Itacare

Itacare sits where the Rio de Contas meets the sea, and from the 1940s, when its port silted up and the roads were bad, it was effectively cut off until the park road from Ilheus opened in 1998; the road brought tourism and new neighbourhoods, and the town is now a popular place for surfers, hikers and ecotourists. Its beaches are a series of small coves between headlands, with Tiririca the surf break, once host of the Brazilian leg of the World Surf League, and Prainha and São José reached on foot, free of charge; Itacarezinho lies further along the coast. The cocoa of the surrounding country was grown in the cabruca way, under the shade of the Atlantic forest, so the forest was kept rather than cleared.

Background

Itacaré lies 70 km north of Ilhéus, where the Rio de Contas, coming down from the Chapada Diamantina, reaches the Atlantic, and about half of its 27,000 people live in the rural interior. It was recognised in 1732 as the Vila de São Miguel da Barra do Rio de Contas, a village founded by Jesuits among the Pataxó, Tupiniquim and Aimoré peoples, and it became a city in 1881. Pirates once used the harbour, which later served whalers and shipped cocoa from the interior to Europe until a blight called witch's broom ruined the crop in the 1980s. The municipality holds 41% of the Serra do Conduru State Park, created in 1997.

Source: Wikipedia, "Itacaré"

The main sights

• The coves - Tiririca, Prainha, São José and the small beaches near town.
• Atlantic forest to the sand - kept because the cocoa grew in its shade.
• Surf at Tiririca - the town's main break.
• Cocoa farms inland - the plantations of the surrounding coast.

When to go

September to March. Three days.

Things to know

Beach trails are muddy and involve climbs; the furthest coves take a good hour on foot. Rain is frequent on this coast year round. The town is busy and noisy in peak season. Currents at the open beaches are strong.

Nearby

Ilheus is south; the Marau peninsula and Barra Grande are north.