards Ilheus before you wind through lush hills covered in Atlantic Rainforest in the Serra do Conduru. On arrival in Itacare, the rest of the day is free to explore the town and enjoy sunset from Praia da Concha over the Rio de Contas.

A full day tour takes you along the coast south of Itacare to visit some of the renowned beaches and hike Atlantic Rainforest trails to arrive at them. After parking on the main road, a hike of around an hour and a half has you down on the beach after passing through the lush tropical jungle. Praia da Engenhoca has the best surf, Hawaizinho is the smaller beach leads on to the stretches of paradise that are Camboinha and Itacarezinho. These beautiful Bahia beaches are long, wide and largely empty, with small beach restaurants for lunch. The final stop of the day is at the Cachoeira do Tijuipe, where you can enjoy the cool waters before returning to Itacare.

A 4x4 trip north from Itacare takes you across the Rio de Contas to the Marau Peninsula. This quiet little corner of Bahia has miles of empty beaches such as Praia dos Algodoes to enjoy, with sands curving into the distance washed by white waves. Scenic sand roads at the back of the beach take you through waving palm trees around the Lagoa do Cassange to the lighthouse, where a hill gives views all over Marau. Taipu de Fora is the most famous spot, with beautifully clear natural pools for snorkelling at low tide. Barra Grande is the northern tip, with beach bars and boat trips possible around Baia de Camamu, while Taipu de Dentro is also good for sunset over the bay.

The hills above Itacare have many smaller rivers running down them and into the Rio de Contas. A day of white-water rafting is one of the most adventurous ways to see a little more of the area. Tabouquinhas is 27km from town, and, after a little practice, a 3km run down the river takes you through five separate falls over two hours: Carrosel; Fumo; Funil; Corredor Polones; and Salta da Pancada. Your experienced instructors help you through the rapids and rocks, with lush rainforest scenery to enjoy between them. Ziplining and a tree park are two other activities available away from the beaches of Itacare, where you return at the end of the afternoon.

Trips out on the ocean can be taken by boat or by stand-up paddle board! If you want to explore the coastline and get a little exercise, then you can paddle as far around the headlands and visit as many of the beautiful beaches as you can manage. A boat trip around the mangrove islands of the Rio de Contas estuary is another option, with a visit to the Cachoeira do Cleandro as well, plus a seafood lunch on the shores of the river. Whale-watching is possible from June to October usually, with humpback whales observed in the ocean off the Bahia coast. A full-day speedboat trip around the tip of Marau to visit the islands of Camamu Bay is a long but highly recommended excursion.

Your journey back to Ilheus can be in the afternoon, which gives you the morning to explore more beaches such as Jeribucaçu and Arruda, 8km from town, and considered by some to be the most beautiful of all. A 30min trail takes you down to the sand, with the Cachoeira da Usina a possible freshwater swim before heading back. You can return to Ilheus and fly away, or even continue north past Marua and on to Boipeba, Morro de Sao Paulo and Salvador. You could also combine Itacare with a Bahia Road Trip to visit Arraial D'Ajuda, Trancoso and the Abrolhos Islands. We can also include Itacare as part of a Brazil surf trip.