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State of Bahia Neighborhood tours

Our most recommended State of Bahia Neighborhood tours

Salvador: City Highlights Private Tour

1. Salvador: City Highlights Private Tour

Choose from 5 different itineraries to best fit your time in Salvador and your preferences. Explore the city's highlights on a private tour with an expert guide and learn about the historical background of the city. • 4-Hour Cidade Baixa - Salvador Outskirts Tour Visit the lower city of Salvador and get to know the coastal area of Baía de Todos os Santos. Go to Dique do Tororó and enjoy a panoramic view of the Arena Fonte Nova football stadium. Next, see the beaches of Ribeira and the Itapagipe Peninsula and visit a tile-painting workshop. Taste a tropical ice cream at the traditional Sorveteria da Ribeira and head to the famous Senhor do Bonfim Church. Get a beautiful view of Montserrat Fortress and end your tour visiting Mercado Modelo, a major landmark of colonial Brazil where you can find a wide variety of vendors selling art and handicrafts. • 4-Hour Old Salvador with Pelourinho Tour Learn about the rich history of Salvador by starting your tour at Santo Antonio da Barra Fortress and Lighthouse. Then, visit the monument to Brazilian Independence, and walk the UNESCO-inscribed Historic Center of San Salvador de Bahia, also known as "Pelourinho.” Visit the Jesuit Basilica Cathedral and the Church of St. Francis of Assis, two of the most extraordinary religious buildings in Brazil. • 6-Hour Salvador Essentials Tour with Local Snack Make the most of your time and see the main sights in the city in this combo tour of the Cidade Baixa – Salvador Outskirts and Old Salvador with Pelourinho tours. Have a quick stop to try a crepioca (included) and taste a unique flavor of Bahian gastronomy. • 7-Hour Old Salvador with Pelourinho Tour & Salvador Beaches Live Salvador at its best and combine history with beach relaxation. This tour combines the Old Salvador with Pelourinho tour with some time to enjoy Praia do Flamengo and Stella Maris, two of the best beaches in Salvador. Lunch is not included. • 8-Hour Salvador Essentials Tour with Regional Lunch  Take the complete tour of Salvador combining the Cidade Baixa – Salvador Outskirts and Old Salvador with Pelourinho tours at a more relaxed pace with a stop for a traditional Bahian lunch (included).

Salvador: African Heritage & Acarajé Tasting 4-Hour Tour

2. Salvador: African Heritage & Acarajé Tasting 4-Hour Tour

Salvador, the first capital of Brazil, has maintained the evidence of its African heritage, introduced by the transatlantic slave trade from Africa to Brazil. During the Portuguese colonization, the Bay of All Saints was of fundamental importance as the main export site in the Southern Hemisphere, from which products such as Brazilian sugar and Bolivian silver were shipped to Europe. On this 4-hour tour you’ll learn about the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy by visiting key historical sites in the city of Salvador. The tour begins at the Fort and Barra Lighthouse at the port of arrival for enslaved Africans. Continue to the Tororó dike and see the monument dedicated to the legacy of African religious heritage and the worship of Orixas. The next sites you’ll visit are located in the Cidade Baixa (lower city), where you’ll take in important historic locations marking the presence of Africans in Bahia and Brazil. In the historic downtown area, you’ll visit the Afro Museum of Benin, where the collection highlights the African perspective in the formation of Brazilian identify and culture. You’ll also stop at the Church of the Rosary of the Blacks, the first Black Christian religious brotherhood in the New World. The tour concludes with a visit to the Casa do Benin Museum, one of the main African cultural centers in the state of Bahia.

From Salvador: Praia do Forte & Guarajuba Beach Daytrip

3. From Salvador: Praia do Forte & Guarajuba Beach Daytrip

Your full-day tour of the north coast of Bahia begins with a visit to the urban beaches of Salvador. Continue along the picturesque Coconut Road to the Forte Beach, located at the edge of the Sapiranga sustainable rainforest conservation site. In addition to admiring beautiful beaches, natural pools and a charming fishing village by the sea, you’ll visit the turtle sanctuary and learn about marine conservation projects. See artwork and handicrafts produced in the region as well. Enjoy a break for lunch by the beach at Guarajuba, known for its coconut palms and inviting crystal-clear waters.

