Stepping off in Paradise

I step off the boat in Velha Boipeba and immediately want to cancel my trip to the more popular neighbouring island, Morro de São Paulo, which is supposed to be my next stop in a few days.

Though Boipeba is in Bahia, it’s not been a straightforward trip from Salvador. I left my pousada at 05.00, and it’s now 11.00.

The journey involved getting the ferry to Itaparica Island, a bus to Valença, a car, and then a speedboat to Boipeba. So far, though, it looks like it was worth it.

Everyone in Salvador I told I was going to Boipeba would exclaim ‘Paraiso’ or ‘muito linda’, and they are right. I’ve immediately got a blissful feeling of paradise, and I hope it continues. The colourfulness of the island strikes me immediately, and it has a rural feeling of simplicity.

Getting around in Boipeba

I’m staying in Moreré, but I have no idea how to get there, and I’m aimlessly wandering, taking it all in. However, the sun is blazing and burning my shoulders, so I will find the tractor service to take me to my Pousada.

Boipeba has limited infrastructure – no cars are allowed, adding to its tranquillity and removing urban noise. Transportation on the island primarily relies on walking, bicycles, boats and tractors. Tractors are modified – they’re like a quad bike with a back seat for passengers and are often used to navigate remote areas. The tractor service serves as a low-impact mode of transport.

There’s a terminal area with a group of young men on tractors who provide the service for R$25 – 30. “Pousada Moreré”, I exclaim. One of them directs me to a tractor, ties my bag to the front, and I hop on. Moreré is around fifteen minutes from the town of Velha Boipeba.
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The sandy path of mini dunes hurts a bit being bumped around and feels like a deep tissue body massage. Even if the island did have cars, the roads would be hugely challenging. However, I hope it maintains the minimal development and laid-back, rustic charm.

Moreré

I get off in the village of Moreré, located east of the island. The driver indicates I have to walk onto the beach to find my accommodation. I understand as I speak minimal Portuguese and am an expert in hand gestures. If you visit Boipeba with no Portuguese, you will struggle. So far, no one speaks English, which is good, as it forces me to learn.

Moreré is a little further out from Velha Boipeba but has a few restaurants and shops in the village square.

I get to my Pousada, Pousada Moreré and meet the manager, Diego. Diego is from Sao Paulo and explains that after a trip to Boipeba, he returned to Sao Paulo, packed his stuff and came to live here. I’m not at all surprised. I’ve just got here, and I want to do the same. I get the sudden urge to throw minimal things in a backpack and move here to live selling fruit and caipirinhas on the beach.

Diego shows me to my room. Being a Paulista, he speaks English well. The pousada is beachfront, tranquil, in harmony with the natural surroundings and authentic Bahian living.

Some accommodation in Boipeba caters to eco-tourism, using sustainable materials and offering amenities such as solar-powered electricity.

Passaeio along the Praia

I walk along the soft white sand beach in Moreré – one of the best in Brazil. The atmosphere is serene, and the beach is pristine. It’s a long, broad stretch, and it feels like I am the only one on it. I hear nothing but the crashing of the aquamarine waters lapping at the shore.

The chime of shells on a desert island

Walking along the beach feels magic and drives introspection. Boipeba is one of those places that makes you reevaluate life.

Hearing the delicate chime of seashells, I see a few beach shacks and head over to see if they sell caipirinhas. It’s the perfect spot to stop for a drink and celebrate my arrival.

Boipeba is, for the most part, unspoiled. Walking along the beach feels like an old film where I happen to be shipwrecked and washed up on the most paradisiacal desert island.

Moreré is ideal for travellers who appreciate untouched nature and a slower pace of life. There are no big resorts or chain hotels and very much off-the-beaten-track.

Tassimirim Beach

Continuing to follow the coastal trail from Moreré, I head west towards Tassimirim Beach through stretches of lush vegetation and small coves. I see a river but don’t know how to get to the other side. Suddenly, a young man appears in a boat. He takes me across, and I pay him R$15 for the journey.

There are a few small, family-run restaurants on Tassimirim Beach offering fresh seafood, and I stop at Gleydes and eat a delicious lobster on the beach for my first meal in Boipeba.

