Guided Tour in Salvador - Brazil

The city of Salvador is located in the heart of a huge bay with several islands. It is a historic city with a rich culture, one of the first where the Portuguese who discovered it settled, and its historic part has become an entire UNESCO heritage conservation site. The city, situated in the second largest bay in the world, "All Saints' Bay" Bahia de Todos los Santos, was the first capital of Brazil. In a city with so many churches, it is said to have 365 churches, one for every day of the year. The city is also known for its many celebrations; everything is an excuse for a party, dancing, and carnival in a city renowned for its warm and welcoming residents. About 80 percent of the city's residents are of African descent, descendants of slaves brought to Brazil from Africa who were enslaved there for almost 350 years, and their culture, combined with the culture of the indigenous first peoples of Brazil and European culture—primarily Portuguese—has created a fascinating mix. Salvador also has numerous beaches, mostly sandy with warm, pleasant waters, and a wealth of colorful markets.

Salvador can also be reached on a cruise ship to South America. The port of Salvador da Bahia is located in the city center, and most of the city's tourist sites and attractions are a relatively short drive away. The cruise ship offers two main tours: a panoramic city tour and a historical city tour. For those who prefer to see more with personal explanations while choosing a tour style and pace that suits them, it is recommended to join a private tour with an excellent local guide named Dirk Van Kerckhove, originally Belgian, who immigrated to Brazil for love, speaks excellent and clear English, and abounds with rich knowledge which he delivers fascinatingly throughout the tour.

You must coordinate the tour with Dirk in advance by email dirk_vaker@yahoo.com  or by phone: +557199533134  and he will wait for you with a sign bearing your name at the passenger terminal of the port adjacent to the ship.

For five hours, he will drive you all over the city among its famous tourist sites. At many tourist sites you will walk on foot, enter famous buildings, visit a market, or stroll along a promenade with successful viewpoints overlooking the bay or the city.
The tour begins at the "Barra" Lighthouse, located on a peninsula overlooking the bay and its islands as well as the beaches of the southern city.

From there, we continue to a viewpoint over the artificial lake adjacent to the city's modern stadium, which hosted some of the 2014 FIFA World Cup matches. In the heart of the lake stand statues of African deities.

From there, we continue driving through the lower part of the city, among crowded residential neighborhoods and an abundance of markets

to the Itapagipe Peninsula, which features beautiful beaches, wonderful views of downtown Salvador, historic houses, the "Monte Serrat" fortress, and of course, several churches.

The most famous of all is the Bonfim Church, considered the holiest church in the city. The walls and fences surrounding the church are all loaded with colorful ribbons, because according to belief, whoever makes a wish to God and ties a ribbon near the church, their wish will come true. Multitudes of vendors sell the colorful ribbons to the faithful and also as souvenirs to tourists along with a variety of other souvenirs. In one of the church rooms, plastic human body parts hang from the ceiling—hands, legs, heads, etc. Anyone who prayed for healing for a damaged or sick organ and recovered brings the healed organ made of plastic to the church. Likewise, the walls of the room feature numerous photos of recovered babies or students at their graduation ceremony. It turns out that anyone who wants to study and cannot afford it financially also comes to the church to pray, and if they succeed in fulfilling their wish, they bring their photo with the diploma.

In this church, as in most churches in Brazil, religious ceremonies are accompanied by songs and dances, which makes visiting the place appealing to local youths as well and turns the church into a social gathering place.

Near the church, black women dressed in attire typical of slavery days sell typical foods (based on beans, which are a staple food throughout Brazil). Opposite the church is a sprawling tree upon whose crown and branches countless tiny squirrel-like monkeys make loud chirping sounds; if you look closely, you can see them jumping around.
The highlight of the tour in Salvador is visiting the "Upper City" (Cidade Alta), most of which is a UNESCO conservation site. This is the oldest neighborhood in the city and is called "Upper" because it is located on a cliff. You can reach it by elevator or funicular from the lower city near the port, or by driving a vehicle on one of the roads climbing upward. Much of the "Upper City" is pedestrian-only, so when you arrive with the guide, you will leave the vehicle behind and wander through it on foot among the preserved streets, squares, well-kept buildings, hotels, numerous shops, cafes, and of course, churches.

The houses are built in typical Portuguese style, each painted in a different color, and almost every house has a fascinating story for the guide.
In one of the squares, Michael Jackson filmed one of his famous music videos and even posed from one of the balconies waving to passersby. Today it has become a popular site for his fans, and for a modest fee, you can go up to the balcony and wave from it...

In the Upper City, you will also find the old Faculty of Medicine building of Salvador, which is now used for events and ceremonies.

In the squares of the Upper City, you can take pictures (for a tip) with women dressed in the typical attire of maids from the slavery era

and also with capoeira fighters. It is important to note that capoeira was invented by African slaves in Salvador, and the combination of dance and combat was intended to confuse European masters so they would think it was a dance and tradition rather than war games that could strengthen the slaves' power.

This is the place to buy souvenir shopping among the abundance of shops before heading back to the ship and overlooking the receding, interesting, and impressive city from its deck.