Salvador & Bahia — Destination Guide: Overview

The city of Salvador offers a glorious view across the Bay of All Saints, namesake of the Brazilian state of Bahía. Across the bay lies the Recôncavo, the green, fertile lands that were home to the sugar and tobacco plantations that so defined this region. The plantations fueled the slave trade, bringing 3.6 million Africans to Brazil between 1550 and 1888. Today, Salvador - capital of Bahía - is known as the African soul of Brazil. This oldest part of Salvador is called the Pelourinho, or "whipping post," named for the square where Africans were publicly flogged. Nowadays, it is a place where Afro-Brazilian culture is ...

The city of Salvador offers a glorious view across the Bay of All Saints, namesake of the Brazilian state of Bahía. Across the bay lies the Recôncavo, the green, fertile lands that were home to the sugar and tobacco plantations that so defined this region. The plantations fueled the slave trade, bringing 3.6 million Africans to Brazil between 1550 and 1888. Today, Salvador - capital of Bahía - is known as the African soul of Brazil. This oldest part of Salvador is called the Pelourinho, or "whipping post," named for the square where Africans were publicly flogged. Nowadays, it is a place where Afro-Brazilian culture is celebrated: where drum beats have inspired Brazil's greatest musicians; where Catholic saints intermingle with African deities. Outside of Salvador, Bahia is characterized by the endless stretch of idyllic beaches along its coast and the dusty sertão of the interior. Only the forested Parque Nacional da Chapada Diamanta offers a lush, green oasis from the sea and sand.

About the Expert

Mara Vorhees has written or contributed to many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including Brazil and Morocco.