The Brazil Travel Site

Porto Seguro: Land of the Big Barraca

Visitors arriving in Porto Seguro for the first time are often surprised by what they see. It’s a common misconception that Porto Seguro is a quaint, Bahian-style beach village.  Porto Seguro has a very particular appeal. Specifically, it appeals to young, working class Brazilians.  It offers everything that this group desires: sun and sand, mobs of people dancing and pulsating together, and lots of food and cold beer. As famous as it is, and as appealing as the beach-blanket party atmosphere can be, the truth is that Porto Seguro was not made for you and me. It’s full of all the things Brazilians like and only a few of the things that foreigners like. Most of the things that foreigners like, lie in the surrounding coastal regions to the north and south, away from Porto Seguro.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should avoid the place as there are some redeeming factors–like the excellent prices for food and accommodations, including many resort-style hotels. Another great thing about Porto Seguro is the quantity and variety of shopping you’ll find there. Shops line the coastal road and in the evening when the Passarelo de Alcool revs up, you’ll find even more stands with local artisans selling their wares. Finally, you should not miss the historical city of Porto Seguro, which rests on the high plateau, watching over the city and beaches below. The view alone is worth the hike up there.

Porto de Seguro: Ilha dos Aquarios (Aquarium Island)

The tiny island of Pacuio (also known as Ilha do Pirata, but most commonly called Ilha dos Aquários) sits on the far side of Rio Buranhém, almost directly across from the ferryboat that heads over to Arraial d’Ajuda. The island is most famous for its parties on Friday nights that spin up several types of music, from techno to Brazilian Axé. The party takes place around the island’s principal attractions, the 220,000 liter salt-water aquarium and two other, smaller aquariums that are home to various types of fish, sharks, lobsters and other marine animals. You can head over to the island on the Cia do Mar Schooners that are docked near the ferryboat. For more details, check with Cia do Mar (Praça dos Pataxós 15, www.ciadomar.tur.br).

Porto Seguro: Cidade Historica

Amidst all the wild beach parties, rowdy nightclubs and the Passarela de Alcool, there is a calm and quiet historic town center siting peacefully at the top of the plateau overlooking all of Porto Seguro. This is the original location of the village of Porto Seguro, the oldest city in Brazil. The view from the Cidade Historica (also called the Cidade Alta) leaves no doubt in your mind why the spot was chosen. And the area is perfectly preserved, looking pretty much like it did in the early 1500s. Many of the small, historic dwellings are still inhabited by traditional families of Porto Seguro; others have been turned into shops, selling tee-shirts and crafts, all made locally.

Like many port towns, including Salvador, Porto Seguro consisted of both a Cidade Alta (High City) and a Cidade Baixa (Low City). Here, the Cidade Baixa was where the port and the shipping activities took place. At that time, the primary goods were Pau Brazil (a coveted dark red hardwood used in Europe for furniture and die), sugar and cocoa. At first, the Aimores indians were friendly and helpful to the Portuguese colonists and even helped them secure the coast around Porto Seguro. Today, you can see some Aimores indians hanging around the historic city, selling traditional indian clothing, jewelry, and trinkets.

REMEMBER: It’s customary to pay a small fee to take pictures of the local people here and all over Bahia and the Northeast of Brazil.

You can walk around the Cidade Alta in an hour or so. It’s small and simple. A highlight in the old city is the large rubber tree that sits in a large grassy area at one end of the town. All along this grassy area sit old, historic buildings in pristine condition. Another highlight is on the opposite end of town, where you can sit and look out over the ocean from the high plateau near the lighthouse. At the end of town, near the lighthouse are some simple shops and stands where locals sell pure cocoa powder (ask for it without sugar if you want the pure stuff), cocoa beans and other natural herbs. There is a small square in the middle of town that is lined by old buildings now converted into shops. Inside the square, you can sit in the shade. There is also a main church and a museum inside the old Jailhouse.

Walking to the Cidade Historica from the lower city is not difficult. The best way is to climb the long stairway across from the Trevo do Cabral (the praça with the statue of the pointing man). The stairway is pretty run down, but it’s perfectly safe during the day. You can also take a taxi around to the back side. The old city is near the rodoviaria and there are busses that go there all day and night. You can pick them up on Av. 22 de Abril.

Porto Seguro: Beaches & Barracas

Up the northern coast of Porto Seguro, the beaches stretch on for miles. There is little difference among the beaches along this ten-kilometer stretch. They all have fairly wide strips of fine sand with medium-sized waves and semi-blue, semi-clear water (depending on the season). If you’re looking for charming tropical beaches with white sand and coconut trees blowing in the gentle breeze, this is not the place to come. Rather, what makes these beaches popular are the many barracas, or beach bars dotted along the coastline. Three of these barracas have grown up to become super-barracas, multi-level centers of activity at three principal beaches along the northern coastline. Between these super-barracas are several mere mortal beach bars with lunch menus, cold drinks, tables, chairs and beach service.

