The Brazil Travel Site

Trancoso: The Calm, Laid-Back Beach Town

The pace of life in Trancoso is always calm and laid-back. Even in peak season, the little village does not get too stirred up. Here, the pousadas are spread around the old village and along the beaches. And those are the two most important parts of Trancoso.

The Village is where you’ll find shops, pousadas and restaurants in quaint, 16th-century constructions, not unlike the Cidade Historica in Porto Seguro. But unlike the old village in Porto Seguro, the Trancoso Quadrado (as the main village square is called) is a place to pass the late afternoon an evening.

During the day, most folks are enjoying the many beautiful beaches below (like its neighbors, Trancoso is built upon a high bluff overlooking the sea). Trancoso is quite a bit smaller than Arraial d’Ajuda, with fewer establishments. Some prefer the quietude and minimalism of Trancoso–and find the establishments more quaint and inviting. Others find Trancoso a bit too high-brow, since it is frequented by Brazil’s rich and famous, causing the finer restaurants and pousadas to demand higher prices.

Trancoso: The Quadrado (the Village Square)

The small square that is historical Trancoso, called the Quadrado, was once the only civilization for miles and miles. On horseback, the trip to Porto Seguro to sell sugar and cocoa products took an entire day. But life in the Quadrado was slow and simple. As you walk into the square you can imagine how life here must have been. The place is intact, with its small structures perfectly restored and functioning as restaurants or pousadas. At the far end of the square toward the cliffs that overlook the ocean, is the town church, looking exactly as it did in the 1500s. As you walk toward the cliffs, you’ll pass locals (including native cultures) selling rustic jewelry and other items in the square. The quality of these hand-made good is generally much higher than that of neighboring towns, so if you’re gong to do some purchasing, Trancoso is the place to do it. Most visitors drop their jaw when they reach the far end of the Quadrado that overlooks the ocean. The view here is world class. Below you, the Rio Trancoso glides toward the ocean with a couple of serpentine turns between sandbars and past tall palm trees. You might want to hang out at this viewpoint for a while to drink it in. Later, you can walk down to become a participant in the scene.

The Quadrado used to be the only part of the village and was home to twelve traditional families that lived quite isolated from the rest of the world. Families would arrange marriages between young men and women only if they lived on opposite sides of the square. The principal economy of the village was, of course, fishing. The village was discovered in the 70s, along with much of the southern Bahia coastline. In the 80s it underwent a major transformation, with the addition of electricity, telephones and little by little investors from other parts of Brazil, building their pousadas and restaurants in town. Today, the Quadrado remains much as it did before civilization hit. No outdoor lights are allowed in the square and, if you want to walk around the area at night, you might want to bring a flashlight.

On the other side of the Quadrado, away from the ocean, is the new part of the village, known as the Bosque area. An extension of the Quadrado, here you’ll find some of the town’s more well decorated restaurants and boutique shops. The entire Bosque area consists of just a few streets: the main road entering the town and a few others forming a single square block.

Trancoso: Beaches to the North

The beaches in Trancoso are slightly less populated than those in Arraial, but the layout is similar. In Trancoso, however, the northern and southern beaches are separated by the Trancoso River, which you can cross either by swimming or by taking a small boat for about R$3. Of Course, you can also hike up to the village, across, and back down the other side.

The main beach, Praia dos Nativos, is below the village on the north side and has most of the establishments, beach bars and activities. The north coast has long stretches of sand and surf and are great for swimming–especially at low tide. These are also terrific beaches for unforgettable sunrise and sunset walks. The farthest you probably want to walk to the north is to Praia Rio da Barra, which is one of the prettiest beaches in the area, at the mouth of the Barra River. The river bends a few times before it reaches the ocean, where it opens into a large lake. The entire scene is lined with palm trees and there are few visitors here during low season. Still, there is a beach kiosk to help you refuel for the walk back. It’s about four kilometers from the villa (1.5 hours walk) and you’ll pass some lovely coconut groves along the way (but few or no beach kiosks).

To get down to the northern beaches, just take the road on the left side of the village (as you enter the town) and cut through to the ocean at Praia dos Nativos. You’ll see the signs. Unfortunately, this little walk downhill can be annoying, due to the many badly mannered drivers going back and forth along this dirt road. If you’re sensitive to dust and easily angered by rudeness, then take a taxi to the beach. A motorcycle taxi is a fun option.

Trancoso: Beaches to the South

On the south side of the village are beaches with slightly more turbulent waters, although they are nevertheless excellent for swimming. The water here is clearer and bluer than on the north coast, largely due to the many rivers that flow into the ocean along this part of the coast. The first beach you come to on the south coast is Praia dos Coqueiros. Here you’ll find plenty of beach bars and shady umbrellas and chairs. The farther you walk south from here, the more sparse the beach kiosks become and the more deserted the beaches. You’ll pass Praia do Rio Verde as you continue south, which is just past a small river opening (which you can cross on foot).

After the river, you walk onto an excellent stretch of beach–with warm, blue water and medium-sized waves. This was once a nudist beach, known as Praia do Nudismo. Today you might come across a few people looking to revitalize the practice (fique a vontage, ok?) but mostly it’s just a great place to swim and get some sun. At the far end of this beach is the best beach kiosk on the coast, the Pé Na Praia barraca. It has an excellent position on the beach with plenty of wooden chairs, hammocks, and places to lay out on a straw mat or sit and sip a cold one. They usually have some kind of electronic groove music going, which puts you in a great, relaxed mood (or maybe that’s the beer).

If you walk further south, you won’t come across anything but lovely sand and surf for about five kilometers. This is a good place to get away from the crowd. There are reefs just off shore in this area, and the beach is slightly murky with seaweed and kelp (evidence of the reefs). You can go snorkeling out in these waters and in peak season, you will find groups of people doing just that–on some excursion or other. It doesn’t look so inviting from the beach around the point (called Ponta de Itapororoca), but once you get out beyond the barrier reefs, you’ll understand the attraction. Again, there are no kiosks around this area until you get all the way to Praia Jacumã, where you’ll find some great beach bars at the Jacumã coconut plantation. There are also more natural tide pools for snorkeling at jacumã and boats to take you out.

If you don’t like the idea of walking on your own all the way to Jacumã to go snorkeling, then join an excursion from Trancoso or Arraial d’Ajuda that visits these pools. Alternatively, you can take a taxi or bus from Trancoso directly to Jacumã to spend the day there. South of Jacumã are the very sought-after Praia Curuípe and Praia do Espelho, which receive visitors from Porto Seguro excursions. If you get to Jacumã, you can walk to these two beaches in about 30 minutes.

To get to the southern beaches from the village, take the trail that leads from the right side of the Quadrado down until you reach the sand and surf. You can’t miss it.