The 36 kilometers of unpaved road from Trancoso end on the banks of the Caraíva River, the final stop for cars. From there, canoes are the only transport to cross the river and reach the village of Caraíva, one of the most charming tourist destinations on the Discovery Coast, in Bahia.
With around 600 residents, a population that doubles during peak seasons, the village, which is located in the south of Porto Seguro, faced a period of total emptying at the beginning of the pandemic, followed by the arrival of hordes of tourists from September onwards. 2020.
Now, it works to reinforce its essence as an untouched paradise, reinforcing the ideal of a more sustainable tourism in the post-pandemic.
“Our fight is to maintain this atmosphere of tranquility. This is the essence of Caraíva”, says businesswoman Hermínia Van Tol, owner of Pousada Lagoa and resident of the village since 1984.
The desire is a result of learning from the pandemic. In March 2020, the village was closed to visitors for five months, a period in which inns and restaurants were closed and people from outside the community did not enter.
The experience strengthened community bonds. Families helped each other and vulnerable residents were supported with food baskets and protection equipment against Covid-19.
As a result, however, the village faced difficult moments during New Year’s Eve, when the village was crowded with visitors, some of them not complying with sanitary rules of detachment and wearing masks.
The agglomeration scenario generated reactions, including an open letter sent to the Porto Seguro city hall by the Associação dos Nativos de Caraíva.
With unpaved streets, the village is usually a refuge for tourists who are not looking for a party. Motor vehicles are prohibited from driving, with the exception of police quadricycles and garbage collection. Internet and cell signal are unstable in the villa.
To reflect the tranquil atmosphere of the village, inns offer services ranging from massages to yoga classes. Some of them don’t even have televisions in the rooms.
The main beach is at the mouth of the Caraíva River, where the dark waters of the river mix with the warm green waters of the sea and the strip of sand opens up in a triangle, where there are stalls selling drinks and typical foods, as well as a beach tennis court.
During the day, in addition to bathing in the river and sea in the vicinity of the village, tourists can take boat trips to other beaches in the region, such as Praia do Satu, or by buggy to Ponta de Corumbau.
Another option for a tour is the Porto do Boi Cultural Center, where in the mornings and afternoons it is possible to participate in an experience with Pataxó indigenous people and learn more about the culture of the local tribes.
The sunset is an attraction in itself, with the sky taking on shades of pink and purple that are reflected in the waters of the Caraíva River. Bars and restaurants are often packed in the late afternoon. Later, it is also possible to enjoy a forró show at a small venue on site.
On a Thursday in the last week of November, beaches, bars and restaurants were full but not crowded.
As the strip of sand is extensive, it was possible to enjoy the beach avoiding crowds. The couple from Rio Grande do Sul, Alexandre Abreu, 38 and Andréa Rios, 39, for example, chose an isolated spot on the beach, where it was possible to take off your masks and enjoy the sun and the sea.
“We normally travel once a year. But depending on the place, you don’t feel comfortable because some of the staff do not respect health protocols. That’s why we chose a trip with tours in open places”, says Andrea, who came from Porto Alegre to spend eight days in the region.
Service providers celebrated the resumption of tourism in recent months and the expectation of a busy summer — in the last one, despite the peak of New Year’s Eve, the movement dropped from the second wave of the pandemic in January.
“We didn’t receive anyone for six months. Then, since then, people came again, but there was another drop at the beginning of the year. The expectation is that this year we will have a better summer”, says Alerkan Santos, 32 , which is part of the board of the Associação de Bugueiros Pataxós.
After community pressure, the city limited the year-end festivities to an audience of 850 people, despite the current state pandemic decree allowing events with up to 5,000 people.
Sitting in front of his house near the Church of São Sebastião, the main church in the village, fisherman Antônio Borges da Silva, 87, ate a watermelon to cool off in the midday sun.
Born and raised in the village, he claims that during the pandemic he managed to revive some of the tranquility of his youth in Caraíva. But he says he knows it’s impossible for the village to go back to what it used to be: “Before, there was even winter and summer. Now it’s as if there was only summer.”
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