Day Trips from Salvador: Islands, Beaches and the Recôncavo

The islands of the bay, Praia do Forte and Cachoeira all work as day trips from Salvador. Morro de São Paulo is possible in a long day but better with nights, and the Chapada Diamantina needs several days.

Islands of the bay

Boat tours from the Terminal Náutico visit Ilha dos Frades and Itaparica, stopping for swims and lunch on the beach. They're relaxed and sociable, but crowded in summer. Itaparica, the largest island, can also be reached by the car ferry from São Joaquim, and it has quieter beaches and small towns if you'd rather explore alone.

Praia do Forte

A former fishing village about 80 kilometres north on the coast road, now a resort village whose main street is closed to traffic, with natural pools in the reef and the headquarters of Projeto Tamar, a sea turtle conservation project. It's an easy day trip by car, tour or bus, and a good place for a night or two of beach time.

Morro de São Paulo

A car-free village on the island of Tinharé, with a string of numbered beaches, clear water and a lively summer scene. Catamarans from the Terminal Náutico take around two hours and a quarter, and the crossing can be rough, especially in the wet months our best time to visit guide warns about, so take seasickness tablets if you're prone. It works as a long day trip, but it's far better with two or three nights.

Cachoeira

A colonial town on the Paraguaçu River in the Recôncavo, the region around the bay, about two hours inland. It's a centre of Candomblé and home to the Sisterhood of Our Lady of the Good Death, a religious society of Afro-Brazilian women. The town's churches and faded mansions make a quiet contrast with Salvador.

Further afield

The Chapada Diamantina, a national park of canyons, waterfalls and table mountains, is around six hours' drive inland, and needs several days.

What we'd leave out: a day trip to Morro de São Paulo in rough weather, when the crossing can be miserable, and packaged island tours on holiday weekends.