Salvador: 4-Hour Candomblé Mysteries Tour

4. Salvador: 4-Hour Candomblé Mysteries Tour

Salvador is a city that holds that largest black population outside the African continent and hence, it is known as the Black Rome. It has preserved as part of its historical legacy an intense African-Amerindian religiosity.  The city safeguards charms and mysteries, hidden in magnificent places that you will have the opportunity to visit through this itinerary, carefully prepared in order to demystify erroneous notions and impressions disseminated over several centuries about religions of African origin in the world. The route begins in the Afro-Brazilian Museum which, through its collection, narrates the history of enslaved Africans and the transatlantic trade, and the ebb and flow of enslaved peoples and their identities. The artifacts come from several regions of the African continent, allowing you to understand the countless intellectual, artistic, cultural and religious manifestations of these peoples in Brazil. You will visit the Pierre Verger Foundation, the French anthropologist responsible for developing literary and photographic records of the history of slavery, and extensive audio visual documentation. You will get to know a maroon community, places that served as a haven for black people and their African gods during the colonial and post-abolition periods in Brazil. Soon after, you will get to know a Candomblé terreiro from the ewe-fon a nation of daomeniana origin and have the opportunity to consult the sacred oracle (optional activity - extra cost). As you walk through the streets, you will see the urban and cultural development of a slum originated from a maroon community, in the company of guide from the community, who is initiated in these traditions and knowledgeable of these historical processes.

From Salvador: Quilombo Heritage Daytrip with Lunch

5. From Salvador: Quilombo Heritage Daytrip with Lunch

The Bahia Recôncavo is a region renowned for its history of struggle for the independence of Brazil. It reflects the colonial Portuguese heritage, together with the rich African legacy, reflected in the faces of its inhabitants and its religious and cultural traditions. The itinerary begins in Santo Amaro, a city whose economy was driven mainly by the sugar cane plantation and enslaved labor. Walk in the middle of the public fair and its secular houses. Then go through sugar cane, manioc and tobacco farms, towards the Quilombo Kaonge, where you will have a great opportunity to experience their daily lives and share their wisdom and tastes. Take time to talk with the griô (elder) of the community, then put your hands to practice and learn the process of making flour and oil palm oil, after lunch. In the afternoon, continue to the most important city of the Recôncavo region, Cachoeira-Ba, colonial city. Cross the Paraguaçu River on a bridge built by the English in 1830 towards the Danneman cigar factory and shortly after return to the hotel.

Salvador: Half-Day Saramandaia Favela Tour

6. Salvador: Half-Day Saramandaia Favela Tour

Living in a multicultural city, but historically marked by sharp socioeconomic inequalities, leads to development of strategies to combat social stratification and exclusion. Saramandaia is a low-income, majority black community located within noble neighborhoods in Salvador. Like many other similar communities, it is characterized by abject poverty and insufficient assistance by governmental bodies, and consequently resulting in high rates of violence. In this context, 3 residents have elaborated strategies that seek to reclaim the historical identity of its residents. Despite facing multiple barriers, in 2003 they founded the conscious art project, an initiative that has been transforming the community's reality, by providing assistance to young men and women, aiming at transforming their unfavorable conditions of socioeconomic exclusion. On this tour, you'll visit this important social project that seeks to transform their lives through arts and sports, utilizing graffiti, capoeira, boxing and percussion in organized courses and workshops. This tour promotes interaction and participation between you, the students and members of the community, so that you can experience the transforming power of these initiatives.

Salvador: Full-Day Anthropological City Tour with Lunch

7. Salvador: Full-Day Anthropological City Tour with Lunch

The city of Salvador safeguards in its daily life, African traditions that have been preserved in maroon community havens through centuries. In this itinerary, you'll have the opportunity to experience this magic energy present in this legacy of freedom struggles, and struggles to preserve the religious traditions of people in Bahia. You will begin the tour in the historic region Salvador, considered by Unesco a World Heritage Site, the renowned Pelourinho. This visit includes the Afro Brazilian Museum, which assembles a rich collection of the history of black people. You then proceed to the railway suburbs, and observe the urban landscape changes that have occurred in of territories of enslaved descendant communities. You will visit the largest open market in the city, also listed as an intangible heritage of Brazil, the São Joaquim Market, founded by enslaved Africans in the XIX century. Next you visit the old port of arrival of Africans and a slave market, followed by a visit to the first candomble terreiro of yoruba origin founded in the new world, the matriarchy grounded terreiro ile iya axe nasso oka. To finish the tour, you visit the queen of the sea house, located by the beach Rio vermelho, at a fishermen community that built an altar in reverence to that African divinity from the sea, the orixá iemanjá. Every year, on February 2nd, the greatest ceremony offered in honor of an African Orixa, which gathers up over 400.000 people. You may also enjoy the opportunity of having lunch in a black community, in the company of a family with over 50 years of tradition, which will serve the famous feijoada (homemade bean stew) in the Garcia neighborhood.

