The Best Beaches in Salvador da Bahia

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This blog and lots more photos are available on my website https://heatherjasper.com/brazil/salvador-beaches

Salvador has beaches for everybody. There are sandy beaches and pebbly beaches. There are beaches for surfing and beaches with benches of rock just offshore that break the waves and leave the beaches calm. My favorites were the beaches with giant tide pools that people use as heated swimming pools. The black rock absorbs the sun and leaves the pools even warmer than the already warm ocean.

Praia Farol da Barra

One of the most popular beaches in Salvador, Praia Farol da Barra has soft sand and low waves. The big rollers from the Atlantic are broken by benches of rock that serve as a reef and protect the beach.

Praia da Gamboa

The heart of Salvador is built right to the water’s edge. Only a few, small beaches remain, like pebbly Praia da Gamboa. The houses crowded behind are the “comunidade” of Gamboa, one of the poorest neighborhoods with the best views of the sea. Gamboa is famous for the restaurant Bar da Monica.

Praia Farol de Itapuã

North of the city, Praia Farol de Itapuã is near the neighborhood of Itapuã and the Itapuã lighthouse. It’s another great beach at low tide but even at high tide there are some pools protected by the rocks farther out.

Praia da Jaguaribe

My favorite beach, Jaguaribe, is north of the city and has several surf schools. Shoutout to Freddy at AD Surf for getting me on my feet in the first lesson. By the end of my fourth lesson I started to call myself a surfer.

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Photos

Praia Jaguaribe
This was my favorite beach because it was perfect for learning to surf. I took four surf lessons while I was in Brazil. I got the hang of it - and got hooked!

Praia Farol da Barra
This is one of the longest beaches in the city and it's perfect at low tide.

Praia da Gamboa
Gamboa is a community with some of the best ocean views in Salvador. Communities like Gamboa are also called favela, though that name is considered offensive by most residents.

Praia de Itapuã
North of Salvador is another beautiful beach with its own lighthouse, also named Itapuã.