Make Your Next Trip Extraordinary

Trancoso, Brazil: Insider’s Guide

by wendyperrin.com | April 14, 2022
Trusted Travel Expert
Paul Irvine

Paul’s love affair with Brazil led him to ditch his career in London’s financial industry 15 years ago to open a boutique travel firm in Rio de Janeiro. Today, from his home base in Rio, he arranges private custom-tailored trips throughout South America but with particular pull in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, where he regularly digs up intel on fabulous new hotels, hidden beaches, and wilderness adventures, and checks in with his hand-picked guides, drivers (both cars and speedboats), and private-jet pilots. His connections across the continent open doors for his travelers—imagine bottling your own blend with a winemaker in Mendoza, or taking a privately owned 50s-era Chevrolet for a road trip in Uruguay—and his relationships at the hottest hotels often translate to upgrades and gifts for his clients. His vibrant itineraries incorporate as much nature, sea, and culture as possible, and although he likes to leave flexibility in each trip to allow for those spontaneous moments that are often the most memorable, his staff is also on hand 24 hours a day to attend to any client’s need.

Trips to Brazil start at $800 per day for two travelers; trips to Argentina and Uruguay start at $600 per day for two travelers.

Where to Stay and Eat

Hotel worth the splurge
For such a small village, Trancoso has an impressive number of excellent hotels and pousadas. Paul has four favorites that fit different people, depending on what they value most: direct beach access, design, the most happening restaurant, and so on. But the one property that consistently delivers across the board is the Uxua Casa Hotel. This property really does 100% capture the “essence” of Trancoso—laid back and boho yet still luxurious through and through. The accommodation are all villas (it’s hard to pick a favorite but the treehouse is pretty unique), and all the rooms are individually designed to maximize the outdoor space, with washbasins carved out of tree trunks, alfresco bathtubs and open-air living areas. The real difference though comes from their focus on delivering a total Trancoso experience, be it via cooking classes, capoeira, stand-up paddle boarding, or moonlight horse riding on the beach; Carlos the concierge, both the friendliest and also best-connected person in Bahia, is the man that makes it happen. Paul’s travelers receive a complimentary bottle of champagne as well as a special flower arrangement in their room.

The beach lounge at Villas de Trancoso Brazil

The beach lounge at Villas de Trancoso. Photo: Villas de Trancoso

Restaurants the locals love
The Estrela d’Agua pousada on Praia dos Nativos may be the hotel of choice for Brazilian celebrities (in fact, before it was a hotel it was the private house of the famous singer Gal Costa), but it is incredibly down-to-earth, and nothing beats a long seafood lunch at its beachside restaurant; this is the best moqueca (seafood stew) in Bahia, and don’t miss the coconut-crusted prawns.

Back up in the Quadrado, El Gordo was the original fine-dining establishment when it was opened back in 2004 by the larger-than-life Portuguese restaurateur Nuno Almeida. Almost 20 years later El Gordo is still Paul’s go-to restaurant for a special-occasion meal—traditional Portuguese cuisine, side by side with modern takes on Brazilian cuisine (the badejo in a cupuaçu sauce is a perennial favorite); the candlelight setting by an infinity pool overlooking the whole length of the Discovery Coast is unbeatable.

Finally, for the best meal in Trancoso for less than R$40, the “kilo” restaurant Rabanete serves hearty Bahian and Mineiro cuisine to an appreciative local crowd who never fail to fill the wooden tables, under a large almond tree, in a prime location in the Quadrado.

Must-have dish
You have to go off-menu for this one, but Vlad, the chef at El Gordo (see “Restaurants the Locals Love”), makes the best Thai prawns in Brazil. If you are feeling brave, ask for them extra spicy, and put the flames out with an ice-cold bottle of vinho verde.

What to See and Do

Sao Joao de batista church, Quardrado trancoso, brazil

São João de Batista Church in the Quadrado.

Don’t miss
Caraiva. After a two-hour drive down dirt tracks and a ferry ride over the river, you come to the tiny village of Caraiva, as cut off from the outside world as it’s humanly possible to be these days. Pull up a stump in the shade of the almond tree at the Boteco do Pará; order a portion of skate-wing pasteis, the catch-of-the-day baked in a banana leaf, and an ice-cold beer; and spend a lazy afternoon watching the colorful fishing boats come and go.

Don’t bother
The all-inclusive facilities of Club Med may seem like a good option, especially for a family with young kids, but be warned: The resort is a long way from the main part of Trancoso, on Praia do Taipe, and beach access is via a steep flight of cliffside steps.

Hidden gem
Trancoso is most famous for its beaches, and rightly so. However, what makes the beaches all the more special is the exuberant nature and well-preserved tracts of Atlantic rainforest that hem the coastline. One of the best ways to experience the wilder side of Trancoso is in the newly created private “Rio do Brasil” nature reserve, funded and cared for by the Pousada Tutabel (another of Paul’s favorite lodgings here—you really are spoilt for choice when it comes to hotels in Trancoso). Biologists have identified 465 different species in the reserve, 86 of which are endemic to the Atlantic rainforest and 17 are endangered. Paul can arrange for nature hikes, bird watching, mountain biking, as well as kayaking on the “Brazil River,” one of the first rivers mapped in Brazil.

