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You will leave the city behind and drive through the oldest farmland in Brazil. Only 110 Km from Salvador the enchanting city of Cachoeira rests along the banks of the Paraguaçu river. Handcrafts, dining and folklore make Cachoeira a unique city. Along the way we will visit a Cigar Factory, a cocoa and sugarcane plantation, but also have the opportunity of visiting a fruit open-market.
Duration: approximately 8 hours
Departures: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8h00
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Recôncavo has historical and cultural sights plus leisure facilities close to the capital. The dictionary definition of reconcavo is 'land surrounding a port or city'. In Bahia, the word has another dimension: when capitalized it is the name of a beautiful region around All Saints' Bay, the largest bay in Brazil, full of historical significance and natural beauty.
The Reconcavo is the birthplace of artists like Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania. It also means tradition, a history rich in heroism, a lively folklore that results from a mixture of black and white cultures, a special cuisine and an exuberant architecture that dates from the 18th Century, when baroque predominated. Touring the Reconcavo means marveling at towns like Cachoeira, São Felix, Santo Amaro and Nazaré, beaches like Cabuçú and Bom Jesus dos Pobres, in Saubara, and Pina, in Maragogipe, as well as other places worth visiting for their natural charms or their religious and historic value.
Contact with the past:
A walk through this historical monument means being in constant contact with the past. It is as if, from the banks of the Paraguaçu, one could still see the boats carrying rural products to the capital and the traffic in the port of access closest to the mining and cattle-raising regions of the interior. The mixture of whites and blacks means that the people of the town have strong affinities with candomble, Afro-Brazilian religion, and religious syncretism is very much present. There is a large number of terreiros, or places of workship, of different African nations, such as Jeje de Marrim (personified by Mãe Luiza), Ketu and Nago.
It is worthwhile touring the rural areas around Cachoeira, which hold beautiful sugarcane fields, convents, century-old churches of unequaled beauty. The Bica de Belem is a very quiet place; many visitors are young people who enjoy the contact with nature. Another sight in Belem, which is just above 4 miles from Cachoeira, is the Church of Nossa Senhora de Belem, remains of a seminary built between 1686 and 1707. The ceilings of the sacristy and the nave are painted in the Oriental style and are remarkably beautiful. Belem has a pleasant and cool climate and many families from Cachoeira summer there. The lawn in front of the church gives a countrified and romantic look to the place. This was the site of the first experiments with flying in the world, 74 years ago. Father Bartolomeu Lourenco de Gusmao studied in the seminary and experimented with flying long before Santos Dumont or the Wright Brothers did.
(Please refer also to Festival da Boa Morte).
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