Today will be the longest travel day of the whole trip (7.5hrs). We spend one night in Vitoria, capital of Espirito Santo state. Founded in 1551 and built on the largest island of an archipelago of 33 islets joined by landfills and bridges, the city itself consists of colonial building, ports, beaches, tree-lined streets and a fine seafront promenade six kilometres long – perfect for jogging, biking or walking.  Tonight we’ll take you to Vitoria’s most lively restaurant and bar area for a night on the town Brazilian-style… you’d be pushed to see any other foreigners here!

Jan 19th: Vitoria – Itaúnas
This morning you’ll have some time with professors, and then to enjoy a morning stroll around Vitoria or perhaps visit the impressive Penha Convent located in Vila Velha high up on a hill offering excellent views over the entire archipelago.

From Vitoria it’s a nice short drive of only 4.5 hours to Itaunas; a colourful little town located on the banks of the Itaúnas River. If you walk over the bridge to the other side of the river, you’ll find yourself inside a huge ecological reserve made up of sand-dunes up to 30m high, wild ocean beaches, mangroves, flooded forests and a huge variety of flora and fauna. They say the old town (which apparently existed sometime before the 1950s) was located 1km closer to the ocean, but is now completely covered by sand. See if you can spot the old church tower poking out above the dunes.

Itaúnas also happens to be a huge centre for forro music, which is probably the most popular and easy-to-learn dances of Brazil – yes, even more than samba! The National Festival of Forro is held here every year, attracting thousands of Brazilians.

For those in Session B1: students free to fly home on the 20th or visit Amazon on own (see optional weekend trips).  To fly home from here, we will offer transport from Vitoria to the airport.  From there it is about R$300 one way to Salvador (flights not included in price of program, but if you need help booking, please ask us for assistance)

Class day + free day to explore. Loads of options on offer, most of them inside the ecological reserve. We highly recommend horse-riding along the endless, wild beaches all the way to the border of Espirito Santo and Bahia – where the mouth of the river divides the 2 states. Other cool activities include; bike-riding, hiking, sand-buggying, canoeing & kayaking down the river spotting wildlife along the way. Chances to see capivaras, otters, turtles, monkeys, sloths, lizards, lots of birds and perhaps a jaguatirica cat if very lucky!  One more night partying on the dunes under the star-filled skies of Itaúnas…..

Jan 21st: Itaúnas – Arraial d’Ajuda
Today we cross into Bahia – land of palm trees, paradise and so much more! Where we’re headed to tonight is only a short distance away from the exact place where Brazil was first ‘discovered’ back in 1500, where the very first indigenous people were encountered and where Brazil’s fascinating history began… it all started here.

Today, for those keen, we will walk for 2 to 3 hours all the way along the beach to the quaint little town of Trancoso. The timing of this walk will depend on the tides, but we’ll try to arrive in time for lunch. Since the establishment of Trancoso in the 16th Century hardly anything has changed. The town has a beautiful ‘Quadrado’, a long grassy square with a little whitewashed church at the far end overlooking the dramatic coastline below. Lining the quadrado are colourful little Portuguese houses. A photographer’s dream. When ready we’ll return by bus to Arraial and tonight take those who are up for it out for a night of Brazilian rock’n roll! (or, as they say, ‘hocky holly’!).  

Jan 23rd: Arraial d’Ajuda – Itacaré
Back on the road, we continue our travels north up the coast. It’s an easy 5 hour drive to Itacaré, with plenty of time to visit the Ilheus chocolate factory along the way and still make it to Itacaré in time for sunset and cocktails on the beach!  Itacaré has always been popular with Brazilians, but the word is only just getting out internationally. There are only a few places in the world where nature has been so generous, offering such diverse attractions in one single place. Coconut-fringed beaches, tropical rainforest, waterfalls, adventure sports and some of THE best surfing and caipoeira in the world! You won’t be disappointed in the nightlife here either… they are especially known for their reggae!  

For those in Session B2: students free to fly home or visit Amazon on own (see optional weekend trips).  To fly home from here, we will offer transport from Arraial d’Ajuda to the airport in Porto Seguro, Bahia.  From there it is about R$200 one way to Salvador (flights not included in price of program, but if you need help booking, please ask us for assistance)

Our drive today takes us 3 hours up to the small town of Valença, from where we will continue another few hours straight up to Salvador and finish your trip there.  A full briefing will be given on Salvador.

• Jan 26th:  arrive in Salvador, final projects due, graduation ceremony and celebration at night
• Jan 27th: students free to fly home or visit Amazon on own (see optional weekend trips)

Note:  itinerary subject to change without prior notice