Parks

Salvador is not a very green city. The only true area resembling a park is the Dique de Tororó, an urban lagoon out of whose calm waters rise gigantic statues of orixás. Surrounding the Dique is a walking/jogging path shaded by gigantic trees (and traffic). Kiosks sell água de coco, and it’s possible to rent a pedalboat and glide around the water.

The Dique’s shores are flanked by Avenida Presidente Silva e Costa and Avenida Vasco da Gama, and the lagoon itself is on the edge of the bairros of Nazaré and Tororó (behind the Lapa bus station).

Boating Excursions

Boats trips around the Bay of All Saints leave from Porto da Barra and from the ferry dock in front of the Mercado Modelo. The full-day excursions stop at the larger islands, including Ilha dos Frades, Itaparica, and Ilha de Maré. Specific information is available at Salvador’s largest hotels and at Bahiatursa, or contact a travel operator such as LR Turismo (Rua Marquês de Leão 172, Barra, tel. 71/3264-0999), which also runs city tours.

Passeios de Veleiros (tel. 71/8156-5254) offers short sailboat trips around the bay and even as far as Morro de São Paulo.

Diving

There are about a dozen sunken ships in the Bay of All Saints. If you have the urge to search for buried treasure, the bay’s placid waters are very inviting. Dive Bahia (Porta da Barra 3809, tel. 71/3264-3820, www.divebahia.com.br) offers diving courses and rents out equipment, as does Bahia Scuba (Av. do Contorno 1010, Bahia Marina, tel. 71/3321-0156, www.bahiascuba.com.br).

© Michael Sommers from Moon Brazil, 2nd Edition