Ilhéus in Brazil

Everyone is happy to point out that Ilhéus is the birthplace of Jorge Amado (1912) and the setting of one of his most famous novels,

(

, 1958). Amado also chronicled life on the region's cocoa plantations in two novels,

, (1933) and the much better-known

(

, 1942). A later novel,

(1944), continues the story.

Ilhéus's history stretches back to the earliest days of Portuguese colonization, when it was one of the captaincies created by King João III in 1534. Today the port serves a district that produces 65% of all Brazilian cocoa. Shipping lines call regularly. There are good views of the city from the

. Most tourists stay a day or so before heading north towards Itacaré or south towards Porto Seguro.

The town has a number of sights. The church of

 is a huge, early 20th-century building. In Alto da Vitória is the 17th-century

, built to celebrate a victory over the Dutch. The house where Jorge Amado grew up and wrote his first novel is now a small

, the

was once a famous bordello and poker palace. It was used by the region's powerful cacão

and linked to other parts of the town by a series of secret tunnels, through which (presumably) the macho men would flee in fear of their wives.

The

 has regular bus connections with Salvador. However, the Itabuna-Olivença bus runs through the centre of Ilhéus. The

is a few minutes' walk from the cathedral. Staff are friendly and can provide maps.

The city beach itself is polluted but the beaches around the town are splendid and increasingly deserted the further you go. North of Ilhéus, two good beaches are

, with reefs offshore and good surfing, and

, 1 km further north at the mouth of the Rio Almada. South of the river, the beaches at

can be reached by 'Barreira' bus; alight just after the

. Between Ilhéus and

are a number of fine beaches, including

,

and

(in Olivença itself), both popular surf spots. The

 has ferruginous mineral baths.

From Ilhéus, buses run to

(32 km), the trading centre of the rich cocoa zone; there are also many lumber mills.

 demonstrates the processing of cocoa. Tours of cocoa plantations can be arranged through the

hotel .

Also at Km 8, the Projeto Mico-Leão Baiano at the

This is the wettest part of Bahia, most notably in October. Jeeps leave from the

. The reserve lies along a dirt road and most easily reached on a tour or by public jeep which leave when full from the

.

Beyond Ilhéus, the paved coastal road continues south through

and

, ending at

, a picturesque town which benefited from the cocoa boom. It has several fine beaches worth exploring. A rough road continues from there to Porto Seguro.