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WELCOME TO CHRIS AND ISA WARDS
Chris and Isa live in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Far away from their base in Barra Grande, on the Marau peninsular, Bahia, Brazil. This web is intended to give a little information about Barra Grande and surrounds in English. If you really want any further stuff you can e-mail us in English or Portuguese at cnfward@hotmail.com or contact the Tourism Secretary of Barra Grande on 073-2586167 (Jodinha or Nadia) for information in Portuguese.
LOCATION GETTING THERE ACTIVITIES
Located on the Marau Peninsular (365 Km from Salvador) at the point where the Camamu Bay (the 3rd biggest bay in Brazil) meets the sea. A typical fishing village with streets covered with sand and surrounded by oil palms (dende), mango, tamarind and cashew trees. A calm sea in the bay is ideal for swimming and watersports whilst the open sea just around the point has good surf beaches. Where in the world is it? ...See MAPS
Barra Grande is not the easiest place to get to but that is the attraction. For those of you who just want to kick off your shoes and get away from crowded beaches it’s worth the effort. There is now an air-taxi service from Salvador (contact Carlos Martins on 71-6368331 or 71-99812544) to the airfield of Pausada Taipu de Fora (contact Aroldo who speaks English on 73-2552276 or 2552301, web: www.taipudefora.com.br). You can also contact Aero Star at Salvador airport.
Unlike Morro de Sao Paulo, Barra Grande is a place that does not have many "gringo" visitors so you will have to learn a bit of Portuguese.
Although Barra Grande is not an island, the most practical way to get there is by boat from Camamu. If you have a good 4X4 vehicle you can take the BR030 (Photo) from Marau. Coming by yacht ?...See the CHART.
To Camamu:
From Salvador: Take the ferry boat to Bom Despacho (Ilha de Itaparica) and then a bus to Camamu. You can also hire a taxi.
From Morro de Sao Paulo: Take a boat to Valenca and then a bus to Camamu. On the way from Valenca cool off under the waterfalls at Pancada Grande if you are not by public transport.
Camamu (or Mangue Town as I call it) is the place to stock up on stuff you might need. Fishing equipment, medicine, supermarket food, film, etc ...... Barra Grande shops just have the basics and are more expensive than Camamu. If you need to change money or use an ATM you should do it in Salvador, Valenca or Ilheus.
Camamu to Barra Grande:
From Camamu you can either take the ferry boat (Barca Forca das Aguas V) which leaves the jetty at 11:20AM, 12:00 mid-day or 5:00PM and takes a leisurely 1 hr 45 min or ask for Marcio (tel: 2552164) or Rogerio (tel: 2552137/07191343771) and haggle the price for a speedboat which takes about 25 Minutes. If you arrive at night you can stay at the Icarai Hotel (moderate price, tel: 255-2334) at the top of the hill Ask for a room with a view of the bay. If you want something cheaper, try the Green House near to the port. The self service regional food there is quite good.
Opposite the jetty you will see the Estaleiro Camarada boatyard, where they make traditional wooden schooners. As you leave Camamu you will notice the boat snake across the river. This is because there are still large rocks on the bottom, put there in 1634 to protect Camamu from marauding Dutch pirates Along the way, look out for fishermen in dugout canoes diving for lobsters or catching fresh-water crabs that live in the Mangroves.
Fishing, swimming in the calm waters of the bay, snorkeling, surfing in the open sea, walking, horse riding, watching the bird life or just Relaaaax.
For any kind of activity in Barra contact Cirando (Portuguese speaking) on 073-2586014. He can arrange boat trips, 4X4 vehicles, fishing, etc. Find Mr Guimaraes and Mrs Norma or Mr Vovo (Photo) and arrange a boat trip around the bay. Ask them to arrange a fresh lobster lunch in Sapinho, a small fishing village a few Km from Barra.
Rent a buggy from Cesar at the Ipiranguinha shop (on the way to Tres Coqueiros).
Snorkel in the natural swimming pool at Taipus de Fora. If you want to SCUBA dive, you will need to bring a portable compressor.
There are plenty of pousadas (guest houses) ranging from very simple to moderate price. If you want a cheap one, look for pousada Maria de Fermino or Mara who have a pousada just by the jetty. For moderate price, try Norma and Guimaraes (pousada Velha Aguia). If you prefer to be on the open sea, try pousada Velas ao Vento at Taipus de Fora. A camp site is available in the village (look for Bar dos Frades).
FOOD:
In the summer time many restaurants are open: For sandwiches and pizza, Mr To (Point de Verao) makes a wicked Cheese Frango and opposite is a small pasteleria. Next to the Pastelaria there is a "creperie' owned by Didier (a french guy) who makes good pancakes although he prefers to call them Crepes! The Italian Pizzeria/restaurant called Buongiorno run by Liliana is a good place if you are a lover of Italian food and wine. For a local dish try Maria de Fermino, just by the jetty. and order a "Moqueca de Peixe". Also good for local food is "Tapera"; ask Naia to prepare you a good "Peixe na Chapa" or "Carne de Sol na Chapa". Netinha offers you BBQ, grilled fish, lamb or beef but her specialty is Galinha a Cabidela (Chicken with a special sauce).
If you fancy a real Italian pizza straight from the clay oven, you can have it in the jungle. Walk down the bay in the direction of Campinho until you reach the river. Ask someone to take you across the river in a dugout canoe (R$2/person) or swim and you will find Federica and Alexandro's pizza restaurant. After eating and drinking, relax in their hammocks in the shade of the trees. (Federica and Alexandro speak English and Italian.)
To watch the sunset, the best place we advise is the "Zeni and Be's bar" on the beach about 500m from the jetty going towards the open sea.
The Marau peninsular is an ecological sanctuary of outstanding beauty. Do your part to keep it that way by disposing of you garbage properly.
Durability of Garbage:-
Paper 3 months to several years
Wood 6 months
Cigarette filters 5 years
Plastics 100 years
Rubber 100 years
Aluminum Cans 1000 years
Glass 10,000 years
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