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Cidade do Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos - "City of the Savior of All Saints' Bay" -is the full name of the metropolis known worldwide as Salvador, and simply as Bahia by the over two million Badanos who live here.
Salvador's Beaches
Salvador's extensive beaches, some of which are graced with coconut palms, offer delightful swimming almost year-round. As a general rule, the farther from a large urban area a beach is situated, the cleaner and less crowded it will turn out to be. However, even on deserted-looking beaches, visitors should exercise caution by carrying as little cash as possible, depositing valuables and travel documents (e.g., passport, airline tickets) in the hotel safe, and leaving their room keys at the reception desk. Beaches are of course more populated on weekends, as well as during Christmas, Carnival and summer vacation (December through February).
Mingling with Brazilians on the beach can be a delightful experience, but visitors should not expect that experience to include having a secluded stretch of sand all to themselves in a city the size of Salvador! The various buses that ply the coastal road have a sign at the front indicating the name of the beach they are going to. Each beach also has a sign posted with its name and the words propria or impropria, i.e., suitable for swimming or unsuitable for swimming. A cultural tip: Baianos customarily don their swimming suits at home, and visitors are advised to do likewise.
If you wish to tour all the beaches along Salvador's coastline and get in some sightseeing while you're at it, the best place to start is at the Igreja Santo Antonio da Barra in the Barra quarter (buses in Barra leave from Campo Grande). The Church of St. Anthony is situated on a rise adjoining Forte de Sao Diogo, from both of which 16th-century structures there is a spectacular panorama of the bay and the Barra quarter. The beach you first encounter, Praia do Porto da Barra, is adjacent to the fort and always very crowded. Next comes the 17th-century fort, Santa Maria, a reminder of the designs the Dutch had on Salvador in colonial times.
Two coastal kilometers later comes yet another fort, Santo Antonio da Barra, and the lighthouse Farol da Barra, a "must" for all bearers of cameras: to the right lies All Saints' Bay, and to the left the Atlantic, with its white sand beaches and rocky cliffs rising dramatically from the ocean depths. After taking their photographs, visitors can purchase cold beer or chilled coconut from a mobile vendor. The Museu Hidrografico de Salvador, which is located inside the fort, features displays of model ships and nautical charts. The entire shore avenue in Barra abounds in hotels, restaurants, and bars, some of which stay open all night. None could be classified as fourstar establishments, but the seafood dishes are always made from freshly caught fish or shellfish.
Barra is followed by Ondina, where the road turns inland. Several of the large hotels here are situated directly on the beach. At Rio Vermelho the swimming is not all it could be, but by way of compensation the nightlife is classier and the beach, Praia da Santana, is the scene of a seaside procession every February 2, during which thousands of Baianos make offerings to Yemanja, the goddess of the sea. Next to a small church in an unremarkable structure stands an altar at which fishermen and Candomble priests ask Yemanja to intercede on their behalf.
The next beaches are Amaralina and Pituba, neither of them particularly wide or clean. Chega Negro beach derives its name from the transporting of slaves from Africa. It means, literally, "Here come the Negroes," since it was here, sadly, that human "cargo" reached shore. Swimming at this beach is inadvisable, as the river empties raw sewage into the sea here. Next comes Jardim de Ala (Garden of Allah), where tall coconut palms cast cooling shade. It occasionally happens that visitors can arrange to have a freshly-picked coconut delivered right to their beach towel - in exchange for a small gratuity, of course.
Praia de Armacao is surfer heaven. One stretch, Praia dos Artistas, is used by a local athletics association whose clubhouse is on the beach. Because they lie outside of Salvador, Corsario, Jaguaribe and Piatii are perfect for a day of relaxation or sports. Exercise machines are available, and on weekends many local residents come to the beach to play volleyball or beach football. Along the entire shore avenue there is a very safe bicycle path, something Bahia had long before Rio. Itapoan, a suburb, has a long beach, a lighthouse and a reef, inside of which a small pool perfect for splashing around in forms at low tide. The last beach within the city limits is Flamengo.
Visitors can take an excursion inland from Itapoan to Lagoa de Abaete, a nature reserve with a lagoon idylically set in the middle of pristine white sand dunes. Salvador's international airport, Dois de Julho, is a few minutes' drive away; its access road is lined with massive bamboo trees.
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