Grand Rising

The next day, I step out to breakfast beachfront. A man is walking along and sights a couple of fallen coconuts. He’s delighted and draws his machete, chops off the top to open it and hands it to me with a huge smile. What a wholesome start to the day.

Breakfast is delicious – plantain, tapioca, fruit and a refreshing view.

The Mangroves

I’m booked on a tour to hike to Castelhanos. I have to meet the guide at 10.00 am. I ask Diego where to meet him. He points “over there with the chairs out the front”. I head over and exchange words with a lady but get lost in translation until Vinnie, my tour guide, comes and finds me. He takes me to the small tour group of four, including me, two men, a lady and a dog that decides to follow us.

We walk along Praia de Bainema, pick up another lady and her dog and trail and squelch through the mangroves, an essential part of the island’s rich ecosystem, providing habitat for crabs, fish, birds, and other wildlife. Strangely, I’m fascinated by a coconut sprouting a palm tree.

As we exit the winding waterways, there’s a boat to ferry us over to Praia de Castelhanos, where we drink caipirinhas out of cocoa, devour delicious pastels with palmita (palm hearts) and cheese, and relax in hammocks.

Boipeba is part of the Dendê Coast, named after the tree that lines its numerous stretches of beaches. The area is famous for its production of dendê oil and cocoa.

The natural pools

Moreré offers the opportunity to interact with the local community, and the next day, I go out in a speedboat with local legend Tikatika. It’s exhilarating but frightening at times. The waves are rough, and I had to hold tight to the side, but the freedom melts the fear.

The water sprays my face, and we bump the waves like hitting a vehicle. I thought I was going to fly out at one point, but the expanse of the turquoise sea is beautiful and worth being thrown around.

It’s mad how rough the waves are, and then, in the distance, are people standing in the middle of the sea. The waves ease, and we approach the first natural pool at Bainema, where we stay for a while before heading off to be bounced around again.

Hold on, what’s that? In the distance, I can see what looks like a house on stilts and realise it’s a floating bar in the natural pool. I am super excited as we pull up and disembark. It is a dream, and I don’t know how to top this trip. I’m now in a natural pool in the middle of the sea, drinking a caipirinha out of cocoa. I want to cry.

Zambiapunga

It’s evening, and I’m heading into town to see what’s happening. I take the quad service to Velha Boipeba. As I am walking around and deciding what to eat, I hear what sounds like a marching band. I’m looking around, trying to figure out where the music is coming from, and then I see a parade of adults and children walking past doing something of cultural significance.

The person leading is holding a red flag, and those following are playing percussion instruments. What is impressive is some of them are playing giant seashells by blowing into them like a trumpet.

I ask someone what it’s all about, and I am told it’s “Zambiapunga“, one of the most important festivities in Bahia and Brazil. It represents Bahian culture formed from African traditions. Boipeba is one of the few Bahian destinations that keeps the tradition.

I run out of money

I have something to eat, but their card machine doesn’t work, so I give them the last of my money. I was aware before coming to Boipeba that there are no banks, but still allowed myself to run out of money and then stupidly asked the restaurant owner where the ATM was (lol).

Boipeba Island does not have banks or ATMs. The nearest banks and ATMs are in Valença on the mainland. However, this is not a major disaster. Credit cards are accepted, but at a cost, so I will have to pay a fee.

While many hotels, restaurants, and shops accept credit cards, make sure you carry some cash for places that may not. In any event, change is needed for the quad service.

Time to leave Paradise

It’s my last day in paradise today. I have breakfast and go for a final passeio along the beach. I bump into my two Bahian friends. They sell crystals, make jewellery and are high vibrational beings. Though I don’t understand much of what they are saying, I feel their energy, and that is the only translation needed. They are the epitome of laidback Bahian living. I buy a piece of jewellery from them – a ring with a cowrie shell.

I have to take a speedboat to Morro de Sao Paulo and stop for lunch at Lobo da Boca while I wait. I’m sad to leave, and I’m already planning a return. There isn’t mass tourism, and most of the visitors to the island I have spoken to have been from other parts of Brazil. I have a feeling that will change when I get to Morro de Sao Paulo.

I see the boat and head over and board, but it soon transpires that we can’t go anywhere as it’s broken down. It’s a sign. I’m supposed to stay. Boipeba has my heart.