Salvador by Night: Pelourinho & Old Town Tour

8. Salvador by Night: Pelourinho & Old Town Tour

Discover the Baroque architecture of Pelourinho, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The buildings date to the 18th century, and are an expression of the grandeur of European colonization. On this 4-hour tour you’ll experience an event known as Tuesday's blessings, meant to ensure the preservation of the musical identity of Bahia, the cradle of Brazilian musicality. After a Catholic Mass is celebrated with elements of African religions in the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Blacks, the streets of Pelourinho come alive with music and dance. Try a variety of dishes and delicacies of African-European heritage in bars, restaurants and street tents. Experience world-famous Bahian hospitality.

From Salvador: Cachoeira Colonial Town and Farm Daytrip

9. From Salvador: Cachoeira Colonial Town and Farm Daytrip

The Bahian Recôncavo is a region renowned for its history of struggles for the independence of Brazil. The architecture of its cities, especially of the city of Cachoeira, reflects the Portuguese colonial heritage, along with the African legacy which is present in the faces of its inhabitants, its intellectual, religious and cultural traditions in the daily life of its inhabitants.  The tour begins in Santo Amaro, a city whose economy was mainly driven by the sugar cane plantations and enslaved labor until 1888. This town is of great historical significance, particularly in the context of resistance against Portuguese colonization. You will stroll around the local public market and its ancient colonial houses, as well as visit the Parish Church. You will then drive by sugar cane, cassava and tobacco farms towards Cachoeira, the main city in the Recôncavo region. The city was declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, located alongside the Paraguaçu River. It's a singular scenario in terms of architectural and cultural preservation. You will visit the churches of Carmo and Rosário, the City Hall and the former jail from the colonial era. You will also visit the House of the Religious Sisterhood of Our Lady of the Good Death. This Catholic sisterhood of African Matrix is a living legacy of matriarchal religious syncretism, which fills Recôncavo's people with pride, preserving the rich history of black resistance in Bahia and Brazil. The culmination of their religious and cultural festivities takes place during the month of August. Local businesses also reflect this cultural wealth, where customers can purchase beautiful carvings, embroidery and paintings produced in the region. You will cross the Paraguassu river using the bridge built by the British in 1830, giving access to the town of São Felix towards a farm strategically located in the hills surrounding the city, which will allow you an exquisite panoramic view of the region.  On this farm, lunch with typical local dishes will be served. Then, you will visit the renowned Danneman cigar factory, founded in the nineteenth century, where the tradition of producing handcrafted cigars is maintained. You will then return to the hotel.

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What people are saying about State of Bahia

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 17 reviews

Vagner was the most informed, cerebral, and culturally connected historical guides that I have experienced in quite some time. There are literally no words to describe his prolific knowledge and value. BOOK THIS TOUR! You will not be disappointed. From Barra to the Dique del Torro, to Saő Joaquin market, to the Historic Center- Vagner left no stones unturned. Our driver Fabio, who is also affiliated with this company showcased alertness, prompt timing, and percision based driving skills within this very busy metropolis. I hope to dig further into this gem of a city...but the only way I'll expand will be with Vagner. Thank you Again. 5 Stars!

I went on the tour with Vagner. He had lots of knowledge about the history of Salvador but also was very knowledgeable about Candomble and traditional African religions. I learned a lot and would highly recommend this tour with Vagner. I also got a reading at Vodun Zo- which was very accurate.

Great tour, The guide we had Marcos was very knowledgeable and gave us just the right amount of time to see the places we visited at each stop. We did the 6-hour tour and it was definitely enough time to see the key landmarks if you are just there for a weekend getaway! I would book again!

A perfect sightseeing tour through Salvador with all the highlights. We had a great German-speaking guide who had incredible knowledge. Was super interesting! We would book again immediately if you only have two days in Salvador.

The guide was great. A lot of knowledge. 4 hours is good for a glimpse at the beautiful Citi of Salvador. I say it's a must for everyone.