Between the well-known Praia do Forte and Costa do Sauípe, Imbassaí stands out for being a natural paradise with 10 km of beach and 6 km of river bordering the sea.
Thus, getting to the waterfront depends a lot on where you are staying and your mood. This is because access to salt water can be: with emotion, done by raft down the river; by bicycle from the fishing village; walk through the dunes; or even by golf cart, offered by a resort in the region, on a wooden path in the middle of the forest reserve.
Imbassaí, which in Tupi means “the way to the river”, is located in the municipality of Mata de São João, on the Costa do Coqueiros in Bahia and about an hour’s drive from Salvador.
“Imbassaí is, perhaps, the most welcoming place in Brazil. , 65.
He speaks with authority, since, before becoming a public manager, he worked as a tourist guide in the place. And, for three decades, he has lived there, on a farm with his wife and two children.
For him, Imbassaí, which has around 5,000 inhabitants, is experiencing a promising moment in terms of improving infrastructure and increasing tourism. An example of this is a recently opened gastronomic center between the Imbassaí River —also called the Barroso River— and the Atlantic Ocean, with eight kiosks and ten restaurants.
There it is possible to taste typical foods, such as moqueca, acarajé and lambreta —a mollusk from the mangroves. Due to the presence of foreigners there, it is also easy to find Japanese and Italian food menus, for example.
The traveler without an agenda and without a plan can choose whether to bathe in the river or the sea or just lie down on a lounger, on a dune or on the sand of the beach.
Those who prefer itineraries and adventures can enjoy bike rides on the bike path that borders the coast, visit the Klaus Peter park, dive in the Jauara lagoon, bathe in the Dona Zilda waterfall and even swim in the natural pools on the beach of Santo Antônio.
Itineraries focused on natural attractions, among dunes, coconut trees and palm trees, can be completed with buggy rides or vans that take you to destinations a further 15 minutes away from Imbassaí beach, either on the south side, in Praia do Forte, or on the north side, on the Costa do Sauipe.
In Praia do Forte, in addition to the beautiful beaches, there are two right itineraries: Projeto Tamar and Castelo Garcia D’Ávila.
Tamar, created in 1982, occupies an area of 10,000 m² donated by the Navy and is now one of the ten most visited museums in the country. The project for the preservation of sea turtles receives more than 500,000 people a year, who have real classes given by biologists Tais Pires and Itamar Santana. The site is home to a turtle nursery and has four of the five specimens in Brazil.
The Garcia D’Ávila Castle, or Casa da Torre, was built in 1551 and turned into historical heritage in 1938, and houses a collection of 4,000 archaeological finds. And it is the stage for concerts and events.
A sample of how impactful it can be to choose Imbassaí as a destination is that you can stay in one of the villages in the municipality, which, according to the ACI (Association of Merchants of Imbassaí), has 24 hotels and inns —seven of them accept pets— , with daily rates from RS 250 (the simplest) to R$ 700 (breakfast and dinner).
Alternatively, you can opt for one of the major hotel developments in the region, the largest of which is the Grand Palladium Imbassaí Resort & Spa, which opened in 2010 and now offers 654 rooms.
The Grand Palladium, in addition to boasting a beach named after the resort, inaugurated a premium accommodation package, The Signature Level. This category puts the guest in exclusive conditions of apartments, spa, pool and bars right down to the beach —the package starts at 1,500 per day, in the all-inclusive system.
The place is still the scene of weddings by the sea and is connected to the Imbassaí nature reserve, at the beginning of the Linha Verde in Bahia —a coastal route of about 200 km on the BA-099 state highway—, which allows you to observe toucans, lizards and little monkeys.
“Imbassaí, Bahia and the Grand Palladium allow contact with nature, rest, wonderful food and a welcome based on excellent service”, says Paulo Fernandes, general director of GPI.
And, wherever you stay in Imbassaí or where you are located within 10 km of the beach and 6 km of the river, one thing is certain: at the end of each day, you will contemplate one of the most beautiful sunsets in Bahia. .
The journalist traveled at the invitation of the Grand Palladium Imbassaí Resort & Spa
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