Private Villa, Transcoso, Brazil

Depending on when you go, Trancoso, Brazil, can be either a party scene or a peaceful getaway with private villas like this. Photo: Paul Irvine.

Cheap thrill
Book a half-day ATV excursion for an exhilarating way to take in some of Trancoso’s nature. You’ll follow dirt tracks through the tropical undergrowth and traverse rivers to come out on the gorgeous deserted beach of Itaquena before returning through the Buffalo Valley, a great spot for bird watching and home, as the name suggests, to a large herd of buffalo.

Bragging rights
Although this is a remote corner of rural Brazil, the remarkably unphased locals are more than used to dealing with VIPs and have a great can-do attitude, so when it comes down to it, almost anything is possible. In the past Paul has arranged surprise marriage proposals on the beach, customs officials to come up from Porto Seguro to the private airstrip in Terravista, and dinners cooked by famous chefs from São Paulo.

How to spend a Sunday
Every day is a lazy Sunday in Trancoso! Brazilian humor abounds with jokes about the slow pace of life in Bahia, and nowhere is it easier to see why than in Trancoso. Start with a breakfast of fresh local fruits and tapioca pancakes before taking a jeep on a gentle drive through the Buffalo Valley and farther down the coast (there’s only one road, so you can’t get lost) to Praia do Espelho, deservedly famous as one of Brazil’s most picturesque coves. Settle in for some sunbathing, then go to Maion for caipirinhas and lunch. Head back to Trancoso in time for sunset cocktails at the Uxua beach bar before rounding off the day with a wander round the boutiques in the Quadrado (which open late on Sundays) and a blowout dinner at El Gordo.

Contact Paul

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Best Times to Go

If you are after a taste of the jet-set crowd and international party scene that put Trancoso on the map, then the time to go is the high season, which extends from New Year’s (most people arrive only a day or two before New Year’s Eve) to the end of Carnaval, which varies each year but falls sometime in February or March. New Year’s and Carnaval are getting busier every year, though, so if crowds aren’t your thing but you want a festive atmosphere, Paul recommends aiming for one of the lively local religious festivals—namely, São Sebastião on January 20 or São Bras in February, when they change the wooden flag poles in the Quadrado and celebrate the occasion with an all-night feast and traditional music.

If you are after peace and quiet, off-season (i.e. June through September) is pure bliss: Temperatures are still in the high 70s to 80s, and you will often have mile upon mile of palm-tree-backed beaches all to yourself.

Worst Time to Go

November has the highest average rainfall, and in a town where most roads are dirt tracks, heavy rain can make life a little tricky. Having said that, November is the month Paul chose for his wedding in Trancoso because the weather (when it’s not raining) is gorgeous: The days are long and warm without being too hot and sticky, the trees are in bloom, and the nature looks stunning. Prices are also lower than in peak season, and the beaches and restaurants are quieter.

Biggest Rookie Mistakes

Trancoso is in Bahia, but that doesn’t mean you need to book a flight to Salvador—if you do, you will be in for a ten-hour drive. The local airport is Porto Seguro. Keep in mind that there are only a handful of flights a day, and in high season these book up far in advance. The good news is that there is a private airport in Trancoso itself, so if money is no object you can charter a jet and touch down just minutes away from your villa or hotel.

Don’t be tempted to book a hotel in the center of town. All the action is in the Quadrado or on the beaches, where the roads aren’t paved and therefore often don’t show up on maps.

Scam Alert

Local taxis don’t have meters, and though the drivers are usually very honest, in high season they may try to charge extortionate rates, even for short trips. Make sure you agree on a price before you get in.

Must-Have Apps

The 3G is patchy in Trancoso at best, so turn your iPhone off and enjoy the tranquillity of the area! With limited light pollution, though, this is one of the few areas where Paul really enjoys opening up the Night Sky app (which works even without 3G) and, based on your GPS, uses augmented reality to label the key stars, constellations, and planets of the Southern night sky.

Tipping Tip

As elsewhere in Brazil, the standard tip is 10 to 15 percent, depending on how happy you are with the service. Keep in mind, though, that most restaurants will have already added a service charge to the bill, in which case you do not need to tip extra.

Airport Intel

Grab a snack from the airport kiosk called Over-Booking. Yes, that’s what it’s called.

Don’t Forget to Pack

Sunscreen. Although this is a beach destination, good sunscreen is hard to find and disproportionately expensive.

Cash. There is only one cash machine in Trancoso, and in high season it runs out quickly, so if you can, stock up on some reais beforehand, although credit cards are now widely accepted.

The Souvenir

The vendors that gather in the Quadrado behind the church have some beautiful crafts; the hummingbird mobiles make especially nice gifts to take back home.

Instagram Moment

The Quadrado. Your ideal Instagram shot will include a selection of the following elements: The Jesuit-founded São João de Batista Church, dating back to 1585; the brightly colored wooden flag poles; a grazing donkey; local kids playing football; and the fluorescent pink foliage of the jambo tree.

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