ZOCO SURFING ADVENTURES

SURFING HOLIDAYS IN ITACARÉ, BAHIA, BRAZIL

Itacaré, jewel of Bahia

The village of Itacaré is located in the cocoa zone of the State of Bahia, south of Salvador and 70 km north of Ilhéus.

Itacaré is an explosion of colors, sounds, smells, flavors and textures. There are few places in the world where nature dominates development and we feel overwhelmed and surrounded by green. The town always seems to be celebrating a fiesta or festival. There are surfers and adventure sports enthusiasts here from all over the world and Itacaré is a real melting pot of people from different backgrounds and traditions but at night, when Itacaré comes alive everyone seems to mix it up and have a good time.

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The municipality occupies an area of roughly 457 sq. miles with about 20,000 residents, 60% of which, live in the rural interior. Itacarés economy was supported largely by cocoa but the declining cocoa trade, has seen Itacaré turn to tourism for growth.

In 1998 the BA-001 highway was completed connecting Ilhéus and Itacaré. This opened the doors for Eco Adventures. Surfing was the first great attraction and it was surfers, the first tourists, who discovered some of the most beautiful beaches and surf spots in the country, hidden by difficult access.

Surfing in Itacaré is legendary but it's the natural beauty of the area that makes this little piece of Bahia so special.

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SALVADOR

Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, was the first major port and the capital of colonial Brazil for almost two centuries. The city lies between green tropical hills and broad beaches along the bay of Todos os Santos. It was built on two levels with administration buildings and residences constructed on the hills; forts, docks, and warehouses on the beaches. To this day the city is still divided into upper and lower cities.

From 1500 to 1815 Salvador was the nation's busiest port. A significant portion of the sugar from the northeast and gold and diamonds from the mines in the southeast passed through Salvador. It was a golden age for the town; magnificent homes and churches resplendent in gold decoration were built. Many of the city's baroque churches, private homes, squares, and even the hand-chipped paving bricks have been preserved as part of Brazil's historic patrimony. In Salvador, more than anywhere else in the country, the African influence in the makeup of Brazilian culture is readily visible, from the spicy dishes still called by their African names (caruru, vatapa, acaraji), to the ceremonies of candombli which honor both African deities and Catholic holidays, to the capoeira schools where a unique African form of ritualistic fighting is taught. Its population is around 2,250,000 inhabitants.

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BAHIA

The state of Bahia is located in the northeastern part of Brazil, on the Atlantic coast. As the chief focus of the early Brazilian slave trade, Bahia has a distinctive African imprint, in terms of culture and customs, in Brazil. These include the Yoruba-derived religious system of Candomblé, the martial art of capoeira (especially the style of capoeira angola), African-derived music such as samba, afoxé, and axé, and a cuisine with strong links to western Africa. There also are indigenous tribes, such as the Pataxó, who reside on the southern Atlantic coast and in the state's interior. Bahia's geographical regions comprise the mata atlântica or remnants of the Atlantic coast forests; the recôncavo region radiating from the Bay (the largest in Brazil), the site of sugar and tobacco cultivation; and the planalto, which includes the fabled sertão region of Bahia's far interior. Brazil's second longest river system, the São Francisco, runs from the Atlantic along the state's northern border down through the planalto into the neighboring southern state of Minas Gerais.

Bahia is the main producer and exporter of cacao in Brazil. In addition to important agricultural and industrial sectors, the state also has considerable mineral and petroleum deposits. Another major industry is tourism: Bahia's long coastline, beautiful beaches, excellent surf spots and cultural treasures make it one of the Brazil's chief tourist destinations.

Other important cities in the state include Ilhéus, the birthplace of one of Brazil's major 20th century writers, Jorge Amado; the old island city of Itaparica, on the island of the same name, in the bay; Cachoeira; Vitória da Conquista; and Lençóis, in the Chapada Diamantina region.

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