Bay of Camamu

The Bay of Camamu is is located in the heart of southern Bahias cacao region and after the bay of Todos os Santos in Salvador and Guanabara in Rio de Janeiro the third largest and one of the most beautiful bays Brazil has to offer.

Acarau, Ambar, Sapo, Flores, Coqueiro, Grande, Pescaria, Massaranduba, Barodeta, Quiepe and Pequena are the names of the 11 islands of the Bay of Camamu, which is also called “Tabuleiro Valenciano” by its local inhabitants.

It presents a rich estuarian ecosystems, with mangroves, restinga and Atlantic Rainforest / (Mata Atlântica). Livelihood of the local communities is based on fishing, dende production and a little ecotourism.

Transport in most of the smaller villages of the Bay of Camamu is limited to either small canoes with a simple sail or small boats with an engine less than 4 horsepower. These boats are mainly built at the Cajaíba village where until today direct descendants of the Dutch settlers live who came to Bahia end of the 16th century introducing the art of shaping boats.

Education and health care is actually another big problem for the inhabitants of the Camamu Bay. Health care is basically limited to the distant City of Camamu which due to the poor transportation means for many people of the bay is difficult to reach. Pupils of the first and second grade from the villages of Barra Grande, Ponta da Ingazeira, Sapinho, Taipu de Dentro and Tanques have to be each day a four o clock in the morning at the docking place where a boat transfers them to the school in the village of Maraú on Maraú Peninsula. At 12:30 the boat brings them back to their homes.

See also: Porto Seguro - Salvador