Camamu
A blue and
green treasure in the cost of Bahia
You feel like you're in a
place lost in time. In Baia de Camamu (Camamu Bay) little has changed since
the Portuguese colonization. In this paradise in the coast of Bahia, life
is still calm, in the spite of the growing number of tourists. After all,
Nature has been generous to Camamu: the bay has not only deserted beaches,
but also islands, fresh water lagoons forests and mangroves,
small towns - like Maraú, Barra Grande
and Camamu- and romantic fishermen villages. Those who visit the place
are overwhelmed by its beauty.
The Camamu Bay is located
in the so-called Costa do Dendê (Dendê Cost) and it is the
third biggest Brazilian bay (following Baía de Todos os Santos,
also in Bahia, and Baía de Guanabara, in Rio de Janeiro). Besides
the "dendê" (a nut from which oil is extracted and used for cooking),
the region produces cocoa, coconut, clove, pepper and noble woods - used
in the boats for all over the "baritina" (heavy spar), the ore responsible
for the region's economic development.
The historical town of
Camamu, by the riverside of the Acaraí river, was founded by the
Jesuits in 1561 and was once considered the second most important city
of Bahia (following Salvador), having been the country's number one exporter
of "farinha" (manioc powder), The glory of Camamu belongs to the past,
but the main church Nossa Senhora da Assunção, built in 1802,
you can have a beautiful view of the bay. It's also worth visiting the
market in front of the port, where yo can buy typical products like fishes
crabs, "carne-de-sol" (dried meat), dendê oil, farinha and
cane spirits.
The schooners are the
best option for visiting the bay's isles - Âmbar, Grande, Pequena,
Cajaíba and Flores- and beaches, like Ponta do Contrato, Ponta
dos Tubarões and Ponta do Santo, surrounded by coconut trees. After
the town of Barra Grande, in the cost of the Maraú's Península,
between the Maraú, river and the sea, there are 40 kilometers of
beaches, that yo can cross by jeeps.
The most beautiful beaches are Taipus de
Fora, with a natural pool surrounded by coral, and Cassange, where there's
a lagoon good for skiing, jet skiing, etc. One of the most beautiful excursions,
however, is to go in a schooner to the Marau's Peninsula, an hour and a
half away from Camamu, with the sea and the lagoon ahead, among coconut
trees and mangroves. A sight you'll never forget.
How
to get there:
Baia de Camamu is 329 kilometers from Salvador
and 106 kilometers from Ilheus.
Where
to stay:
-
In Camamu: Rio
Acaraí Hotel , phone: (0**73) 255-2334 and São Luiz Suites,
phone: (0**73) 255-2184
-
In Barra Grande:
Tubarão Suites, phone: (0**73) 258-2131, Mangueiras
Suites , phone: (0**73) 255-2322 / 9983-0990.
-
In Campinho: Lótus
Suites , phone: (0**75) 9981-2492.
-
In Maraú:
Pousada Maraú: phone: (0**73) 258-2113, Nascer
do Sol Suites , phone : (0**73) 258-2211 / (0**71) 9126-8784.
-
In Taipus de Fora:Encanto
da Lua Suites phone (0**75) 9981-1244 .
-
In Ilha Grande:
Caravela Suites, phone: (0**71) 387-4224, e-mail: pousada.caravela@zaz.com.br,
La Bodeguita Suites, Ventura Suites and Pirangy Suites, phone: (0**73)
229-5158.
More
information: contact
Bahiatursa, the tourism office of the State of Bahia, phone: (0**71) 370-8400
