There are lists across the internet touting which towns are home to the best beaches in Brazil, but Itacaré trumps anywhere else on that list. That is the hill I am willing to die on. Along the Bahia coast, south of Salvador, this hidden little gem is nestled away in the coconut groves, mostly known with the surfer crowds.
A small, somewhat quiet town, the majority of restaurants and shops are laid out on one central street, Pedro Longo. Flush with acai stalls, restaurants, and surf shops, you can find everything you need for a couple lazy days (or weeks), of beach bummin’. Or, if feeling a bit more energetic, surf lessons and rental shops abound.
We left Lencois at 12 am, and it was a long night and morning on the bus. What was supposed to be a nine hour bus ride had turned into thirteen. BUT, when we finally rolled in at 2 in the afternoon, passing through the emerald green palm trees into the small town, I quickly decided the sticky bus ride had been well worth it.
After we got settled at Casarão Verde Hostel, we hit the streets of Itacaré in search of sustenance. At this point, we quickly realized that northern Brazil takes the lengthy afternoon nap/down time, siesta, seriously.
Lunch is the largest meal of the day for quite a few cultures in Latin America, so the siesta’s a necessity to digest and to escape the hottest part of the afternoon. Basically, a Thanksgiving turkey coma, every single day.
Fom 1-5, the majority of the town shut down. Besides a couple small cafes, nothing was open. In Itacaré, it’s a mix between the all holy siesta and the fact that everyone is at the beach. And I mean quite literally, everyone. We were the only people on the street, making it pretty eerie for 3 in the afternoon. It worked out fine, we found somewhere to grab a quick bite to eat and then headed for the main event, those BEAUTY Brazilian beaches.
Within an hour walk of town there are four absolutely gorgeous beaches, each with their own distinct charms. Besides beach crawling, there’s not a whole lot of must-do boxes to tick in Itacaré. So, the majority of our five days we spent alternating which beach we lounged on, and which stand we got our daily coconut from.
The closest beach to town is also the busiest, filled with sun-soaking Brazilian families. Lined with snack vendors, volleyball nets, and kayak rentals, it’s definitely not the most tranquil of the bunch. However, if you’re looking for activities or a full meal, this is the one for you.
We didn’t spend much time here besides a casual check, preferring the much quieter trio of beaches a few minutes walk out of town.
A ten minute walk out of Itacaré, the first beach of the trio is Resende, followed shortly by Tiririca and Ribeira. Resende and Tiririca were nice and quiet while we were there, with only one or two stalls selling the required tapiocas, caipirinhas and fresh coconuts.
One day, we headed to what we had been told was the nicest beach in the area. I beg to differ, because I’m fairly certain that Prainha, is the nicest beach in Brazil. Or maybe the world?
Extremely secluded, it’s only accessible down a quiet, lush path through the Atlantic Rainforest. After about 45 minutes of walking, the jungle opens up and the path runs up along a cliffside with breath taking views of the bay, and then down on to the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen.
Prainha Beach is an actual paradise. The fact that there are nice beaches closer to Itacaré and having to walk an hour to get there, Prainha doesn’t get descended on with quite the same hordes as other beaches in the area. There was tons of space to spread out and relax. Pure white sand shaded over by palm trees, I staked out my own own palm-tree shaped shade while Tom joined in on the beach football game a group of guys were gearing up.
Getting there was super easy, we just kept walking. Past Ribeira, the pathway starts into the jungle, and it was well walked. There are a few times where the pathway forks, but they end up meeting back up in a few minutes. Either way, keeping to the left kept us on the correct path the whole way.
WORD OF WARNING – We were told that there’s been some muggings on the path and that it was better to not bring any valuables, so we left our drone and my camera home, but luckily we didn’t have any problems. The path wasn’t crowded but there are surf classes that go on at the beach, so there were enough people walking that I didn’t feel sketched out.
Jeribucacu is another beach that should be on the itinerary of any proper Itacaré beach crawl. It requires a little more effort to reach, starting with grabbing the bus to Ilheus, and ask the bus driver to let you off at the entrance to Jeribucacu (kilometre 6). There will be a dirt road entrance with a sign on the left, just follow the road down!
Besides beach hopping, we spent a lot of our time in Itacaré digging in to the Caribbean cuisine. The variety of fresh seafood and fruit along the coast are fantastic, and, Itacaré had so many restaurants featuring the local specialties. It was hard to pick which ones to visit in our short five days there! Plus, with fruit stands selling mangos and papayas for fifty cents a piece, I was on a fairly strict fruit diet. However, mango aside, we did go out for a couple fantastic meals, which featured a whole lot of seafood.
Brazil has an amazing style of restaurant, called per kilos. Basically, they’re a buffet where your plate is weighed, so you only pay for how much food you take. A lot of per kilos are heavy on the meat and potatoes side of things, but Ze SenZala had a Caribbean twist. We ate there three times while in Itacaré. A huge salad bar with delicious cous cous and quinoa options, seafood risottos, grilled fish, and lots of veggies. Plus, it was extremely cheap. For two large meals it was around 24 reals, so around 8 dollars Canadian.
Moquequa, moquequa, moequequa! A dish traditional to the Bahia region, it’s seafood stew in a herbed tomato sauce, cooked in a terracotta pot. It can be any mixture of seafood, however we opted for the fish with prawns. Our helpful hostel staff told us that Sabores de Bahia had the best moquequa in town, and they weren’t lying. Absolutely delicious, and a gigantic serving. Definitely recommend getting a couple ice cold Brahmas to go along with it.
Surprisingly, it can be kind of hard to find good coffee in Brazil, even though they produce a fair bit of it. The cultural norm is to top it off with 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. Carmelo Cafe’s espresso was really good and the chocolate cake was amazing.
The bus from Lençóis to Feira de Santana took about 5 hours, and was 62 reals. From Feira de Santana it was 8 hours to Itacaré, but advertised as 5.
The bus from Itacaré to Bom Despacho was 54 reals and took about 5 hours. We were dropped off at the ferry terminal, and from here the ferry took us an hour to Salvador and was 5 reals. You can also get a bus from Ilhéus to Salvador direct, but since you have to backtrack to Ilhéus and it goes around, it would take a lot longer. Buses to Ilhéus leave all the time, and from there you can get connections south.
A large and airy colonial house on the waterfront, it’s also one of the cheapest options in Itacaré. A large garden filled with hammocks and a well-equipped gym area, for when the rich Brazilian desserts begin to take their toll. Good kitchen facilities, and the staff were extremely helpful.
If you’re heading back to Rio, check out my guide to the city here!
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