Ilhéus
Brazil · Americas
About Ilhéus
Ilhéus is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important tourism centers of the northeast of Brazil.
As of 2020 Ilhéus had approximately 159,923 inhabitants, with an area of 1850 km2, and its downtown is located 1 km away from the Atlantic Ocean.
Ilhéus has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen: Af).
The municipality contains a small part of the 23,262-hectare (57,480-acre) Una Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds the Una Biological Reserve in the neighboring municipality of Una.
It contains 15% of the 9,275-hectare (22,920-acre) Serra do Conduru State Park, created in 1997.
It contains part of the 157,745-hectare (389,800-acre) Lagoa Encantada e Rio Almada Environmental Protection Area, created in 1993.
The APA is threatened by water pollution from sewage and garbage, since most of the communities have no sanitation. There are irregular settlements of squatters in the coastal area. Other threats include irregular fishing, deforestation, fires...
Ilhéus travel guide
Understand
History The City was founded in 1534 and its full name was then Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus. It was one of the most important producers of cocoa but nowadays it depends mostly on tourism and industry.
Getting there
By plane Closest international airport is in Salvador. LATAM, TRIP and GOL have daily direct flights from Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Porto Seguro and São Paulo to the local airport of Jorge Amado, which is five minutes away from the city by car.
By car From north or south, drive BR-101 to Itabuna, then take BR-415 eastward to Ilhéus. If you're coming from Salvador, take the ferry boat and avoid the hard traffic of the trucks in the BR-101 by taking the BA-001 instead.
By bus The bus station in Ilhéus is 3.5 km west of the city centre. A local bus ride from station to the centre of Ilhéus will take about 10 minutes and costs R$2.20.
By boat Porto de Malhado - The harbor is one of the most important of the Bahia State and receives around 20 cruisers in the high season.
See
Natural beauty and beaches Praias do Sul (South Beach) Praias do Norte (North Beach) Lagoa Encantada Estância Hidromineral de Olivença (Hidromineral Waterpark os Olivença) Balneário de Tororomba (Tororomba Waterpark) Morro de Pernambuco (Pernambuco Hill, in Nova Brasilia neighborhood) Oiteiro de São Sebastião (at the back of the Cathedral, it's where the city was founded and still have the ancient canons used for defense in the beginning of the colonization) Praia do Cristo (Christ Beach) Cahoeira do Apepique (Apepique Waterfall) Places Calçadão Jorge Amado (pedonal shopping street) Avenida Soares Lopes (main avenue near the cathedral) Culture Teatro Municipal (City Theater) Cine Theatro Ilhéos (Cinema) Biblioteca Municipal (City Library) Centro Cultural Bataclan (Cultural Center Bataclan) Arquitecture Palácio Paranaguá (City Hall) Casario secular Monuments and memorials Cristo Redentor Escultura na Praia do Malhado Churches and temples Catedral de São Sebastião Convento e Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Piedade Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias Igreja São Jorge Capela de Senhora Santana Museums House of Jorge Amado. The house of the world famous novelist Jorge Amado. M-F 9AM-noon and 2-4PM, Sa 9AM-1PM, Su 3-5PM. Others Feira de Artesanato Centro Histórico Bar Vesúvio Centro de Convenções
Do
Do not miss the visit to a cocoa farm, you'll learn everything about the manufacturing of chocolate.
Buy
While visiting the Mercado de Artesanato you'll have the opportunity to know the local handcraft production form clothing to musical instruments.
Eat
Casa da Moqueca Tempero Nativo Castelino
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Drink & nightlife
Bar Vesuvio. Praça Dom Eduardo 190. Taste a bit of history by having a drink at Bar Vesuvio. Jorge Amado used to write his novels there and even used the bar as décor in one of his books. Another option is the Bar Barrakitica which is considered one of the 100 best bars in Brazil. The bar is located near Jorge Amado's house downtown. In Nova Brasilia barrio, the locals and the tourists mingle in the Mar Aberto nightclub.
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range Pousada dos Hibiscus, Rua F, quadra 15, lote 139, ☏ +55 73 3632-1080. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: noon. Lovely pousada directly on a sea-shore, 2 km south of Ilheus airport, offering twelve rooms, all with a sea view. R$120-230.
Splurge
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.