Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Northeast Brazil: Salvador, Chapada Diamantina and Jericoacoara
10 days from Salvador to Fortaleza: three nights in Bahia's old capital, three in the Chapada Diamantina mountains and the dunes and lagoons of Jericoacoara.
10 days · Salvador to Fortaleza · up to 12 guests
The Lacerda Elevator, the Mercado Modelo and the Bay of All Saints in Salvador Photo: Raul Golinelli, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raul_Golinelli_Elevador_Lacerda_Mercado_Modelo_Salvador_Bahia_Brasil.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 10 days, 9 nights
- Start and end
- Salvador to Fortaleza
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Longest drive
- 6 h on day 4
- Activity level
Moderate
One demanding walk: the Fumaça trail, about 12 km return with a steep climb of about 300 m in the first hour, 5 to 6 hours on foot (an easier river walk near Lençóis replaces it if you prefer). Pai Inácio is a 20 to 30 minute scramble up rock steps. Salvador means steep cobbles and steps. Two long road days of about 5.5 to 6 hours.
- Meals included
- 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 3 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 870 (estimated price)
- Season
- August to December
Highlights
Why this trip
- A capoeira class with a Salvador academy, not just a show to watch
- Cooking acarajé and moqueca at a Bahian cooking evening, then eating what you made
- The Fumaça trail across the Chapada plateau to the edge of one of Brazil's highest waterfalls
- Sunset from the flat summit of Morro do Pai Inácio
- A swim through the clear water of the Pratinha cave and a walk in the Lapa Doce cave
- The Sunset Dune above Jericoacoara on the evening you arrive
- A full buggy day west to Tatajuba, with a raft across the Rio Guriú and lunch by a lagoon
- The hammocks of Lagoa do Paraíso on the way to your flight
What makes this trip different
Short drives, all published
Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 6 h, on day 4.
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 870 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
The longest drive is 6 h, on day 4.
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Salvador
Salvador airport (SSA) to your hotel in the old town
- Dinner
- Stay in Salvador
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into Salvador's international airport (SSA), about 30 km north-east of the centre, where a driver meets you for the 40 to 60 minute drive into the city, depending on traffic. Salvador was Brazil's first capital, founded by the Portuguese in 1549 on a cliff above the Bay of All Saints, and the city is still split between the Upper City on the ridge and the Lower City along the water. Your hotel is in or a short walk from the Pelourinho, the historic centre. Settle in and rest after the flight.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the trip, what the long road day to the Chapada is like, what to pack for the caves and lagoons, then we walk a few minutes to a welcome dinner of Bahian food at a local restaurant.
Included
- Pick-up at Salvador airport (SSA)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Arrive by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met at the airport and join the group at dinner or breakfast.
The Pelourinho and a capoeira class
Salvador's Upper City and Lower City on foot, with the Lacerda Elevator between them
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Salvador
- Drive about 30 min
We start at 8:30, before the heat and the day visitors, on a walk through the Pelourinho, the historic centre listed by UNESCO in 1985: sloping squares of colonial houses painted in bright colours, cobbled lanes and baroque churches. Your guide tells the story of the city as one of the main ports of the Atlantic slave trade into Brazil, and of the Afro-Brazilian faith, food and music that grew from it. Inside the church and convent of São Francisco the walls are covered in gilded carved wood and the cloister in blue and white tiles.
Afternoon
We ride the Lacerda Elevator, opened in 1873, down to the Lower City and the Mercado Modelo, then sit down to a moqueca lunch. The afternoon is free.
Evening
In the early evening we go to a capoeira academy in the old town for a beginners' class: the music, the basic ginga step and a roda at the end, at whatever pace suits you.
Included
- Pelourinho walking tour with your guide
- Church and convent of São Francisco
- The Lacerda Elevator and the Mercado Modelo
- Moqueca lunch
- Beginners' capoeira class at an academy in the old town
Easier option: Watch the capoeira class and roda from the side instead of joining in.
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: About 4 km on steep cobbled streets and steps. Carry little in the old town and leave valuables at the hotel, as in any big city.
