city / town
0 votes
Mata AtlânticaMorro de São Paulo
Morro Town itself is dominated by a lighthouse and the ruins of an early 17th-century colonial fort, built as a defence against European raiders. However, this did not stop the Dutch and French using the waters around the island as hiding places for attacks on the Portuguese and even establishing bases here for brief periods of time.
9 votes
Camel riding is the most exciting adventure in this desert country, right? Far from it! Jordan has established itself in recent years as ...
Best time to visit
Morro is expensive between December and March and gets very crowded during public holidays and prices can more than double. Beware of drug dealers and robbery at the busiest times.Getting around
Morro is tiny and the first four beaches are easily negotiable on foot. A walk from town to Quarta Praia takes around 40 minutes. Until 2008 all roads were sand or dirt tracks but there is now a partially paved section between the town and the beaches, and this is plied by regular VW buses, motorbikes and beach buggies. These leave from the Receptivo, a little café that marks the beginning of the road just behind the second and third beaches; it’s not hard to find but if in doubt ask for ‘Receptivo’ or ‘a estrada’. There are daily transfers to Boipeba by Toyota at 0930, bookable through hotels or the myriad agencies on the island.
Boat trips around Tinharé island can be organized through hotels or agencies in the village; a full day costs US$20-30. Most of these go in a clockwise direction around Tinharé, visiting Boipeba and the villages to the south (including Moreré), the offshore reef pools for snorkelling, followed by the tiny colonial town of Cairu on the mainland and the shores of the Mangrove-line Rio Cairu, before returning.Getting there
There are direct 20-minute flights from Salvador’s airport to the third beach at Morro de São Paulo with Addey Taxi Aereo (T075-3652 1242, http://www.addey.com.br) and Aerostar Taxi Aereo (T075-3652 1312) . Both fly three times daily and cost around US$90 return. Catamarans run from both of Salvador’s ferry terminals , taking around two hours US$27. Times vary according to the weather but there are usually several a day 0800-1400; check with the tourist office or Catamarã Gamboa do Morro (T075- 9975 6395) . Part of the trip is on the open sea, which can be rough. There are also numerous water taxis. Modified fishing and speed boats also run from Salvador via Valença (which is connected to southern Bahia) and Itaparica. The website http://www.morrodesaopaulo.com.br is a useful website with the latest boat times and general information in English, Spanish and Italian. There is a port tax of US$4 payable at the prefeitura on arrival to Morro and US$0.80 on leaving the island. It is resented by many. See Transport, page .