Itacaré is rural and surprisingly trendy, out of the way yet international.
It’s quite a unique place.
The landscape, first of all. Technically, Itacaré still belongs to the Nordeste, a corner of Brazil that typically features long beaches, massive sand dunes, and tons of palm trees. Itacaré has palm trees and many other trees, most of them growing fruits I can’t pronounce and unknown outside of Bahia. But the setting is more Southern Brazil than Bahia, with small beaches nested among lush hills—think Ubatuba, not Natal.
Itacaré used to be a small fishing village lost on the Bahia Coast. Then in 1998, the BR-101 connected the town to Ilhéus, 70 kilometres down south. There’s an airport (in the middle of) Ilhéus. Brazil discovered Itacaré and the series of pristine cove-type beaches nearby.
Then surfers fell in love with Itacaré. This part of the Atlantic Ocean offers surf-worthy waves all year long. It’s almost like these beaches were designed for the sport.
And the backpackers followed. Itacaré is small, hidden, relaxed, and more. It’s a bit like the local version of The Beach, a cozy community, a tempting reason to linger more than planned.
Itacaré is full of Brazilians who fly to Ilhéus and then drive to Itacaré to relax for a week or so. Itacaré is also full of French, German, Argentinian, and Italian backpackers on their way to Salvador before going home—unless they find a hostel willing to trade a bed for housekeeping duties, of course.
Most people in Itacaré wish they could stay longer or start another life right here, right now.
I like Itacaré but I also like big cities. I’m too curious about the rest of Bahia, the rest of Brazil and the rest of the world to overstay in Itacaré.
I don’t even surf very well and I don’t smoke pot. I wouldn’t fit in.
I did pick a good Airbnb—it was lovely and the location was accidentally perfect (except for the initial climb). It was uptown, offering a lovely view over the town and the chance to walk down through several neighbourhoods on my way to the beach to see how local people live. Itacaré’s main street, Rua Pituba, doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s full of restaurants, souvenir shops and hostels, and it comes alive at night when everybody comes back from the beach and gets hungry. It’s a fun place but it’s more international than Brazilian.
I spent most of my time on Praia da Ribeira, the furthest road-accessible beach, and Praia do Resende. I liked the atmosphere. I found Praia da Tiririca too busy with all the surfers and overall less cozy. And I didn’t waste time on Praia da Concha, I only headed there for lovely sunsets.
I did enjoy Itacaré. It’s a friendly town, it’s safe and the beaches are amazing.
Vraiment sublime. Magnifiques photos, j’adore le chat sur fond de façade jaune, les bateaux à marée haute ou basse…
La lumière est magnifique aussi, ça aide!
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