Beaches

The beaches within Ilhéus [1] itself are neither very clean nor appealing. Most locals prefer to head north towards Itacaré [2] or to the beaches south of the city. In terms of the latter, after Praia do Sul, one of the closest and most popular is Praia dos Milionários. Only 7 kilometers (4.5 miles) from the center of town, its name alludes to its past as the favored beach of Ilhéus’s wealthy cocoa barons. You don’t have to be rich to sit at the many barracas along this coconut-shaded beach.

Subsequent beaches, such as Praia de Cururupe along with Back Door and Batuba—both in the vicinity of Olivença, 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Ilhéus—are wilder and more enticing. Large waves make swimming dangerous, though they attract surfers. Municipal buses from Ilhéus provide frequent service to all these beaches from the center or the municipal rodoviária.