You can cut in from the beach to the inland road at the Barraca do Sting or any number of other trails along the northern beaches. If you go all the way to the end, you’ll cut-in at the Pousada Aquarela, right at the location of the ferryboat to Porto Seguro.

There is a northern road that parallels the beach from Arraial d’Ajuda to the ferryboat. Along this road are numerous pousadas and a few interesting shops, restaurants, and bars. The best place to come in from the beach and have look around is at the Barraca do Sting. Just inland from Sting’s place is the cozy Santa Fe Hotel, with an excellent restaurant/bar (open to the public, of course). There are also shops and art galleries in the vicinity. A late afternoon walk along the northern beaches is one of the best excursions you can take in Arraial. The wind comes up a little and blows the sand around your feet, as the tide goes way out, revealing the shiny, sandy ocean floor.

It’s easy to walk from Mucugé all the way to Praia Pitinga, about 1.5 kilometers (30 minutes) away. You’ll cross a small stream that empties into the ocean and several beach bars. Pitinga is the location of the town’s most charming and luxurious beachfront pousadas, and the beach bars along the way are also slightly higher end. Check out the Paraíso Restaurant with its wooden chairs and large sitting area. Also the São Tropez Praia Hotel has a large area with restaurants and bars. You can enter from the beach or from behind on land. The Cabana Grande is the largest beach bar in the area, a younger cousin to those in Porto Seguro. This one also gets rip roaring during peak season and is mercifully silent during the off season. The best place to stop for a drink is on the deck at the Pitinga Praia Pousada, marking the far end of Pitinga.

A much farther trek (about seven kilometers) is the stroll to Praia Taipe and the Lagoa Azul. The lagoa itself is dry, but the sandy cliffs, called falesias, make for a striking scene. The beach here is one of the most deserted in the area and is well worth a visit, as it’s also one of the prettiest. This is about the final point to which most people care to walk along the southern coast of Arraial. However, a few daring folks make the 14 kilometer haul all the way down to Trancoso. You’ll have to cross a few small rivers that empty into the ocean, but otherwise, it’s quite possible to accomplish in about five hours with a canteen of water, a hat and plenty of sunscreen. There are kiosks along the way for filling up and resting your feet and you’ll pass the large Club Med establishment about halfway down. You can catch a bus or taxi back from Trancoso.

NOTE: If you like the idea of walking along the beach at night, be sure to bring a flashlight, as there are no lights to guide you (but for the beckoning moon), as the beach bars are all shut down for the evening. It’s perfectly safe to walk along these beaches at night, although you should be aware the some stretches will have plenty of water splashing in at high tide. At night, the walk along the northern coast is probably a bit more straightforward than on the south coast.

As you enter the town of Arraial d’Ajuda, you’ll most likely enter through the old village. The main road up onto the bluff passes under the old Igreja Nossa Sra. d’Ajuda (Our Lady of Help Church) past the Banho da Santa. The Banho is really just an outdoor shower/bath that is used by hippies and poor villagers. However, legend has it that anyone who bathes there will return to Arraial d’Ajuda.

When you finally make it up into the village, you’ll arrive in the old town square, Praça Brigadeiro E. Gomes, which is a grassy area with shade trees and a relaxed atmosphere. One side of the praça is the main bus stop in town, so if you arrive by bus, you’ll likely get off right there. Bordering the praça are numerous colonial buildings; the 16th century type…small, boxy houses with a window and door in front, colorfully painted and facing the praça. Although most of these have been converted into simple boutique shops, you can still see residents of the town sitting at their windowsills, staring onto the praça. On the far end of the praça is the Nossa Sra. d’Ajuda Church, which is open for visitation from 8am – 5pm daily, closed for lunch. More impressive than the church is the view from behind the church. From there you can see the entire northern coastline of Arraial. If you turn right on the road behind the church (rightly named, Rua Bela Vista) you will come to a couple of very nice and simple pousadas and a couple of bars with incredible views.

Another highlight of the old village is the road that extends from the praça to the new village, called Rua Broduei (that’s phonetic Brazilian for Broadway). This part of the old village is quite popular for restaurants and shops and some economical eateries, such as a bakery and lanchonete on the end near the praça. When you reach the end of Rua Broduei, you’ll come into the Praça São Braz, which is the final part of the old village. Here, you’ll find more quaint colonial buildings, currently in use by the city government, post office, and such. This is also called the Praça Hippie, since it’s usually filled with hippies selling their hand-made jewelry. Since they are not allowed to sell on the streets in town or on the beaches, they took over the praça as a place to set up shop. An unfortunately side affect is that they work aggressively to pull potential customers (can you say gringos?) into the praça from the streets nearby. If you walk near the Praça Hippie, you’ll undoubtedly make one or two new friends there. The hippies and surfers actually discovered Arraial d’Ajuda back in the 1970’s and are now being pushed out by all the upscale progress and evolution in the village.

As you walk from Praça Hippie toward the ocean, you’ll be walking through the new village. Here you’ll find more pousadas, boutique shops and restaurants, but here the offerings are mostly upscale and charming. Thankfully, the atmosphere here maintains its village look and feel and, although the construction is more modern, everything here is quite charming and inviting. It’s worth spending an afternoon walking along the main village road, the Estrada do Mucugé to check out the many shops there. Evenings in this part of the village are buzzing with people choosing restaurants and places to sit for the evening, to watch the movement on the street. The far end of the Estrada do Mucugé bumps into Mucugé Beach, the first and most popular in the area.