Morro de São Paulo

Morro de São Paulo is next to Salvador, Arraial d'Ajuda and Trancoso, one of the most visited beach destinations by the international traveler who chooses Bahia; The reason is simple: if you like palm trees, natural pools, islands and the turquoise sea, it is difficult to find a better option than Morro and its sister island Boipeba .

Primera playa - Morro de São Paulo

photo by Samory Santos - CC 2.0 by-sa

Is that in the island of Tinharé (also in the beautiful neighboring island Boipeba ) is the closest thing to the ideal that you have Bahia beach: many coconut trees and sea with reefs that form natural pools and all the charm of the villages on the seafront. Morro de São Paulo is located in the Bahia sub-region that is called Costa do dendê , due to the type of palm tree( dendê ) that predominates on the coast south of Salvador de Bahía .

arrecifes y piscinas naturales - morro de São Paulo

photo by groundzero - CC 2.0 by

Despite the short distance by sea from the capital of Bahia, it is not so easy or quick to access by land via Valença and this isolated location preserved its beauties of mass tourism for some time; what put Morro de São Paulo in the sights of search engines for exotic destinations. Nowadays, however, it is a popular destination and even something saturated by real estate exploitation, especially in the first two beaches. Those who want to go back in time and know the charm and peace of the old Morro de São Paulo, I recommend you think seriously about staying in neighboring Boipeba( View on satellite map ).

Vista de Primera y Segunda playa de Morro de São Paulo

photo by elicrisko - CC 2.0 by

The other urbanized part of the island of Tinharé is Gamboa, although in this zone of the island the native population of the place concentrates mainly.

Playa en Morro de São Paulo

photo by groundzero - CC 2.0 by

In Morro de São Paulo there are no cars so the transport is reduced to boats, boats and hikes. The streets are sandy and the pollution is zero. The only inconvenience experienced by tourists on the island due to the lack of cars is the journey between the port(actually a simple dock) and the place of accommodation that is generally going through areas of ups and downs, arriving with a Good backpack is the recommendation to solve this potential discomfort. Many inns and hotels provide transfers by boat or luggage carriers for the journey.

Cuarta Playa - Morro de São Paulo

photo by jdelard - CC 2.0 by-nd

Beaches of Morro de São Paulo

The beaches of Morro de São Paulo(with the exception of Praia do Encanto, which is the final part of the fourth beach) are numbered from the first, which is the closest to the hill and the dock where boats arrive from the continent, and the fourth which is the furthest and practically deserted. Most of the infrastructure of inns and restaurants is located on the first two beaches.

Boipeba

photo by Tai Strietman - CC 2.0 by

First Beach ( View on satellite map )

The first beach of Morro de São Paulo has on its left a hill crowned by an old lighthouse, although it is possible to climb this hill and appreciate the view or take pictures from above, it is not allowed to enter the lighthouse. From the top of the mountain you can also see a very nice sunset towards the Valença coast. Below is the Fortaleza do Morro de São Paulo , it is a set of ruins of several forts dating from the seventeenth century and are protected as national historical heritage.

This first Morro beach is small and has some waves, which is a rarity on this island almost entirely surrounded by barrier reefs. From this beach it is possible to cross to the second beach crossing some stones that make the border, although the access depends on the height of the tide.

Second Beach ( View on satellite map )

It is the beach with more movement and more infrastructure, shares part of the landscape with the first beach but its waters sheltered by the reef barrier are calm. The beach is full of restaurants and beach bars, during the day in the sand the classic beach sports are practiced, there are volleyball courts for example. At night on the second beach, the main nocturnal attractions of the village are concentrated. In the high season live music is common, and the luaus , a name given in general in the coast of Bahia to parties until the early hours in establishments on the beach.

Third Beach ( View on satellite map )

Quite less crowded than the two previous beaches, from here the boats leave for trips to the island of Boipeba, and for Gamboa, on the other side of the island of Tinharé. The strip of sand is somewhat darker and above all much narrower than in the previous beaches, so much so that it is covered by the sea during high tide. There are water sports such as diving, and canoe trips that take advantage of the calm of its waters. Opposite, very close to the coast, is a small islet(ilha do Caitá) in which a solitary coconut tree appears, the waters around the island are ideal for diving. It has restaurants, inns and bars in the part closest to the second beach, very close to the beach is the air taxi runway of the Addey company that operates flights from Salvador.

Fourth Beach ( View on satellite map )

The fourth beach of Morro de São Paulo is the loneliest and contains some of the most beautiful kilometers of coastline that can be found in Brazil, bordered by palm trees, crystal clear sea in almost perpetual calm and exuberant native vegetation. For the most part it is deserted but it has a few inns and restaurants. Up to here it is possible to reach the 2 kilometers that separate it from the village, but only when the high tide does not cover the sand of the third beach. The abundance of reefs and coral formations make an important variety of small colored fish come together. A pleasure for diving and diving.

Praia do Encanto, or fifth beach ( View on satellite map )

The Praia do Encanto or Quinta Playa, is what is called the farthest part of the fourth beach and shares the characteristics of beauty and landscape of it, but it is even more lonely and deserted, At the end of this beach is the river that separates the island of Tinharé(where Morro de São Paulo is located) from the island of Boipeba.

How to get to Morro de São Paulo

Click on the link that follows, detailed information on how to get to Morro São Paulo from Salvador(60 kilometers direct by sea by catamaran or ferry + bus option to Valença), from Valença and international access with flight information from all Ibero-America to the Airport. Salvador of Bahia.

How to get to Morro de São Paulo
 
More about Brazil and its beaches here at BrazilBeachTravel.com

• Facebook
• Twitter