Day-by-day programme of this 10-day itinerary across Nordeste: Salvador, Chapada Diamantina and Bahia.
Day 1 — Arrival in Salvador de Bahia
Landing in Salvador, capital of Bahia state and cradle of Afro-Brazilian culture: a city vibrant with music, colonial colours and sea. A first evening in the Pelourinho.
- ✈️ Salvador — Aeroporto di Salvador (SSA)
- 📍 Pelourinho — The Pelourinho is Salvador's historic centre, a UNESCO site: a maze of cobbled streets lined with colonial houses painted in pastel colours, gilded Baroque churches and squares where drums resound. At sunset the light sets the facades aglow and the air fills with music. It is the heart of Afro-Brazilian identity, among workshops, capoeira groups and the scent of acaraje. You dine here, with the spicy dishes of Bahia. Tomorrow the city in depth.
- 🏨 Pousada Bahia Pelô — Pelourinho / Centro storico, Salvador
Day 2 — Salvador, upper and lower city
A full day in Salvador: the gilded churches, the Lacerda Elevator between upper and lower city, the Mercado Modelo and sunset over the ocean from the Barra lighthouse.
- 📍 Church of Sao Francisco — The church of Sao Francisco is one of the masterpieces of Brazilian Baroque: the interior is literally covered in gold, with dazzling carvings, Portuguese azulejos and a decorated cloister. A few steps away, the Lacerda Elevator, an art deco lift from 1873, links the upper and lower city with a spectacular view over the Bay of All Saints. You go down to the Mercado Modelo for crafts. Afro culture lives everywhere, in the rites of candomble and the capoeira circles.
- 🎯 Barra Lighthouse — In the afternoon you move to the Barra district, where the white Barra Lighthouse, the oldest in the Americas, marks the point where the bay meets the ocean. It is the baianos' favourite spot for sunset: you sit on the rocks with a coconut water as the sun dives into the sea and vendors wander with their carts. In the evening, perhaps a percussion show or a tour of the centre's bars. Tomorrow you set off for the wild nature of the Chapada Diamantina.
Day 3 — Towards the Chapada Diamantina
A journey inland to Lencois, gateway to the Chapada Diamantina, a region of plateaus, canyons and waterfalls. Sunset from the top of Morro do Pai Inacio.
- ✈️ Salvador → Lencois — Lencois, Chapada Diamantina, Bahia
- 📍 Morro do Pai Inacio — A short but steep climb leads to the top of Morro do Pai Inacio, the Chapada's symbolic tableland: from up here, at 1,120 metres, the gaze sweeps over an expanse of flat mesas and green valleys that turn red and gold at sunset. It is one of the most famous views in Brazil. The wind, the silence and the colours of the sky give a magical moment. You return to Lencois for the night. Tomorrow you descend into the caves and natural pools.
- 🏨 Pousada Vila Serrano — Lencois, Chapada Diamantina
Day 4 — Caves and crystal pools
A day among the Chapada's water wonders: the blue-reflected Poco Azul, the natural pools of Pratinha and the great Lapa Doce caves.
- 📍 Poco Azul — The Poco Azul is a semi-submerged cave where, when the sun enters from above (between April and September), a ray lights the water turning it an unreal electric blue: you can snorkel and float over the bottom ten metres down, in a surreal silence. Nearby, the Pratinha pools invite you to swim in transparent waters and explore a cave with an underground river. The Chapada is a water playground. You return to Lencois.
- 📍 Lapa Doce Cave — The Lapa Doce Cave is one of the largest caves in Brazil: you walk for over a kilometre accompanied by a guide with a lamp, among huge stalactites and stalagmites, cathedral halls and formations that look like sculptures, carved by a vanished river. The cool of the cave is a relief after the heat of the plateau. You return to Lencois, where in the evening the town comes alive with music. Tomorrow the great hike to the highest waterfall.
Day 5 — The Cachoeira da Fumaca
A hike in the Vale do Capao to the rim of the Cachoeira da Fumaca, a nearly 380-metre waterfall whose plunge disperses into mist before reaching the ground.
- 🎯 Cachoeira da Fumaca — From the Vale do Capao starts a demanding hike (about two hours of steep climbing) that leads to the top of the Cachoeira da Fumaca, one of the highest waterfalls in Brazil at nearly 380 metres. The water falls from such a height that, in the dry season, it pulverises into mist ('fumaca' means smoke) before reaching the bottom. Lying on the edge of the precipice you gaze into the void and the immensity of the Chapada. The return to Lencois closes the adventurous part. Tomorrow you head back towards the sea.
Day 6 — Towards Morro de Sao Paulo
Return to Salvador and a catamaran to Morro de Sao Paulo, a car-free tropical island in the Tinhare archipelago, made of numbered beaches and palm trees.
- ✈️ Lencois → Morro de Sao Paulo — Morro de Sao Paulo, Tinhare, Bahia
- 🏨 Pousada Renda do Mar — Segunda/Terceira Praia, Morro de Sao Paulo
Day 7 — The beaches of Morro
A day among the beaches of Morro de Sao Paulo, numbered from First to Fourth, with palm trees, natural pools at low tide and snorkelling among the fish.
- 📍 Third Beach (Terceira Praia) — The beaches of Morro de Sao Paulo follow one another and are simply named with a number: the First, lively and near the village; the Second, the heart of the action with bars and music; the Third, quieter and with the piers from which boats leave; the Fourth, very long and wild. At low tide natural pools form among the rocks, perfect for snorkelling among colourful fish. You spend the day between a swim and a coconut water. Tomorrow an excursion to nearby, idyllic Boipeba.
Day 8 — Excursion to Boipeba
A boat excursion along the Tinhare coast to Boipeba, an even wilder and quieter island, among mangroves, sandbanks and natural pools.
- 🎯 Boipeba — A boat trip heads down the coast through mangroves and fishing villages to the island of Boipeba, even quieter and more authentic than Morro: deserted beaches, natural coral pools (Morere) for snorkelling at low tide, and a lunch of freshly caught fish or seafood in a little restaurant on the sand. It is a taste of Brazil out of time. You return to Morro for sunset. Tomorrow you head back to Salvador for the last Bahian evening.
Day 9 — Back to Salvador
Return by catamaran to Salvador and a last evening in the bohemian district of Rio Vermelho, among acaraje, live music and the energy of Bahia.
- ✈️ Morro de Sao Paulo → Salvador — Salvador
- 🍽️ Rio Vermelho — In Rio Vermelho you close the trip with Bahia's most authentic flavours: the acaraje of the white-dressed baianas, the Bahian moqueca fragrant with dende and coconut milk, a caipirinha and the music spilling from every bar. It is the district where the writer Jorge Amado lived, the bard of this land. Between one drum beat and the next, you bid farewell to Brazil. Tomorrow the flight home.
- 🏨 Pousada Bahia Pelô — Pelourinho / Centro storico, Salvador
Day 10 — Departure from Salvador
Return flight from Salvador. The end of the journey in the Nordeste, among Afro-Brazilian culture, canyons, waterfalls and tropical beaches.
- ✈️ Salvador — Aeroporto di Milano Malpensa (MXP)