Bonfim, a free afternoon and a Bahian cooking evening
Salvador: the Itapagipe peninsula, then the old town
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Salvador
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
In the morning we drive about 20 minutes along the bay to the Itapagipe peninsula and the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador's best-loved church, whose railings are tied with thousands of coloured ribbons, each knotted around a wrist or a gate with a wish. Inside, the room of miracles is hung with wax limbs, photographs and letters of thanks. From there it is a short walk to the little fort and chapel of Monte Serrat on the point, with a view back across the bay to the old town, and an ice cream at the Ribeira waterfront.
Afternoon
The afternoon is free: the Barra lighthouse and its beach, the Museu Afro-Brasileiro, or a rest.
Evening
In the evening we join a local cook for a Bahian cooking class, making acarajé, the black-eyed pea fritter fried in dendê oil, and a moqueca with coconut milk, then sit down together to eat it.
Included
- Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim with your guide
- Monte Serrat point and the Ribeira waterfront
- Bahian cooking class with dinner
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: Cover shoulders and knees for the church.
Inland to Lençóis and the Chapada Diamantina
Salvador to Lençóis on the BR-324 and BR-242
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lençóis
- Drive about 6 h
Today is the longest drive of the trip, about 410 km and six hours on the road, and we say so plainly: Lençóis airport has only a few flights a week from Salvador, not on the days we need, and the public bus takes longer. Where a flight fits your dates, we quote it as an upgrade.
Afternoon
We leave at 8 am in our own air-conditioned vehicle, stop for coffee near Feira de Santana and for a sit-down lunch of regional food around Itaberaba, roughly halfway, so no stretch runs much over two hours. The coast gives way to dry sertão scrub, then the long table-top ridges of the Chapada Diamantina rise ahead. We reach Lençóis by mid-afternoon. The town grew in the 19th-century diamond rush and its cobbled centre of painted houses is a listed heritage site.
Evening
Before dinner your guide walks you up the river to the Serrano, where the Lençóis river runs over smooth pink rock in pools and small cascades, a gentle first look at the park.
Included
- Drive from Salvador to Lençóis with your guide
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- Short guided walk to the Serrano river pools
Easier option: Skip the Serrano walk and rest at the hotel.
Free time: Evening free in Lençóis
Activity: About six hours of driving over the day, broken by two stops; the Serrano walk is about 2 km on rock.
The Fumaça trail
Lençóis to the Vale do Capão, the Fumaça trail and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lençóis
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we drive about an hour and a half to the Vale do Capão, a green valley village under the plateau, and meet our local Chapada guide. The trail to the top of the Fumaça falls starts steeply, climbing about 300 m up a rocky path in the first hour, so we leave Lençóis at about 6:45 and start walking by 8:30 while it is cool; a later start means the climb in full sun. Then it levels out across the open plateau of rock and low scrub, about 6 km each way. At the end you lie on your stomach on the cliff edge and look down a drop of about 340 m, one of the highest falls in Brazil. Its name means smoke: late in the dry season the water is often a thin ribbon that blows away as spray before it lands, and we tell you that before you go.
Evening
We walk back down for a late sit-down lunch in the valley, then drive back to Lençóis for a free evening.
Included
- The Fumaça trail to the top of the falls with a local Chapada guide
- Late lunch in the Vale do Capão
Easier option: Stay in Lençóis and walk with a local guide to the Ribeirão do Meio, a natural rock slide into a river pool, about 4 km each way on an easier path.
Free time: Evening free in Lençóis
Activity: The hardest day: about 12 km return and 5 to 6 hours on foot, with a steep, rocky first hour. Bring good shoes, a hat and 2 litres of water.
Caves, a cave swim and Pai Inácio at sunset
Lençóis to Lapa Doce and Pratinha near Iraquara, then Morro do Pai Inácio
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Lençóis
- Drive about 3 h
A slower start, then about an hour and a quarter west to the limestone country around Iraquara. With a local guide and torches we walk through the Lapa Doce cave, a large dry chamber of stalactites and stalagmites reached down a sinkhole, about an hour underground on uneven ground. Next door at Pratinha, a river runs out of a flooded cave into a clear blue pool: you put on a mask, snorkel and life vest and float in through the cave mouth along a guide rope, with the light turning the water blue.
