Amazon Adventures

Brazil

Praia do Forte

Praia do Forte is an old fishing village located 60km (37 mi.) north of Salvador in the state of Bahia. It is now being developed as an ecologically minded upscale beach resort. It offers diverse ecosystems, beautiful beaches traversed by rivers and estuaries, dunes, coconut groves, lagoons and mangroves, home to rare tropical wildlife. The village was named from the castle (forte in Portuguese) built in 1556 by a Portuguese settler called Gárcia D´Ávila to be the headquaters of his massive farm. There are ruins from the 16th century, of Garcia D'ávila tower house, that has a great observatory, with the view of Praia do Forte, besides the Sapiranga Forest Reservation with some nice trails.

The perfect 13km (8mi.) stretch of beach is thickly lined with palm trees, and the clear blue waters reveal coral reefs that stretches some 150ft (46mt) into the ocean and natural pools are formed at low tide. In the bigger pools created by the reef you’ll find fish of a different kind: bathers, often in couples, lounging in 6 - 12 inches of clear water luxuriously heated by the sun. At low tide, the receding water exposes the top of the reef, stranding colorful fish and sea creatures in tiny tidepools, turning a walk along the coral into a miniature safari. Inland from the coast there is a forest that grows on sandy soil with a very delicate ecosystem and near the village there is a small pantanal, a marshy area that is host to some of the most abundant bird life in Bahia.

Praia do Forte Ecoresort is a reference to Ecotourism practices in Brazil. It combines, in an area of 250,000 sq. mt. (2691 sq. ft.), excelent infra-strucure for sports and leisure, with 12 km (7,4mi.) of semi-deserted beaches bordered by lush groves of coconuts palms in a protected environmental area. A beautiful beach in front of the Eco Resort is a good spot for snorkelling. In the village there are several options of bar, restaurants, sales of handicrafts, and good night life.

Strict environmental guidelines have kept the beach largely pristine and developed at very low-key. Praia do Forte is now the headquarters of the extensive national turtle conservation project, TAMAR Project, with national and international prestige, credibility and recognition. In the state of Bahia, the largest number of spawnings of the Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), considered to be one of the most threatened with extinction all over the world. Bahia is also the place where the largest concentration of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) occurs on the Brazilian coast. The TAMAR Project was set up in 1980 to preserve the sea turtles, which traditionally lay their eggs on the beaches and were in threat of extinction. Female sea turtle emerge on deserted beaches during the months of September and March along the mainland coast of Brazil. After nightfall, thousands of turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, and with the right timing visitors can witness the miraculous hatching of the tiny turtles.

Price per person in US$:

Hotel	single		double		triple
	2 night	3 night	2 night	3 night	2 night	3 night
Ecoresort standard	$497	$746	$324	$486	$289	$433
Ecoresort Plus	$549	$823	$358	$538	.	.
Vila dos Corais	$292	$438	$146	$219	$127	$189
Porta da Lua	$245	$367	$142	$213	$118	$177

Roundtrip transfers per person from Salvador - US$311 for 1 person, $158 for 2, $146 for 3