Ultimate Tour of Coastal Brazil: Salvador to Jericoacoara - 12 Days

Highlights

• Explore Salvador's cultural and culinary highlights during two city tours
• Walk through the stunning dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park
• Tour the Preguiças River on a speedboat while looking for wildlife
• Take a buggy ride, watch kitesurfers, and chill on lesser-known beaches

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Salvador, Explore

Welcome to Brazil's state of Bahia! Your guide will pick you up at the airport and take you to your accommodation in Salvador. Salvador is the center of Afro-Brazilian culture, and the city is known for its music, frequent festivals, relaxing beaches, historic architecture, and unique cuisine. After you check in and get settled, you'll have the rest of the evening free to rest of explore the city on your own.

Meet your guide after breakfast and begin a walking tour of Salvador’s historic downtown and Pelourinho district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that's home to the largest collection of colonial buildings in Latin America. Walk along the cobblestone streets surrounded by pastel-colored houses, visit the exuberant São Francisco Church, and see the Cathedral of Salvador's refined Rococo exterior. Then, continue to the Lacerda Elevator, which transports passengers to the Lower Town below.

Later, prepare for a second tour which offers a different perspective on this sprawling city. First, you'll pass by the Tororo Lagoon and the towering Arena Fonte Nova football stadium built for the World Cup. From here, drive to the quiet waters of the Itapagipe Peninsula, where life moves at a slower pace than in the bustling upper city. Stop en route at the iconic Sorveteria da Ribeira ice cream parlor. Then, continue to the Monserrat district with its panoramic view of the bay and city beyond and onto the Mercado Modelo, a thriving market for local artifacts and souvenirs.

Day 3: Market Tour & Cooking Demonstration, Folklore Dance Performance

The São Joaquim Fair is the largest municipal market in Salvador. There, you can rub shoulders with locals doing their daily shopping, try fresh fruit suco (juice), or purchase authentic Bahian souvenirs. The market also provides all the ingredients necessary to prepare Bahia's signature dish—moqueca—a rich seafood stew made with cilantro, lime, garlic, coconut milk, and dendê (red palm) oil. After visiting the market, walk to a restaurant for a cooking demonstration in which a chef prepares this dish right before you.

In the evening, enjoy an exhilarating performance by the Bahia Folklore Company (Balé Folclórico da Bahia), one of the world's most respected folklore dance troupes. In the intimate Miguel Santana Theatre in the Pelourinho district, witness a presentation of the multiple African traditions that underpin Bahian culture. See the sacred dances of the Candomblé: puxada de rede, a song by fishermen in honor of the goddess of the sea; maculelê, an acrobatic stick and sword dance; the exhilarating capoeira martial art/dance; and the grand finale of samba de roda. 

Day 4: Fly to São Luís, Explore

Today you'll transfer to the airport for your flight to São Luis. When you arrive, prepare to explore this coastal city, which has a rich history, refreshing sea breezes, and stunning 17th-century French architecture. Wander the cobblestone streets of the historic center, admiring landmarks like the Palace of the Lions. Immerse yourself in the city's unique reggae culture, visit centuries-old colonial buildings and churches, and indulge in local cuisine. Finally, relax on the beautiful warm-water beaches, where you can enjoy activities such as windsurfing, diving, and fishing.

Day 5: Transfer to Barreirinhas, Visit the National Park

Today you'll get to Barreirinhas on a four-hour drive along a good road that passes many plantations. Barreirinhas is a very peaceful and charming town situated on the banks of the Preguiças River. It's also located close to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, a surreal place with incredible sand dunes. From May to September, natural blue lakes form between the dunes.

When you arrive, depart in a 4WD vehicle to the heart of Lençóis National Park. This route will take you across loose sandy trails amid the vegetation through small rivers. Once you've arrived at the destination, take a short walk over the dunes of Lençóis, and enjoy some swimming and refreshment in the crystal-clear lagoons. After sunset, return to Barreirinhas, where you can swim in the hotel's pool, stroll through the city's quiet nighttime streets, or sit at a local restaurant and look out over the river.

Day 6: Preguiças River Boat Tour

Depart from your hotel this morning toward Beira River and take a speedboat to the Rio Preguiças Circuit, an environmentally protected area. You'll see different types of palm trees, such as buriti, juçara (açai berry), carnaúba, and high and leafy mangrove vegetation, creating a diverse landscape.

You'll also visit communities in the EPA (Environmental Protection Area) of Pequenos Lençois. These include Vassouras, home to a large number of capuchin monkeys, and Mandacaru, where you'll visit the Preguiças Lighthouse, which is 115 feet (35 m) high and provides a great view of the Grandes Lençóis. The next stop is Caburé, located on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Preguiças River. You'll find some excellent restaurants where you can have lunch in this area. Around 3 pm, return to your hotel in Barreirinhas and enjoy some free time.

