Note: Where pousadas are off the beaten track, Google maps only show the nearest town, and are not an accurate guide to location.
Special Honeymoon package at Artjungle: R$ 885,00
3 nights
Fresh flowers daily on the bed and in the bathroom
Breakfast served to order in the bungalow
White bed linen (egyptian cotton) and soft white towels
Canoe trip to the waterfalls with fruit and champagne
This morning I woke up in paradise. In a beautiful tree-house overlooking luxuriant gardens. Gazing out towards the Rio das Contas, half hidden in the mist. Listening to the roar of the distant ocean, the birdsong, the lone cock crowing. Watching the beijaflor humming bird tap against the window.
ArtJungle Eco-lodge, with its park full of wooden and ceramic sculptures, is the "in"place for photoshoots, and many famous people have passed through here- Jade Jagger, Sean Penn, Al Gore, Gisele Bunchen to name only a few. But this is not a place to be "seen" and definitely not somewhere for those who see luxury in terms of material things like TV, airconditioning or internet access. Lodges are comfortable with good hot showers and mosquito nets, and an ice box instead of a minibar- but that's where it stops.
Itacare, and all the beaches, restaurants and bars you could want are only a couple of kilometres down the dirt track, but ArtJungle is where you will want to retreat to. This is a place for people who see luxury in nature, in art, in peace, and who support the idea of a social ecological cultural project which gives something back to the local community. I personally could have stayed for ever.
Itacare is situated on the Cocoa Coast of Bahia, the stretch which runs between Ilheus, 65km to the south and Salvador 230kms to the north, just where the Rio das Contas river meets the ocean. The town itself has indigenous origins but became known as Itacare as early as 1732 and countless grandiose mansions atest to the wealth of the town and region during the cocoa boom of the early 20th century.
Rediscovered some 40 years ago by surfers, the town has grown rapidly and there are now countless pousadas, bars, restaurants and nightlife. But for those who prefer more peace or who prefer more ecological tourism there are some wonderful trails and palm tree fringed deserted beaches nearby, many set in spectacular scenery, with mountains and atlantic forest as a backdrop.
a canoe trip with Ney down the Rio das Contas at sunset
trips to the waterfalls of Azevedo, Tijuipe, Pancada Grande, Tucleandro
capoeira in Itacare at night
beaches of Prainha, Engenhoca and Jeribucacu
superb food at A Brasileira restaurant in the main street
tree-houses and stilt houses
carved wooden washbasins and freshly cut flowers
park with wooden and ceramic sculptures
large swimming pool
views over the river
Try a different place if..
you want to be really close to the beach or can't live without TV, airconditioning, or phone
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This morning I woke up in paradise. In a beautiful tree-house overlooking luxuriant gardens. Gazing out towards the Rio das Contas, half hidden in the mist. Listening to the roar of the distant ocean, the birdsong, the lone cock crowing. Watching the beijaflor humming bird tap against the window.
Itacare is situated on the Cocoa Coast of Bahia, the stretch which runs between Ilheus, 65km to the south and Salvador 230kms to the north, just where the Rio das Contas river meets the ocean. The town itself has indigenous origins but became known as Itacare as early as 1732 and countless grandiose mansions atest to the wealth of the town and region during the cocoa boom of the early 20th century.
