Bahia

Salvador de Bahia, founded in 1541 was Brazil`s first capital from 1549 until 1763. It is located on the Atlantic coast, 1200km north, from Rio. From 1558, the first slave market in the New World was established here, as many slave trader vessels arrived from Zanzibar and other slave transit points in Africa, with slaves to work in the sugar plantations. It grew as Brazil`s principal city quickly, becoming the main seaport and an extremely important centre of the sugar industry and slave trade. Echoes of this multicultural past survive to the present day in the historic centre’s rich heritage.

Salvador de Bahia is a World Heritage listed city, comes highly recommended, as it is like taking a magical step back in time with a tranquil pace, hospitable warm welcoming locals, Portuguese inspired colonial architecture, Afro-Brazilian culture and a tropical coastline with pristine white sand beaches.

If you are looking for a wonderfully relaxing experience with a pace of life that is dramatically slower than even the slowest of lives in the UK then this is a fantastic option. The beaches, resorts, golf courses, activities and the history that can be found in this wonderful destination are all brilliant reasons to visit Bahia.