Beaches, Leisure and Adventure

Located in southern Bahia, the Cocoa Coast stretches 180 kilometers from Ilhéus to Canavieiras. The region offers wide variety of leisure options and is well known as a center for tourism and business.

The Cocoa Coast preserves veritable ecological sanctuaries, with dozens of kilometers of nearly deserted beaches and dense coconut groves that share the coastline with a lush variety of vegetation from native coastal rainforest to vast mangroves and magnificent cocoa plantations.

The cities of Ilhéus (the setting for many of the famed novels by the renowned Bahian author, Jorge Amado), Itabuna, Canavieiras, Itacaré, Una, Santa Luzia, Camacã and Uruçuca, offer a range of options for leisure including water and radical sports, cocoa plantation ranch hotels and ecotourism, besides of course its seemingly endless beaches.

A horseback ride along the beach, a boat ride through the Ilhéus delta or to the place where the Pardo River meets the sea, a mineral-bath at Olivença Mineral Springs, a visit to the Sloth Preservation Project, or a much needed revitalization in the mineral-rich monazitic sands of Canavieiras are just a few of the options available in the area.

Tourism along the Cocoa Coast is developing rapidly, with investments by Brazilian and international businesspeople, spurred on by financial incentives granted by the municipal governments to those who invest in this sector. In the last few years, the growth of quality services and infrastructure has kept pace with demand during the high season, between November and February.

One of the largest in South America, the Comandatuba Transamerica Hotel, is the most famous resort in the area, with options for accommodations for a range of tastes and pocketbooks.

The access roads to this region are some of the best in the state. Ilhéus, the main in-coming tourism destination in the region, lies 462 kilometers south of Salvador following the BR-101. Canavieiras is located another 111 kilometers south of Ilhéus on the BA-001, a stretch of the road that is nothing less than a section of the “Green Line,” a coastal highway that will soon connect the entire coast of Bahia.

By air, it’s possible to get to Ilhéus and, by sea, there is a variety of cruise ships that call at the city.  Whether by land, air or sea, visitors arriving in Ilhéus will find tourist information stands staffed by friendly and well-trained assistants.