Private Bike Tour Circuit Along the Beach

We will start our bike ride through the traditional neighborhood of Barra where, in 1535, Vila do Pereira, the first Portuguese settlement in America, was born by the grantee Francisco Pereira Coutinho. Our first stop will be at Ponta do Padrão, in the famous Forte de Santo Antonio da Barra, popularly known as Barra Lighthouse. It was strategically built on the top of a hill at the southern tip of the city. From there we have a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the entrance to the Todos-os-Santos Bay, the largest in the country, on the other. Considered The first Portuguese military building in Brazil, the fort is one of the icons of the Bahian capital and currently houses the Bahia Nautical Museum. This is also one of the most interesting meeting places in the city, where we can see people having fun, strolling, cycling or just having a drink in the cafes. Furthermore, this is the best spot in the city to watch a beautiful sunset! Let's move on!

We will continue our ride towards the Barra Port Beach. This is one of the city's favorite beaches because it is well protected by the Todos-os-Santos Bay, with its clean and calm waters, an excellent place for swimming! We will make our stop between the Forts of Santa Maria and São Diogo. The first fort is currently used as the Pierre Verger Museum, with a fine collection by the French photographer. The second houses an interactive museum by the Argentine artist Caribé. This place was a natural port, where the first governor-general of Brazil, Tome de Sousa, disembarked in 1549 to found Salvador, the first capital of Brazil for over 200 years.

Following along Oceanica Avenue, one of the favorite carnival routes for Bahians in Salvador, we will pass by the beautiful sculpture of the Christ of Barra and the Spanish Club of Bahia. We arrive in the Ondina neighborhood, where we will find the famous “Gordinhas de Ondina” a tribute by the Bahian artist Eliana Kértsz to the three main cultures that formed the Brazilian people: the indigenous, the African, and the European. Time for pictures!

Continuing the shoreline, we will arrive at the bohemian neighborhood of Rio Vermelho, much celebrated by “soteropolitans” and tourists as one of the city’s favorite meeting points, with a large number of bars, restaurants, and nightclubs. The neighborhood takes us back in time with its typical Portuguese houses, still well preserved, churches, and a museum that is much celebrated by Bahians: The Casa do Rio Vermelho, former residence of the writer Jorge Amado and Zélia Gattai, which has become a very popular museum.

We will ride along the waterfront quite calmly, since we have a lot of stories to tell, after all this is where we celebrate the traditional feast of Iemanjá on February 2nd, the largest public religious manifestation of candomblé in Bahia. We will visit Iemanjá's house shortly. The Largo de Santana is one of the busiest places in the neighborhood, especially in the afternoon, where the smell of palm oil spreads, inviting people to eat one of Bahia’s favorite food, Dinha's acarajé!

Largo da Mariquita is perhaps the most sought after place in the city by Bahians and tourists for entertainment, as it offers a great culture and gastronomic diversity, with bars, restaurants and streets with acarajé, coconut and tapioca stalls and other delicacies. Shall we try some? It was right here on this beach, full of reefs, that the Portuguese Diogo Álvares Correia, known as Caramuru, an indigenous local Tupi language name, that means moray. He was shipwrecked in 1509, where Vila Caramuru is know located, a very popular gastronomic center. He marrid the Tupinambá chief's daughter, Catarina Paraguaçu, forming the first Brazilian Catholic family. Now it is time to return to the pedal and head back to our starting point in Barra!