Afternoon
Lunch is at a restaurant nearby. In the late afternoon we drive back east and climb Morro do Pai Inácio, a flat-topped mesa about 1,100 m high, on a 20 to 30 minute path of rock steps.
Evening
From the top you see the plateau roll away in tiers of table mountains, and we stay for sunset before the half-hour drive home.
Included
- Gruta Lapa Doce with a local guide
- Snorkel swim into the Pratinha cave, with mask, snorkel and life vest
- Lunch near Iraquara
- Sunset on Morro do Pai Inácio
Easier option: Stay on the Pratinha beach rather than swimming into the cave, and wait at the foot of Pai Inácio, where the view is also wide.
Activity: You need to be comfortable in water with a life vest for the cave swim. The Pai Inácio path is short but steep and rocky; we come down with torches after sunset.
Back to the coast and a flight to Fortaleza
Lençóis to Salvador airport by road, then Salvador to Fortaleza by air
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Fortaleza
- Drive about 6 h
This is the second long day, and the reason is the same as on day 4: the few weekly Lençóis flights do not fit our dates, so we drive back to Salvador airport, about 400 km and five and a half hours, then fly up the coast instead of spending two more days on the road.
Afternoon
We leave Lençóis at 7 am, early so the afternoon flight is not at risk, stop for coffee on the way and for a sit-down lunch near Feira de Santana, about an hour short of the airport, and reach Salvador in time for an afternoon flight to Fortaleza, about two hours direct. Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará, is on the same clock as Salvador. A driver meets us for the short run to a hotel on or near the Beira Mar, the long seafront avenue.
Evening
Dinner tonight is your choice; the evening craft market and the seafront walk are a few minutes away, and your guide points out places to eat grilled fish.
Included
- Drive from Lençóis to Salvador airport with your guide
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- Flight from Salvador (SSA) to Fortaleza (FOR) in economy
- Transfer to your hotel in Fortaleza
Free time: Evening free in Fortaleza
Activity: A long travel day: about five and a half hours of driving and a two-hour flight. Flight times are confirmed with your final itinerary.
Up the Ceará coast to Jericoacoara
Fortaleza old centre, then the coast road to Jijoca and by 4x4 to Jericoacoara
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Jericoacoara
- Drive about 4 h
Before leaving Fortaleza we spend about 45 minutes in the old centre: the Praça dos Leões with its bronze lions and the Mercado Central, four floors of hammocks, lace and cashew nuts.
Afternoon
Then we head north-west, about 300 km and four hours of driving with a lunch stop, through coconut groves, wind farms and small towns. At Jijoca we change into 4x4s for the last half hour over sand into Jericoacoara, a former fishing village inside a national park, where the streets are sand and only authorised vehicles drive in.
Evening
After settling into a pousada a short walk from the beach, we walk up the Duna do Pôr do Sol, the big dune at the west end of the beach, for sunset over the sea with half the village. If the tide is low the next morning, your guide may take an early group along the beach to Pedra Furada, the arch in the rocks.
Included
- Praça dos Leões and the Mercado Central in Fortaleza
- Sit-down lunch on the way
- 4x4 transfer from Jijoca into Jericoacoara
- Sunset on the Duna do Pôr do Sol
- Jericoacoara daily tourism fee
Free time: Evening free in Jeri
Activity: The dune climb is short but soft sand; go barefoot.
A buggy day to Tatajuba
Jericoacoara west by buggy to the Rio Guriú, Tatajuba and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Jericoacoara
- Drive about 3 h
Today is the buggy day, three or four guests to a buggy with a local driver who knows the tracks. We head west out of the village along the beach and over the dunes to Mangue Seco, where a boardwalk runs into the mangroves, and a local boatman may show you seahorses in the shallows. At the Rio Guriú the buggies roll onto a small wooden raft that is poled across the river, and we carry on past the shifting dunes to Tatajuba, a fishing village that has moved inland more than once as the sand buried it.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal of grilled fish at the Lagoa Grande, where you can swim or lie in a hammock in the shallow water.
