Bahia

Luxury Bahia Travel

Travelers who want to jump feet first into Brazil’s richest cultural experiences should beeline for the state of Bahia. Unlike Rio’s glitzy beachfront and Mina Gerias’ prim colonial towns, Bahia thrums, shouts, and dances. It is loud, spicy, colorful, and frayed at the edges. Simply put, Bahia is vibrant. And it all falls squarely on those who call it home: the country’s largest Afro-Brazilian population.  

Start your journey through Bahia, in Salvador. The city holds two major distinctions. It was the first capital of Brazil—assuring visitors plenty of fascinating history to chew into—and is the Blackest city outside of Africa. Afro-Brazilian influences are born everywhere. Sample spicy stews, watch in awe as dancers perform capoeira (a martial art), feel your hips move as samba fills the streets, and learn about the roots of Carnival. In the UNESCO-designated city center, you’ll learn how Salvador was the New World’s first slave market. With widened eyes, you’ll better observe and appreciate how the echos of this dark past add vibrancy to modern Brazil.  

Salvador de Bahia Travel Highlights

Attend a capoeira class to learn about this transfixing Brazilian martial art form that combines acrobatics, dance, music, and song.
Tour the Carnaval Museum to learn about the celebration’s African roots and influences.
Visit the studio of a renowned percussionist.
Sway along to the rhythm of samba.
Art and Brazil are synonymous, so take a guided tour of the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia, Bahia Museum of Art, and Palacete Das Artes Rodin Bahia.
Snap photos of colorful buildings in the Pelourinho neighborhood.
Tour the ornate Convento e Igreja de São Francisco where gilded interiors mingle with Candomblé shrines.
Save your appetite for dusk, joining an expert guide for a savory food tour of Salvador.
Take a cooking class to make and then sample Bahian specialties such as moqueca or vatapá (seafood stews). 
Scuba dive some of the historic wrecks off Salvador’s coast. 
Appreciate and admire Afro-Brazilian culture (capoeira, samba, and more) during a Bahian Folk Dance Show. 

Bahia & Beyond

When it’s time for a city break, head into Bahia’s lesser-visited wild places.  

Trancoso

In a country famous for golden sands, it’s hard for Bahia’s beaches to compete but Trancoso carves out a niche as a boho beach town. This history-laden enclave charms with its simplicity. Despite its A-list rolodex, it’s a barefoot-salty hair type of luxury where the vibe is more Montauk than Hamptons. Active travelers might nip into nearby Pau National Park, go rafting, hiking or mountain biking.  

Cerrado

Away from the coast, inland Bahia boasts spectacular natural beauty. Spend some time in the Cerrado (savannah), the second-largest biome in Brazil. You can experience a bit of a wildlife safari here. On a game drive in Grande Sertão Veredas National Park you might spot resident tapir, macaw, pampas deer, maned wolf, giant anteater, rhea, toucan, jaguar, and armadillo.  

Chapada da Diamantina

Bahia travelers can also explore the wonders of Chapada da Diamantina National Park. Characterized by dramatic escarpment blanketed by emerald forest, this off-the-beaten-path gem contains canyons, hundreds of waterfalls, sandstone and quartz caves, caverns, and red rock mesas. Hike, swim, go caving, and gaze upon the 1,120-foot-tall Fumaça Waterfall. 

Explore Bahia on a Map

Best Luxury Hotels in Bahia