The Super-Barracas

The super-barracas host all kinds of activities: most notably, they have continuous stage shows going (from morning to sundown), featuring different types of music and dancing (see sidebar on Axé Group Dancing). The have several environments for drinking and eating, including service on the sandy beach where there are plenty of lounge chairs and shade umbrellas. The activities spill out onto the beach and even to the ocean where you can usually partake of water sports, like kite surfing and banana boat rides. It’s non-stop, high energy and it’s all sponsored by the super-barraca.

There are three super-barracas on the north coast: Tóa Tóa is the first one, located at Praia Mundaí about six kilometers from town. Axé Moi is next, located at Praia Taperapuã about seven kilometers from town. The farthest is Barramares at Praia Barramares, about ten kilometers away. It’s difficult to say which is better or worse since they all have about the same kind of activities and attract the same type of large crowds during the day–mostly young Brazilians and a few scattered international tourists. The question is not which barraca is best, but whether or not you like the super-barraca scene at all. To best answer this question, its worth visiting one of these mega beach bars during the day. If you don’t like the energy there, you can probably find a smaller, cozier beach bar nearby, or (if you have a car or don’t mind paying for a taxi) continue north to the more charming beaches near Santa Cruz de Cabrália and Santo Antônio.

On weeknights, the barracas have a rotating schedule to produce super-luau beach parties. Each of the three super-barracas has a different night and they never overlap. They even coordinate nights with other clubs in town. The night scene is a mega-version of the day scene. They generally break out the main stage for the Axé dancing groups and get ready for crowds that number into the thousands during peak season. To keep the ugly masses out, there is a cover charge to enter the luau (around R$25, but women usually get a heavy discount). The barracas encourage you to purchase your tickets through a tour guide or at your hotel. This is partially to respect the vacation packaging system of Porto Seguro (see sidebar).

Praia do Curuípe and Itacimirim

A day at these beaches might not seem all that different from any other beach on the Brazilian coastline. Here, the scene moves along a bit slower than at the super-barracas and the beach kiosks are of a normal size, offering shade under the palm trees, cold drinks and decent lunch plates. The beaches here are great for swimming with small waves and warm water. Some of the beach bars available here include Mayumi, Ponto das Tartarugas, and João de Sunga (the largest, across from the Hotel Solar do Imperador). These are good beaches to retreat to, if you need a break from the super-barracas to the north.

Southern Bahia

The southern part of Bahia is an interesting mixture of modern and traditional influences. You’ll find many of the things that the Bahian coast is famous for: Bahianas in traditional white hoop dresses serving regional foods in the praças of the small villages, 17th century religious architecture from Brazil’s colonial period, beautiful sandy beaches lined with palm trees, and various islands and offshore reefs in which to swim and snorkel (or scuba dive). The people here in Southern Bahia are laid-back and relaxed. The rest of Brazil pokes fun at the slow-moving Bahianos, swinging in their hammocks and waiting for the sun to pass overhead. But everybody wants a little part of it. Who wouldn’t?
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Porto Seguro: Night Life & Fun

There is almost nothing but nightlife in Porto Seguro and it’s wild and well organized. Each night of the week belongs to a different club or super-barraca. The party just moves from one to the next during the week (see sidebar). The Passarela do Alcool goes all week long and weekends, but it ends at around 11pm so as not to interfere with the club schedule. It’s almost too well organized. And the offerings are all pretty much the same: Axé music and dance, some techno and some Forró. It’s made to appeal to young Brazilians, visiting Porto Seguro on a packaged trip, and not to visiting foreigners. If you’re young and single, you might be able to wedge yourself into the scene with some broken Portuguese. Otherwise, the scheduled Porto Seguro night scene will probably not serve your cup of tea.

Happily, there are a few clubs in town that are not part of the main Porto Seguro itinerary and are open at different times during the week–providing some alternatives to the main schedule of events. One is called Porto Night (Av. dos Navegantes, www.portonight.com.br) and another is Cia do Mar (next door to the ferryboat station, www.ciadomar.tur.br). There are also bars that stay open late in the Praça da Bandeira area.

Porto Seguro: Getting There & Around

Porto Seguro is 705 kilometers from Salvador. It has a fairly well equipped airport that receives flights from all over the country. Most flights into town are with Nordeste (73/288-3131), but you can also get here on TAM (73/288-4926) and Vasp (73/288-1205). Arriving by bus from Salvador, you can take the Aguia Branca line (71/4004-1010), which leaves from the main bus terminal several times a day.

You can easily walk around the lower city of Porto Seguro on foot–from the Trevo do Cabral to the ferryboat that goes across to Arraial d’Ajuda. You’ll need a taxi, bus, or tour van to take you to the beaches along the north coast. There are busses that go up and down the coast all day until early evening. You can catch these across from the Shalimar hotel. You might want to take a bus or taxi to and from the rodoviaria. Although it is within walking distance, the heat and uphill climb make it a bit uncomfortable during the day and it’s probably not a good idea to walk there at night. Likewise the stairway that goes up to the Cidade Historica is ok during the day, but should be avoided at night.