Boipeba already has somehow the name of a hidden paradise, aka “very difficult” to go. And it is indeed. 10 hour trip from São Paulo, and it´s in the same country!
There are some ways you can go to Boipeba, but the most common are: a very small plane leaving Salvador (expensive) and the most common route for tourists:
Arrives in Salvador
Goes to Port – 30 minutes
Take a ferry boat to Itaparica – 1 hour (hourly)
Take a shuttle to Valença (there are buses, taxi, uber and in our case we closed the complete transfer with YouTours, very good, which put us in a minibus) – 2 and a half hours to Valença
In Valença – go to the port, and take a speedboat to Boipeba (pre-determined times and varying according to the season and month). An hour by speedboat
Arrives at Boipeba pier. Did you think it’s over? If your hotel is further from the pier (as is the case with the famous Céu de Boipeba, Mangabeiras, Casa Bobô and the inns on Moreré beach, you need to take a transport (a mototaxi, or tractor, or 4 × 4 until then)
Anyway. Did you count the amount of time there? Put about 3 hours there between waiting for the Ferry time, and the speedboat to Boipeba. As we are in the middle of a pandemic, the launch times are extremely scarce. Even if we arrived at the Valença pier at 1:00 pm, we would only have a speedboat to Boipeba at 4:00 pm, which was the one we took.
Then count a full day to arrive in Boipeba. Worth it? Definitely. It is the third time I have been there, and I doubt it will be the last.
This time, I took a modern inn in Vila da Barra, very close to the pier and the center of Old Boipeba. In front of a quiet river bank (would be the scenery of endless river baths at dusk), and very comfortable, with a delicious breakfast (but I think that all the inns in Boipeba are like that). The rooms were huge, and mine, which was the most standard, was 41 m2! The inn did not have social areas such as a pool and lounge, but with the river in front and the sea a few meters away, who needs it?
Have you finally arrived in Boipeba? Put on your flip-flops, wear the coolest sundress you have, and be happy. I’m just going to list some of the island’s wonders, because if I were to actually report all my happy days there, this post would have 20 pages:
IDILIC BEACHES – as far as the eye can see, and practically deserted, just for you. 100% social distance. Everything to do almost on foot: Tassimirim, Cueira, Moreré, Boca da Barra. Castelhanos and Bainema further afield, but accessible by transport from the region, in a 4 × 4 or in a motorboat.
In my opinion, it is 10 to zero in Morro: Morro may have that indescribable sea color, but those restaurants and all the buildings taking away the beauty of the beach kill me.
There will be no forró or pagode music in the last volume, just a pleasant noise from the waves and the ubiquitous breeze from the Northeast of Brazil.
SEA NATURAL POOLS – Boipeba has beaches with that phenomenon of tides that is an incredible scenario: in the morning, it seems that the sea has dried up. There are almost kilometers of sand and corals as far as the eye can see, and in the afternoon, everything starts to be covered by water.
In the morning, it becomes a heavenly place, with warm water and a nursery of fishes. In Bainema, we even saw Dory from “Finding Nemo”. The water is crystal clear in all, even on cloudy days and even in Moreré, where there is sometimes a congestion of speedboats and the dubious Floating Bars.
Ah, a tip: beware of the Tides. They are particularly powerful here. You walk in the morning to arrive in Cueira, and on the way back there is no beach to return. The first time I stayed in Boipeba, I stayed at an incredible inn, Dendê Loft, but I had to walk to the Center for dinner. If I returned after 10 pm, I wouldn’t. Check with the hotel staff about the times of low and high tide during the period you are there.
Seafood feast – I have a weakness for Bahian food, and so does my stomach. If I wanted to impress a gringo friend with the regional delicacies of our country, I would certainly recommend Bahian food. However, for me, it is always piriri, a high stomach ache with some exaggeration of mine. But in Boipeba, I never had one! This time I stayed there for 5 days, ate everything, and no forced weight loss.
There was the lobster from Guido on Cueira beach, there was the wonderful Lobster in butter and pineapple touch at the BoaVista restaurant in Cova da Onça, there was shrimp with pineapple, there was grilled fish, there were scooter broth (I’m not a fan of the famous shellfish there, but the broth is amazing), had crab cakes and shrimp with plantains in Castelhanos.
at the BoaVista restaurant I went to celebrate my birthday and eat one of the best dishes in life – the famous lobster in butter with a touch of pineapple. And the chef recognized me immediately: “Isn’t that the Japanese woman who was here last year on the same day?” Yes, it was me. Small Small town feeling.
Regional caipirinhas feast – I’m from São Paulo of the gem. Boring as hell. In São Paulo I only like caipiroska (from Absolut and Gray Goose) and I have a headache just from smelling cachaça. Over there in Boipeba? I had caipirinha every day in the stalls and restaurants. In Castelhanos and Cova da Onça, I had about 5 (yes, on the same day) cocoa with biribiri, all made with 51, Ypioca or Velho Barrreiro. Delicious, Fresh and Zero Migraine! Enjoy, you’re in Boipeba! There’s no car to run you ove, you’re wearing flip-flops, not high heels, friend.
Sunset feast – on all beaches, in the river. In fact, the cliché and mandatory tour is the tour around the island (100 reais the whole day, a bargain), and ends with an unforgettable sunset in the river. The tour passing through the river trees is wonderful, with the wind blowing and the late afternoon.
SIMPLICITY. Hey cliché huh? I am a Gucci girl and talk to you about simplicity? Yeah, fia. I wore my slippers all day and night. In Boipeba, I didn’t make a single purchase except the Corote from a nearby market, which I had never taken (and gave up on the third sip).
When you don’t have 24-hour convenience, French Crepe, Yogurt Ice Cream and the Fusion, Gourmet and such sections, you think the local supermarket is great! Buy all the biju snacks available, buy generic Croc potatoes (the original) and have a feast by the river.
It is to go to the same tapioca stand for dinner and see that it is really good and that you will miss it when you return to São Paulo.
It is asking for cocoa juice, mangaba, cajá without fear of stomach revenge (and I didn´t have any).
It’s like sleeping 10 hours at night (and look, I’m an owl) without mercy because you didn’t like the night (and in Boipeba, the night is just in bed)
Best of all, it’s free: having stray dogs and cats that are just love for you. They are all street animals, but they are not abandoned, they just belong to everyone. I didn’t see one who barked at us, who only came after food, because everyone is already a little chubby. There is always a friendly animal that comes to sit together with us to enjoy the comfort of our beach sheets and gain a cuddle.. There is no greater love than that.
The best simplicity of all: the security that only an isolated island can give you. For those who are from São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and live in fear and full attention to not be robbed, Boipeba is out of the curve. For now, I leave things in the sand and go for a swim in the sea. All the people talk to you and there are some of those in the countryside, to make small talk. There is comfort and security on the island that in São Paulo no longer exists.
So, I post it here on the blog because I know there are few followers. I don’t want many to discover this paradise. There is already garbage on the beach, because in the end, humanity is wrong. May Boipeba be this paradise for many years.
os 40 são os novos 20 