Evening
We are back in Jeri by mid-afternoon for a free few hours on the beach, then meet for a farewell dinner together in the village.
Included
- Full-day buggy outing west with local drivers: Mangue Seco, the Rio Guriú raft crossing and Tatajuba
- Seahorse boat in the mangroves, where it runs
- Lunch at the Lagoa Grande in Tatajuba
- Farewell dinner in Jericoacoara
Optional experiences
- Kitesurfing or windsurfing lesson, booked locally
- Sandboarding on the dunes
Easier option: Stay in the village and on the beach for the day, and join the group for dinner.
More active option: Walk east along the beach at low tide to Pedra Furada before breakfast, about 3 km each way.
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: Buggy tracks are bumpy; tell us about any back or neck problems and we seat you in the front.
Lagoa do Paraíso and home from Fortaleza
Jericoacoara to Lagoa do Paraíso, then Fortaleza airport (FOR)
- Breakfast
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
A last morning in Jeri: walk the beach or the sandy lanes at the edge of the village, where donkeys graze among the palms, have a coffee on the main street or swim before breakfast. We leave by 4x4 around 9:30 for Lagoa do Paraíso, a large freshwater lagoon near Jijoca, about half an hour away, with white sand, clear blue-green water and hammocks strung over the shallows.
Afternoon
There is time to swim and rest for about an hour and a half before we change back to our own vehicle and drive about three and a half hours to Fortaleza airport (FOR), with a short stop for lunch on the way, which is your choice today. We aim to reach the airport around 4 pm, so book a flight leaving after about 7 pm. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye. If you are flying out of Jericoacoara's own airport near Cruz instead, tell us and we drop you there.
Included
- Lagoa do Paraíso
- Drop-off at Fortaleza airport (FOR)
Free time: Early morning free in Jeri
Activity: Book a flight from Fortaleza leaving after about 7 pm.
- Salvador3 nights
- Lençóis3 nights
- Fortaleza1 night
- Jericoacoara2 nights
- Fortalezaend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: August to December is the dry season in the Chapada, so trails and skies are clear, but the Fumaça falls are thin late in the season and can drift away as spray. The Ceará coast is windy in these months, good for kitesurfers and cooler evenings on the dunes, and some smaller lagoons around Jeri dry out by November.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want Salvador's Afro-Brazilian culture by taking part, not just watching
- Walkers happy with one long, steep day and a short scramble
- Travellers who like water: cave swims, river pools and lagoons
- Solo travellers who want a small, steady group
- A second Brazil trip after Rio and Iguazú
Not for you if you want
- Anyone who cannot sit through two road days of about six hours
- Travellers who need step-free access: cobbles, rock trails, caves and sand
- A beach-only holiday: there are two beach days
- Non-swimmers who will not wear a life vest in the cave
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
9 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Salvador3 nights
- Lençóis3 nights
- Fortaleza1 night
- Jericoacoara2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 9 nights: 3 in Salvador in or near the Pelourinho, 3 in Lençóis a walk from the old centre, 1 in Fortaleza on or near the Beira Mar, 2 in a pousada in Jericoacoara a short walk from the beach
- Hotels and pousadas of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Salvador airport (SSA) and drop-off at Fortaleza airport (FOR)
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group in Bahia and in Ceará
- The economy flight from Salvador to Fortaleza
- 4x4 transfers between Jijoca and Jericoacoara
- Buggies with local drivers on day 9, and the Rio Guriú raft crossing
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 10, including on the flight
- Local Chapada guides for the Fumaça trail and the caves, and local buggy drivers in Jericoacoara
Activities
- Salvador: Pelourinho walking tour, the church and convent of São Francisco, the Lacerda Elevator and the Mercado Modelo
- Salvador: beginners' capoeira class at an academy in the old town
- Salvador: the church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim and Monte Serrat
- Salvador: Bahian cooking class
- Lençóis: the Serrano river pools
- Chapada Diamantina: the Fumaça trail from the Vale do Capão
- Chapada Diamantina: Gruta Lapa Doce and the Pratinha cave swim
- Chapada Diamantina: sunset on Morro do Pai Inácio