Day 7: Speedboat to Parnaíba, Explore

Today you'll take an exciting speedboat transfer from Barreirinhas to Caburé and continue past magnificent dunes to Tutoia Beach. Then, board a speedboat at Ilha das Canarias and spend an hour navigating the waters of the Parnaíba River, observing the typical flora and fauna of the delta. Eventually, you'll arrive at the Morro do Meio, where dunes separate the Parnaíba River from the Atlantic Ocean.

Stop for 20-30 minutes for a hike over the dunes and a swim in the river if you'd like. Continue for another five minutes by boat to the Ninhal dos Guarás, an islet in the middle of the river where beautiful guarás birds come to spend the night. This spectacle of nature begins around 4:30 pm and ends at sunset. At the end of the birds' flight, take a boat tour on the Delta do Parnaíba, passing through igarapés (watercourses) and igapós (blackwater-flooded forests) while watching the beautiful sunset.

Day 8: Transfer to Barra Grande, Explore

It's time to transfer from Parnaíba to your pousada (inn) in Barra Grande, also known as the "Capital dos Ventos" (wind capital). Barra Grande is a chic beachside enclave on the coast of Piauí. This once-simple fishing village is fast making a name for itself due to its beautiful restaurants, bars, and pousadas, as well as its spectacular beaches and ideal conditions for kitesurfing. While this town is undoubtedly growing, with new bars and hotels popping up yearly, it's still peaceful enough to feel like you've left the real world behind for a while. 

Day 9: Transfer to Jericoacoara, Explore

Transfer to Jericoacoara in a 4WD vehicle today, traveling most of the way along paved roads. The trip continues through a landscape of dunes until you arrive at the last stretch of Jericoacoara beaches and reach the pousada where you will be staying.

Jericoacoara, known to its many friends simply as "Jeri," is one of Brazil's most cinematic destinations. Lodged between a magnificent national park and the sea, it enchants travelers with its perfect combination of a hard-to-reach setting (access is by unpaved tracks through the dunes or flight), stunning coastal scenery, exciting activities, excellent pousadas and restaurants, and fun nightlife. During the day, its beaches, dunes, and lagoons are postcard-worthy; at night, illuminated by moonlight and the lights of inviting boutiques and restaurants, it oozes with atmosphere.

Day 10: Buggy Tour of Tatajuba & Ilha do Amor

Today you'll take an exciting buggy tour along the area's dunes and beaches. Make the first stop at the Estuário dos Cavalos Marinhos for a canoe trip along one of the arms of the Guriu River to observe the small animals there. After this stop, continue along the beach to the mouth of the Guriu River for a ferry crossing. Leave the Jericoacoara National Park and enter the municipality of Camocim. Then, make another stop at the Mangue Cemetery with its aerial roots, a scenic spot for photos. Here, you'll find some stalls selling refreshing drinks.

Continue through the Dunas do Guriu, which offers beautiful landscapes and the opportunity to try ziplining and water sliding. Afterward, pass through the lagoons formed during the rainy season. Depending on the height of the tide, continue to Ilha do Amor by trail or beach. Disembark and cross by ferry to the urban part of the municipality of Camocim for a walk to the Municipal Market, where you'll be able to enjoy a little of the city's daily life and sample the fruits of the season before returning to Jericoacoara. 

Day 11: Free Day in Jericoacoara

Today is yours to enjoy the long beaches and sand cliffs of this unique fishing village on your own schedule. Just know that Jeri moves at a relaxed pace. Up until a couple of decades ago, phones and electricity didn't even exist in this tranquil beach town. Even today, Jeri is still relatively removed from the modern world, with streets paved with sand and most places closing relatively early (except on Saturdays). For these reasons, the best activities to engage in here are of the rest and relaxation variety.

You can enjoy a morning yoga session on the beach, head to Paradise Lagoon and stake out a hammock in the crystalline waters at the shoreline, do some offshore kitesurfing, visit the romantic beachside rock formation of Pedra Furadal, or indulge in fresh seafood hauled in by the local fishermen that very day. Don't miss a sunset over the water. Every day around 5 pm, locals and visitors make the pilgrimage atop Sunset Dune to watch the last light of the golden sun dip behind the horizon. Afterward, watch capoeiristas practice their unique blend of dance and martial arts.

Day 12: Transfer to Fortaleza, Depart 

It's time to say goodbye to Brazil today! At the appropriate hour, make the four-hour transfer to the airport of Fortaleza. Alternatively, you can transfer to Jericoacoara airport, a one-hour drive, and connect to Fortaleza or another destination. Boa viagem!

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