Beautiful raw “roots” type of beach-town with dozens of amazon beaches and the best magical beach vibe in the world.
I don’t know how to begin describing it. And part of me doesn’t want to because I’m hoping you won’t find it and ruin it. After seeing what happened to Tulum (Mexico), I’m deathly afraid of that happening here. Itacare really is one of the most perfect places in the world. I’ve watched people come here and get stuck…extending their stay 3 times and constantly changing flights and crying when they had to leave. It’s THAT GOOD.
You can try to book 5 days, but hahaha…trust me. You’ll probably get stuck and want to do at least 2-3 weeks. I highly recommend not being silly and planning anything less than 5 days. You will absolutely regret it with every bone in your body.
Where to stay:
- Town center – I didn’t stay at any.
- Beach –
Hostels:
- Mais Que Nada – the only one I stayed and IMO, probably the nicest one and nicest vibe. I absolutely loved it.
- Adriana Hostel – good reviews and close to center. More like chill home vibe.
- Hostel Casa Conduru – seems like new hostel with amazing photos and beautiful setup. A little far from town center. Seems like a sexy young people place.
- Che Legarto – good location right on busy town street. Nice hostel chain and probably popular with groups and party people. I had a good experience with the one in Morro de Sao Paulo so I don’t see why here would be any different.
- Banana Hostel – good location right on busy town street. I personally wouldn’t stay here as I feel like your hostel is always in the party zone and you have no peaceful escape for nights that you just want to chill. Banana Hostel always has stuff going on in the garden. But maybe that’s what you want?
I think you should choose the hostel based on comfort levels and vibe you want (party vs chill). I wouldn’t worry too much about trying to pick one for social vs quiet as the whole town is so friendly and you’ll easily meet many people anyway.
Neighborhoods & Walking areas:
- Rua Pedro Longo – the street everyone walks on their way to Resende beach. On one end is the busy square and the other end is the way to the beach.
- Av. Antonio Athanásio dos Santos – the on the water. More popular at night with live music going on. I forgot which bar/restaurant, though.
- Rua Praia da Concha – popular area in during sunset and early evenings. For catching drinks/food at sunset, also to play pool.
There’s really only like 3 areas to be. You can literally find every person in town at any of these 3 areas at any given time at night. During the day, they’re probably all out at one of the beaches.
Activities to do:
- Visit the beaches – you have the close ones, the far ones, and the ones across the water. More details below.
- Boat across the water – you can ask for any local boat guy to take you across the water but I used the recommended contact from my hostel (Bizoro +55 73 99940-5441). Super cool local who only speaks Portuguese, who will drop you off and pick you up from random places, taking you to the next spot when you are ready. Across the water is a whole other world, entire islands created and connected depending on the tide level. Huge mangroves with occasional local indigenous people walking through, mud hills full of red and blue crabs scattering about, waterfalls, cacao farms, and more.
- Sunset lookouts – Mirante do Xareu is where the cool kids will be (little hill with music and vendors), but anywhere along Concha or Coroa beach would also work. Coroa seems where the poorer locals watch sunset, and Concha is more chill and quiet. If you don’t wanna be around so many people and hear music, go to far end of Concha beach or even the lighthouse rocks.
- Other nearby towns, ecovillage
- Dance forro – almost all the dance events here are forro so you should learn. The dance is easy enough, anyway. Just about any street party you will see will likely have forro.
- Samba – the other popular music. Just about every night will either be forro or samba.
I haven’t done everything but there’s enough here to keep you for months or even forever if you find yourself loving the beach-bum vibes.
Beaches:
- Easy four (because they’re close and easy to reach.):
- Resende – small busy one with ball sports. Beautiful green landscapes but crowded water. Unless you like people-watching from the rocks, I suggest you take photos here and move on to the next beach. Walk across the rocks to reach next beach.
- Tiririca – great beach with big sand area and also some private coves between the rocks. Semi-crowded and vendors do some around. Also has uphill commercial area with skatepark bowl. The trees here provide nice shade in the afternoon depending time of year. Once again, you cross the rocks to reach next beach.
- Costa – small quiet beach with almost nobody. Great place to hang out away from people and vendors. Although you can cross the rocks to reach the next beach, it’s easy to just go up to the street.
- Ribeira – big adventure beach with many trees and lots of restaurant seating. These are the main four beaches and easily connected to each other from the sandbar & rocks. You will walk down the road to the first one (Resende) and from there you can walk along the water to reach the other 3. They’re all nice wand have their own vibe.
- Siriaco is next over, beautiful but only accessible during low tide (earlier in the day), therefore it’s usually deserted and empty.
