The state of Bahía has a distinct African culture (the population is largely descended from plantation slaves and is like a country within a country, with its own tradition of music and dance. Here you'll discover not only one of the country's most intriguing cities, but also some of the most beautiful wilderness scenery in the interior, and an example of the glorious beaches for which the state is justly famous.
Fly to Salvador, a tropical melting pot of Afro-Brazilian culture and one of Brazil's finest colonial cities. You’ll have a walking tour of the atmospheric historic core. This multi-coloured Portuguese colonial heart of Brazil’s most exotic city throbs with drum and dance - this is the home of capoeira.
Next, you’ll drive inland to the forested Chapada Diamantina, a national park studded with table-top mountains and run through with crystalline rivers: at its heart is the laid-back little town of Lençois. It is magnificent walking country and you’ll be able to explore its caves, waterfalls and rocky hills.
On the island of Tinharé is the village of Morro de São Paulo, accessible by catamaran, which is traffic-free and has a string of pousada-dotted beaches accommodating at one end tranquillity seekers and the other beach party fanatics. You have three full days of leisure here: swing in a hammock, fruity cocktail in hand, or swim in the warm sea.