Morro de São Paulo

It is a paradisiacal destination located near Salvador da Bahia in Brazil.
It is situated on Tinharé Island, surrounding a hill ("Morro" in Portuguese). Historically, it was a strategic defense point against foreign attacks and pirates.
A wall and a fortress were built around the hill in the early colonial era.

Today, it is a very well-preserved, clean, and safe beach resort area.

In fact, motor vehicles are completely banned. Everything is powered by manpower—even "taxis" are locals with wheelbarrows who carry your luggage.

The village is extremely safe, as everyone there is either a tourist or working in tourism.

The beaches are heavenly and each has its own unique personality. They are named sequentially starting from the hill: First Beach, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Beach (also known as "Praia do Encanto").

On the right, you can see how the beaches look from the hilltop viewpoint.

The first two beaches have plenty of services, restaurants, and active nightlife.

At Third Beach, besides the shore, you will find docks where boat tours depart. You can also rent kayaks to visit a nearby island for snorkeling. It offers plenty of natural shade from trees.

Where Fourth Beach begins, you can access the reef to see colorful fish. You don't even need to dive deep—they swim in large numbers right next to you.

Fourth Beach is very quiet, offering abundant shade, restaurants, and even benches to relax.

Fifth Beach is wilder and untouched, but equally beautiful.

How to get there?

The nearest international airport is Salvador da Bahia (SSA).
From Salvador, you can take a direct catamaran (a 2.5-hour trip), a scenic flight, or a semi-land connection (which takes longer). We traveled semi-land on our way there and returned by catamaran. In the following link, we show you all options and how we traveled independently on a budget.

Below is a direct tour option with everything arranged for you:

Things to do

First Beach (Primeira Praia)

Ride the highest zipline in Brazil: 57 meters high and 340 meters long!
Enjoy restaurants entered via the pedestrian street that offer open-air beachfront terraces.
Walk up the hill from here to experience one of the most magnificent sunsets of your life.

Second Beach (Segunda Praia)

This beach has the vibrant night scene. Here you can:

Enjoy a wide, sandy stretch of beach.
Find a wide variety of lively restaurants with great ambiance and live music.
Play volleyball or footvolley (played with feet and head in pairs).
Visit colorful cocktail stands and local supermarkets.

Third Beach (Terceira Praia)

Boat excursions depart from here; you can rent canoes and paddle to a nearby island for fantastic snorkeling.

There are dreamlike beachfront hotels featuring privileged ocean views.

Fourth Beach (Quarta Praia)

At the boundary with Third Beach, you can snorkel or simply marvel at the fish swimming around you in crystal-clear water. You can walk right along the natural reef structure.
Water shoes are highly recommended!
Ideal for children because the water is shallow and transparent. They will love playing with the fish.

Tip: Wear water shoes or Crocs—while there are no sea urchins, the coral can be sharp.

The restaurant at the start of Fourth Beach plays amazing live music. We didn't eat there, but it made us want to stay all day. We just ran out of time!

Walking the entire length of Fourth Beach is wonderful. You can stop under palm shade, sip fresh coconut water, take a dip, and keep walking.

Further down, you will discover restaurants with excellent live tunes, including one with water hammocks!

We had lunch at Kiosk do Binho right next to the water hammock. We enjoyed live music and delicious food.

Here is a video from the restaurant featuring the musician:

Here is their Facebook page link. It’s truly a feel-good spot!

If you get tired walking back, you can take a horse-drawn carriage.

The natural shade provided by trees and palm trees along the way is unbeatable for relaxing breaks.

Fifth Beach: "Praia do Encanto"

We passed through here during our 4x4 excursion to Garapuá.

It radiates an immense sense of peace. Below is a photo of a beach lounge/hotel offering plenty of hammocks along the shore.

The Hilltop (Morro) & Sunset Spots

Up on the hill, you get a unique sunset panorama. A famous lounge bar with spectacular views, music, and great service is Toca do Morcego.

There is an entrance cover charge of around 15 Reais plus your consumption.

You can continue walking up towards the lighthouse to watch the sunset from higher up; a left fork along the path leads to a beautiful viewpoint.

The path to the lighthouse also leads to the zipline platform—this is where the top photo showing the beach layout was taken.

At the bottom of the hill near the main pier sits Hotel Portaló, which boasts fantastic sunset views. Entrance to their lounge area is free and offers great atmosphere. The view is majestic, as shown below:

As you can see, the historic fortress wall forms part of their structure. To the right (several meters below), you can spot the main arrival dock of Morro.

Fortress and Historic Walls

The wall surrounding the hill is lovely. The photo below was taken from Hotel Portaló looking back at the wall and entrance arch.

From the catamaran back to Salvador, we snapped another shot showing both original fortifications and the coastal wall.

Hotels & Where to Stay

While hotel options are diverse, we’d like to highlight three: the one where we stayed and two others that caught our eye from the outside.

Village Paraíso Tropical

We stayed at Village Paraíso Tropical, booked via Booking.com. You can compare rates and details here.

The hotel is situated right on Third Beach, which is extremely convenient: close to night action, boat tour departures, and Fourth Beach (our personal favorite beach).

It’s a beautiful property featuring small room blocks integrated into lush nature.

It has a swimming pool with a wet bar, play areas for kids, a pool table, and a peaceful atmosphere filled with birdsong.

The breakfast buffet is complete and top quality—we highly recommend trying their Nutella cake!

Hotel Villa dos Corais

Located right at the border between Third and Fourth Beach.

It features a vast landscaped garden opening directly to the ocean. The view is spectacular, perfect for snorkeling anytime during the day. You can check rates on Booking.com here.

Hotel Minha Louca Paixão

What catches your eye here is a stylish canopy bed placed near the entrance surrounded by beautiful gardens.

It includes a fitness gym overlooking the beach and a seaside restaurant. Check details on Booking.com here.

Excursions & Day Trips

There are several popular day trips available; we chose the 4x4 trip to Garapuá since we stayed 4 days and wanted a fun mix of adventure.

Boipeba Island

Famous for pristine beaches and natural tidal pools; reachable via direct boat or semi-land tours.

Island Circuit Tour (Volta à Ilha)

A full-day speedboat journey going all around Tinharé island, visiting Garapuá, Boipeba, and historical stops.

Garapuá 4x4 Trip

An overland 4x4 adventure passing through Zama village (where many locals live), local airfields, resorts, and coconut groves. The drive is bumpy and adventurous. We ate at Iracema Restaurant on the beach—great food and hospitality!