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Praia do Forte
It was once just a small fishing village, but it is now being developed as a ecologically minded upscale beach resort. It offers diverse ecosystems, beautiful beaches traversed by rivers and estuaries, dunes, coconut groves, lagoons and mangroves, home to rare tropical wildlife. |
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| The City |
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The 193 km Coconut Coast covers the breathtaking north coast of Bahia. It begins on the outskirts of Salvador da Bahia and goes all the way up to the paradise-like village of Mangue Seco in the northernmost part of the state at the Sergipe state-line. Two state highways, the "Coconut Road" and its extension, the "Green Line", both officially known as BA-099, run through a region with diverse ecosystems, beautiful beaches traversed by rivers and estuaries, dunes, coconut groves, lagoons and mangroves, home to rare tropical wildlife.
Along the Coconut Road, within the municipalities of Lauro de Freitas and Camacari, tourists can visit several charming small towns that were once fishing villages such as Abrantes, Jaua, Arembepe, Barra do Jacuipe, Guarajuba and Itacimirim, areas that are now prime targets for new investments. The Green Line, the first roadway in Brazil built to comply with environmental impact studies, begins at the village of Praia do Forte, one of the state's Environmental Protection Areas, and connects all the municipalities on the north coast, an area covering 1,348 square kilometers: Mata de Sao Joao (Praia do Forte and Imbassai), Entre Rios (Porto Sauipe, Massarandupio and Subauma), Esplananda (Baixio), Conde (Barra do Itariri, Sitio do Conde, Pocas, Siribinha and Barra do Jacuipe) and Jandaira (Costa Azul and Mangue Seco).
Praia do Forte
The town of Praia do Forte has fine beaches, a beautiful castle fortress and a sea-turtle reserve. It was once just a small fishing village, but it is now being developed as a ecologically minded upscale beach resort. The castle, built by Garcia d´Avila, is now in ruins, completely overgrown with weeds and grasses, but it is still worth a visit.
The TAMAR turtle reserve, which is open to visitors, is on the beach right next to the lighthouse. This is a project, jontly funded by IBAMA and the navy, stated in 1982 to protect several species of marine turtles that are threatened. They gather about 30,000 eggs a year from along the coast and bury them in the sand to incubate, then, when they hatch they´re are placed in feeding pools until they are big enough to tackle the Atlantic.
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| History |
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The town of Praia do Forte was once a small fishing village, but it is now becoming a popular ecologically minded resort. Praia do Forte is the seat of one of the original captaincies established by the Portuguese. Desperate to colonise and thereby hold his new land, the King of Portugal set about granting lands to merchants, soldiers and aristocrats. However, for no apparent reason, Garcia d´Avila, a poor farmer was granted this huge tract of land.
For more on the history of this region refer to the History of Bahia under the Maingate Salvador.
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| General Inf |
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TELEPHONE AREA CODE
071/
CLIMATE
The Coconut Coast lies within the tropics and enjoys a year-round temperature between 20 and 30 centigrade. In the summer it is not as humid as Rio for instance, as breezes blow in from the Atlantic.
CLOTHING
Light weight clothing is suitable all year round and casual clothes are the norm.
ELECTRICITY
Usually 110 Volts, but the Praia do Forte Resort Hotel has 220 volts in the rooms.
AIRPORT
From the airport in Salvador it is about a one hour trip along the excellent coastal road to Praia do Forte.
BUSINESS HOURS
There is not much business to be found in Praia do Forte and there isn´t even a bank. In true Bahian style, opening hours are flexible depending on the season!
TAXIS
Although there are no official taxis there are plenty of van drivers who are willing to negotiate and take you where you want to go.
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| How To Get There |
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The international airport, is right next to the Coconut Coast. Depending on which hotel you have decided to stay in, distances range from 60 to 80 kilometres.
Due to distances, a special guide service may appear expensive, but the smooth, relaxing service saves a lot of time and is most certainly worth the extra cost. Transfer takes about 1 hour. With guides giving an informative commentary it is a very pleasant trip, allowing the visitor to see THE beauty of the Coconut Coast.
Please check arrangements with us.
We do not recommend trying the local bus services. However, another good option for those heading out of Salvador is to rent a car at the airport. We have good deals with car rental services and the road to Praia do Forte is good. It is a long, straight road so, despite a distinct lack of signposts, it is hard to lose your way.
NB.In most other cities we do not recommend car rental as it is almost inevitable that you will get lost.
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| Restaurants |
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Sobrado da Vila XXX $$ - Al. do Sol, tel 876-1088, CC: all, 19/23h.
Bahian Specialities at their best.
Pousada Costa Smeralda XXX $ - Loteamento Camacary in Guarajuba, 7km before Praia do Forte, tel 874-1695, 12h/15h 19:30h/23h.
Authentic Italian food, made by the famous Vittorio Cremonesi.
Bar do Souza X $ - Al. do Sol, 19h/24h, Fri/Sat 19h/4h during Jan/Feb.
Try the excellent cod fish balls, and -take it easy- the renowned caipirinhas.
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| Night Life |
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At the entrance to the village, you´ll find the bar do Souza, where everyone meets for the famous fishballs and siringuela (a local fruit) caipirinha. Depending on the season, or if it is a weekend, the village fills up and comes to life. Just wander the streets and you'll hear some music outside the restaurants or inside one of the bars.
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Rent a Car
If you are going to Praia do Forte it may be a good idea to rent a car at the airport. You keep your liberty to do what you want and you can’t get lost driving up the coast.
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