- Fortaleza: the Praça dos Leões and the Mercado Central
- Jericoacoara: sunset on the Duna do Pôr do Sol
- Jericoacoara: buggy day to Mangue Seco, the Rio Guriú and Tatajuba
- Lagoa do Paraíso
- All entrance fees for included sights, and the Jericoacoara daily tourism fee
Meals
- 9 breakfasts
- 7 sit-down lunches, on days 2 and 4 to 9
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Salvador, the cooking-class dinner and a farewell dinner in Jericoacoara
Not included
- International flights to Salvador and from Fortaleza
- Brazilian e-visa fee, where your passport needs one
- Travel insurance
- Meals not listed: lunches on days 3 and 10, dinners on days 2 and 4 to 8
- Drinks
- Tips for local guides, buggy drivers and hotel staff
- Optional activities such as kitesurfing lessons and sandboarding
- Personal expenses
- Extra baggage charges on the domestic flight
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 870 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Nine nights in 3-star-plus hotels and pousadas, the Salvador to Fortaleza flight, 9 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners, airport transfers at both ends, our own vehicle and driver, 4x4s and buggies in Jeri, your See Sight Tours guide throughout with local Chapada guides, and every visit in the day plan, including the capoeira class, cooking evening, cave swim and Jeri fee.
How big is the group and who leads it?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests. A See Sight Tours guide travels with you from Salvador to Fortaleza, handling the flight, hotels and the plan each day. Local guides lead the Fumaça trail and the caves, as we do on every Chapada trail, and local drivers take the buggies in Jericoacoara.
How long are the drives?
Two days are long: Salvador to Lençóis on day 4 and Lençóis back to Salvador airport on day 7, about five and a half to six hours each, because Lençóis has only a few flights a week, not on the days we need. Both have a sit-down lunch and stops. Fortaleza to Jericoacoara and back is about four hours each way; the Chapada days are shorter.
How fit do I need to be?
Moderately fit. The Fumaça trail is the hard day, about 12 km return with a steep first hour, and you can swap it for an easier river walk near Lençóis. Pai Inácio is a short, steep scramble. The cave swim needs you to be comfortable in water with a life vest.
Will the Fumaça waterfall be flowing?
Not always strongly. August to December is the dry season, and late in it the Fumaça can be a thin ribbon that blows away as spray before reaching the bottom, which is how it got its name, smoke. The walk across the plateau and the view down the 340 m cliff are worth it either way.
I'm travelling solo. What will I pay?
A room of your own is from CAD 870 more than the shared price, shown up front at booking. Solo travellers join the same group, tables and outings as everyone else. If you would rather share, tell us when you book and we will try to match you with a roommate of the same gender.
When is the best time to go?
August to December. The Chapada is dry, so trails and caves are easy and Pai Inácio sunsets are clear, Salvador is past its wettest months, and the Ceará coast is sunny and windy. Some small lagoons around Jeri dry out by November; Lagoa do Paraíso holds water all year.
Do I need a visa for Brazil?
Since 10 April 2025 Canadian, US and Australian citizens need a Brazilian e-visa, applied for online before travel. We confirm the current rule for your passport when you book, and the visa fee is not included.
Can I bring a big suitcase to Jericoacoara?
Bring a soft bag if you can. Jericoacoara has sand streets and only authorised 4x4s and buggies enter the village, so we change vehicles at Jijoca and luggage rides in the back of the 4x4. Hard cases fit but are awkward on sand; the pousada is a short walk from where the 4x4 stops.
Is Salvador safe for tourists?
With ordinary care, yes. As in any large Brazilian city, petty theft happens, so our hotels are in busy central areas, we use our own vehicle after dark, and your guide tells you which streets to avoid at night. Leave jewellery at home and keep your phone out of sight on the street. Jericoacoara is a small, relaxed village.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 9,700 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, transfers and local guides.
How does booking work?
Pick a start date and send a request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 5,390 per person sharing, taxes included.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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