- Concha – main “commercial beach” super close to town. Not the prettiest but a good spot if you want to eat by the beach. Also a good place for families with kids. Many cafes and restaurants by the water so you can eat on the water and with a nice view of sunset. Can be a nice area to chill and see the lighthouse without having to walk 10-15 mins like you would for other easy four beaches.
- Prainha – huge beautiful beach and not a lot of people because of the hike to get there. Nice for surfing, too. 1 hour hike to get here (starting from the inland base of Ribeira) with beautiful views (rocks, cliffs, mountains, waterfalls) along the way. Some people said they got robbed on the trail, but I didn’t hear of any when I was there and also when I went. My tip to not get lost is follow the blue pipe up during the beginning, then from there…you follow the trail that makes sense. Keep in mind there are 2 Prainha beach markers in Google Maps, read the reviews to know which one is correct…one is the marker for where you should be for the trail but the other is the actual beach marker. There’s a fancy resort here on the far end where you can eat lunch as well (super expensive).
- Far 5 (incredibly beautiful beaches but only reached by car. There is a bus but it’s easier to rent a car, or book an all-day surf session, or tour from one of the restaurants on the beach):
- Jeribucacu – once arrived, you’ll have to walk in to reach the beach. There’s a river pool in the back that connects to the ocean in front and then big area in the front. Depending on the season, it’s not swimmable water. But still worth visiting. There’s restaurants and tables and chairs. Also 3 small beaches next over that you can walk through, all with very wild terrain. I love this beach because you can access 4 beaches from here, a great bonus for the driving you did.
- Eugenhoca, Havaizinho, Camboinha, Itacarezinho – Eugenhoca was easier to find than the others (where we couldn’t find the entrance). It’s big and beautiful and also some rivers and waterfalls running the way there. Itacarezinho, I haven’t been but heard great things from my friends who booked an all-day surf session and were taken there.
Itacare has many beautiful beaches. I’ll try to give a rundown of each one but you’ll find out for yourself soon enough. You will definitely hear arguments from people about which ones are most beautiful. Not being from Brazil, they were all magical for me…but just that some of them have some unique terrain features that others do not.
Generally, Jeribucacu & Prainha were my favorites. Regardless, I highly recommend you visit at least Prainha or one of the far 5 beaches to see true beauty.
Restaurants & Cafes:
- Tia Deth $$$ – awesome top-notch moquecas but pricey by local standards. The 1-person servings can serve 2-3 people. The 2-person servings can serve 4-6 people.
- Marleys’s Tapas Bar & Restaurant $$$ – fancy tapas, pricey. Delicious and nice outdoor seating by the water. I met the owner (head chef) and his wife (door hostess). Really nice folks.
- Mediterraneo $$ – fancy place with really good food.
- A Pizza $$ – 40rs per pizza. Really really good but they are small. Enough for a meal but you might want a little something after.
- Orla 55 – good pizza.
- Recanto das Artes – good pizza but even more amazing pasta.
- Ze Senzala $ – cheap buffet place where you pay by the weight. Lots of great options for every kind of food you want. You can easily eat a delicious meal for 25rs.
- Lua Cheia – good seafood! Just good food all around.
- JILO $$$ – super fancy delicious place.
- Mais Que Nada $$ – a great place to eat and also meet people. Great food and service.
Generally, 75rs/plate ($15usd) is considered fancy in Itacare. 40-50rs/plate is medium, and 25rs/plate and down is cheap.
Bars & Clubs:
- Bananas hostel – many events here.
- Squash – stuff happens here
- Pe de Amendoa – live music and sometimes street party. Always people here, some nights are way more crowded than others.
- Mais Que Nada – also lots of live music events here. Usually classier upscale crowd.
- Favela
Doesn’t matter. The whole town is small, just follow the noise every night. Or someone will know where the party is. There’s not really like a proper nightlife and big fancy clubs. It’s just more like music and dancing on the streets. If you meet enough people, you’ll know where the after parties are too….usually on the beach or somebody’s house.
Miscellaneous tips:
- Nearest airport is Ilheus (1.5hr taxi costs 200RS or 2hr bus is much cheaper). You can call Uber from the airport, but the driver might ask for extra money since it’s a long return for them.
Nearby towns:
- Salvador – most of you are coming from or going to here. Usually requires a combo of 6hr bus between Itacare & Bom Despacho. And 60min ferry between Bom Despache & Salvador.
- Morro de Sao Paulo – requires bus between Itacare & Valenca, then ferry between Valenca & Morro de SP. That ferry is the worst one ever in my life. First time I ever got seasick and had to throw up.