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Suggested Packages / Rio / Amazon / Pantanal / Iguassu / Salvador / Chapada Diamantina / Ilha Grande / Buzios
Paraty / Natal / Brasilia / Bonito / Fernando de Noronha / Florianopolis / Itacare / Chapada dos Veadeiros / Praia do Forte
Northeast 4x4 / Rio Grande do Sul / Ouro Preto/ Lencois Marenhenses / Curitiba Area / Morro de Sao Paulo / Group Suggestions

Bahia Cultural Immersion Tour

Brazil has the largest population of black origin outside Africa! However, because the intensive mixing with Europeans and Native Indians, Brazilians with African ancestors may or may not show any trace of black physiognomy, traces are very much notorious on its culture and traditions… Considering that Brazil colonization and slavery begun in Bahia, the state has the largest concentration of Afro-Brazilians - 80%. You can just imagine from that, how much of the African influence is deeply concentrated into the Bahia culture (traditions, religion, food, music, language, etc); and the result is in the arts, in the rhythm of the drums, into the spiciness of the food, and into people movement and simple happiness! We're going to give you a little taste of all that. Pelourinho - Historical center of Salvador, and a symbol of the black movement in Bahia - is the neighborhood that will show us lots of African roots.

Day 1 - arrive Salvador and transfer to your hotel. In the afternoon you will be taken to the Afro-Brazilian Museum, housed in the old Faculty of Medicine (Terreiro de Jesus). On the ground floor are four sections devoted to Negro cultures (e.g. the capoeira, the martial dance developed by the black slaves).
Stop at Protetora dos desvalidos Society - founded in 1832 to help the desvalidos (Black people abandoned by their dominators for not being useful anymore), this society played a great role promoting the slavery abolition, these days, it develops works within the community.
Stop at Our Lady of the Rosary of Black People Church - Is the only church of the Brazilian Black people; As slaves could not attend the same churches as the whites, they saved money to build their own temple - Rosary of the Blacks.
Stop at Casa do Benin - A gallery with 200 objects and arts from the Benin Gulf, West Africa, where came from most of the slavers arrived in Brazil.
Stop at the Gastronomy gallery for all the utensils, potteries, spices used in the cooking tradition.

Day 2 - breakfast, departure from hotels at 7:30am we head (assisted by the local chef Rosa Baiana) to the main open air market in Salvador – feira de São Joaquin. There you will get an introduction to the most important components of the Bahia and Afro-Brazilian cuisine. Every morning, hundreds of wind boats come from the surrounding areas of the All Saints Bay, bringing people to this market. Some of them come to sell their products and some to look for buying products (all kind of fresh and original products). After finishing our experience at the market, we drive to our experimental kitchen in a typical Bahia family house. The Bahia dishes have the influence of Portuguese, African and Indian cultures with a predominance of local exotic ingredients. At our class you’ll learn how to cook this distinctive culinary composing for example a Moqueca, made of shrimp or fish, cooked in coconut milk, palm oil, herbs and spices. To drink, we’ll choose from the variety of savory fruits that yield to a number of different tropical cocktail combinations, such as the caipirinha. With the supervision of Rosa Baiana, we will prepare 2 or 3 of the most popular dishes in Bahia, such us: Moqueca, Vatapá, Caruru, bobó, Acarajé, Feijoada, etc. At the end of this lesson, it’ll be lunch time to try what you have learned together with the chef and our local guide, enjoying a genuine Bahia meal. Then transfer back to your hotel.

In the afternoon, pick from one of the following classes:

Capoeira tradition Experience class
Music is an essential part of Capoeira tradition. Combining singing with percussion, Capoeira music provides energy and rhythm to the game. Tales are told through songs sung in Portuguese, which convey Brasilian history and the history of Capoeira. Shortly speaking, Capoeira is a unique African-Brazilian martial art, a blend of sport, martial arts skills, dance, folklore, music, theatre and philosophy. All those elements are connected by the rhythms of percussion instruments such as the atabake and berimbau. Here in Brazil, it emerged during the 200 years of slavery (16th-18th centuries). So, on one hand those people struggled to overcome adversity in a harsh new land with social injustices, and, on the other hand, Capoeira was the vehicle for personal development and expression of cultural survival. Considering that everyone is able to learn this art, and express it in a unique manner, we start our experience at the Angola Capoeira Association, either at Pelourinho historical center or at the Santo Antonio do Carmo Fort. We'll meet the Master or teacher that will tell us more about the tradition. He will give us 1 hour lesson, showing all the physical and mental benefits that this art promotes. We'll learn and understand basic techniques to take advantage in our own lives.

berimbau percussion class
A one string instrument with the shape of a bow is the main instrument of Capoeira. It is played by the most senior person present at the Roda (the circle in which Capoeira takes place). All the other instruments are complimentary to the berimbau. The time is set by the master berimbau and the person who holds it will also lead the singing. During the Berimbau Class you will learn how to make and how to play the berimbau. A professional instructor explains the essential parts and elements of the instruments, and then shows the most important rhythms that the instrument is used for. He will teach you how to construct your own berimbau and you can (optional) take home your instrument at the end of class. Berimbau lessons will cover the basic rhythms such as Angola, São Bento Pequeno, São Bento Grande, Samba de Roda, Cavalaria and Iúna. The student will be taught and will practice the ability to play the berimbau whilst singing Capoeira songs, having some basic berimbau experience and not only to the Capoeira practitioner, however the teaching will be focused on the context of Capoeira practice. It can be done as a continuation of the Capoeira class and vice-versa.

Maculelê Class
The maculelê is represented through dance and music and it is another African expression in the Bahia Culture. It's played by long sticks that are associated with the tools used by slaves in plantations. As the maculelê rhythm goes on the atabaque percussion, the 2 people begin rhythmically striking the sticks the sticks together, trying to get the best synchrony as possible! The sticks are called grimas, and measure 24 inches long by 1 and 1/8 inch thick. The general rules: On the first 3 beats, they strike their own sticks together, making expressive and athletic dance movements, and on each fourth beat, they strike each other's respective right-hand stick together. This makes for a dance that looks like "mock stick combat". (Also, traditionally in Maculelê, the players wear dried grass skirts). It can be done as a continuation of the Capoeira class and vice-versa.

Samba de Roda Class
The Samba de Roda (samba dance in circle) became a UNESCO Heritage of Humanity in 2005, and it is the main root of the most known samba in Brazil. The practice is followed by singing and clapping hands together with the instruments of atabaque, berimbau, chocalho, viola. This kind of samba has its stronger roots in Bahia, and mainly in the regions of the All Saints Bay, where most of the slave's heritages are.
During class, you'll see the main movements, also with possible additional atabaque player.

This evening, why not practice some of your skills and/or sample more local food by visiting a local restaurant that serves authentic Bahian cuisines, and a bar that supplies music lovers with an array of African, Brazilian, Latin, Reggae, Soukous, Samba, Salsa, and hot dance music, performed by live bands and DJs.

Day 3 - breakfast, then transfer to the airport (or maybe you would like to try another class first, at extra cost).

2011 Price per person in US$:

Not interested in cooking? Substitute another class instead and price would be:

Supplement per person for evening Bahia Afro Ballet Show: US$68 with 2 people, US$59 with 3, US$53 with 4-5

Here's a band playing at one of the local clubs: