Bahia, land of wonderful beaches, sun and brazillian-afro culture

Bahia, land of wonderful beaches, sun and brazillian-afro culture

Bahia State and its capital city, Salvador, fascinates many tourists for its afro-brazillian culture, its strong and spicy food, marvellous beaches, all-year-round heat and sun, and its historic buildings.

The acarajé, a kind of fried and spicy pastel, is the most famous dish of Bahian culinary, but Brazillian classics as the feijoada and the caipirinha can be allways found in Bahia. Seafood is in every coast city. 

Though Bahia is most famous for Salvador´s carnival and historic sites, as well for the incredible beaches alognside Bahia´s coastline, the State countryside hosts the Chapada Diamantina, a rocky formation with rivers, caves, cosy villages and lots of nature in the region of Lençóis, a countryside city located 426 km (about 300 miles) west from Salvador. 

In the days to come, we´ll see some parts of this magic Brazillian State. 

Canoa Quebrada beach in Ceará State

Canoa Quebrada beach in Ceará State

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada (broken canoon) beach in Ceará State is really amazing. A very different combination of dunes and cliffs makes the scenario quite unusual.

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Many hostels, inns and bed-and-breakfasts are owned by europeans, a common thing in the beaches located at the northeast states of Brazil. 

A curious catwalk over the cliffs allows a great view of the beach.

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

The wind power mills can be seen over the dunes, where buggys (bugues) runs everyday with tourists. Some lagoons inside the dunes provides lots of fun. 

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Lots of restaurants, bars, craftsmen stores gives life to the village during the night. More than a relaxing beach, it is a vivid place with some nightlife, making Canoa Quebrada a good combination of beach and fun. 

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Canoa Quebrada, Ceará State, Brazil

Ceará - Morro Branco e Praia das Fontes

Ceará -  Morro Branco e Praia das Fontes 

(White Hill and Fountains´Beaches in Ceará State)

Close to Fortaleza, those very beautiful beaches are worth visiting. A day tour can be enough just to visit, but you can also stay longer, chilling on these idilic places.

The fishermen´s rafts, here called jangadas, bring the sensation of a slower life, in perfect harmony with nature.  

The orange-coloured cliffs makes landscapes very different from the beaches of Rio and of others southern states of Brazil. 

Quads (buggys), here known as bugues, can be rent for rides in the sands.

Fortaleza - Praia do Futuro and The Beach Park

Fortaleza - Praia do Futuro and The Beach Park

The most famous beach in the city of Fortaleza is the Praia do Futuro (Future´s Beach), with a vast portion of sands and lots of snackbars. Seafood and caipirinha are everywhere. It gets crowded on weekends and holidays. 

Fortaleza hosts the most famous water park in Brazil, the Beach Park, located in Aquiraz, a nearby village. Mostly for families, the park has lots of attractions, locker rooms and restaurants inside; just take your swinsuit and enjoy. Food and drinks are a bit expensive inside. 

If you don´t want to get inside the waterpark, the beach in Aquiraz is very nice and wellcoming, with lots of palmtrees, that makes very good shadow. Also, lots of snackbars can provide foods and drinks. 

Fortaleza (Ceará)

Fortaleza (Ceará)

 Fortaleza, Ceará state capital, is the gateway for wonderful beaches in the same state. Basically, Ceará has an East and an West Coast, as its shores faces north, in the direction of the North Atlantic. Almost in Equator´s line, Ceará is all-year-round hot. But the wind is constant on its shores, making heat affordable. Beacause of that, wind power mills are a constant presence in Ceará state.  

Wind power mills in Fortaleza

Seawater is allways warm, an advantage related to southern Brazillian states. 

The airport in Fortaleza is very well located and very close to downtown, and there are many hotels in the city. To get to the beaches outside Fortaleza, many tour operators work directly with these hotels, so it is easy to hire a ride to one of them. 

To the closest ones, a daytour is possible, departing early in the morning and comming back late afternoon. But some are worth staying one or two nights. Jericoacora, the state´s most famous beach, however, is about 3h30 away, so to getting there and enjoying the place, a daytrip won´t be enough. 

Fortaleza has a big cultural centre, called Dragão do Mar (Sea Dragon). Theaters and exhibitions, as well some fokloric presentations of local groups are common there. By night, nearby bars get crowded.  

The statue of Irace, at Iracema´s beach, in Fortaleza

It is close to Iracema beach, a very central beach. Iracema beach hosts the statue of Iracema, the indian who was the main character of José de Alencar, on his most famous novel called also Iracema, first published in 1865. He is the most famous writer from Ceará, and one among the most read in Brazil. 

Some historical buildings, such as the cathedral are worth visiting:

For a beautiful view of Fortaleza´s skyline, you can do a boat ride along its shoreline. If you´re lucky, you can take a nice picture in the sunset:

Sunset in Fortaleza

Fortaleza´s skyline after the sunset