Unveiling the Wonders of Southern Bahia: The Enchantment of Cassurubá Reserve and the Abrolhos Archipelago

The municipality of Caravelas, in Bahia, has its greatest tourist reference as it is the boarding point for those visiting the Abrolhos Marine National Park. Just for this magical destination, which houses an incredible biodiversity, where atobá birds, humpback whales, and frigates reign, it deserves a few days of dedication in your itinerary. But Caravelas hides other secrets and special reasons for your visit. Among them is the Extractive Reserve of Cassurubá, a conservation unit of 100 thousand hectares of land and sea, which also reaches the municipalities of Alcobaça and Nova Viçosa. It brings together a variety of ecosystems, including amazing mangroves, and is home to hundreds of families of artisanal fishermen and shellfish gatherers.

Some of these traditional communities are finding in community-based tourism an alternative for income and preservation of their cultures. This is the case of the quilombola community of Tapera and Miringaba, an ally of Futuri, which welcomes visitors with a special one-day itinerary.

The experience departs from the city by boat and crosses the Rio Caravelas towards the community.

The itinerary includes trails through the forest, storytelling, samba circles, breakfast, and lunch with typical cuisine, as well as an experience in the mangrove to discover the art of artisanal crab and shellfish extraction.

Located in Sítio Miringaba within the Resex Cassurubá, the restaurant Delícias do Mangue offers dishes that use fresh shellfish and recipes that revive ancestral quilombola cuisine.

History

Since 2005, the fishermen of Cassurubá have been advocating for the designation of a protected area to defend the livelihoods and culture of 300 families who depend on and live in harmony with the existing ecosystem, working as shellfish gatherers. The region presents great biodiversity and a high degree of conservation, being of fundamental importance for the preservation of the Abrolhos Bank, one of the most important marine areas in the South Atlantic.
(Source: MMA website - "New reserves were an old demand from traditional communities", 06/05/2009)

The Resex of Cassurubá, covering 100,462 hectares, is located in the coastal-marine region of the municipalities of Caravelas, Nova Viçosa, and Alcobaça, in the extreme south of the State of Bahia. It began to be created in April 2007, at the request of the Association of Shellfish Gatherers of Ponta de Areia and Caravelas (Ampac), which wanted to create a sustainable use conservation unit that would protect the mangroves of the region. After an inspection of the area conducted by environmental analysts from the Chico Mendes Institute, it was determined that it was important to legally protect the ecosystem, as well as the livelihoods of approximately 300 families of artisanal fishermen and shellfish gatherers, ensuring the use and conservation of renewable natural resources traditionally used by the extractive population distributed across 15 localities.

The region is formed by extensive mangroves, Restinga formations, remnants of Atlantic forest, and coastal-marine environments that make up the so-called "Abrolhos Bank," which is of extreme environmental importance in the South Atlantic region and concentrates the greatest marine biodiversity in Brazil. The unit is also located in an area considered a priority for conservation and is situated around the Abrolhos National Park. The extreme south of Bahia is known as the "Whale Coast," an important area for the breeding and nursing of humpback whales.

The main socio-environmental conflicts in the region involved the presence of crab catchers and shellfish gatherers from other regions, who used the area for resource exploitation using non-local techniques that lead to the degradation of the mangroves, impacting local communities. Pressures from projects related to the establishment of hotel developments and shrimp farming in the region have also been recorded.

(Source: ICMBio website - "President Lula creates and expands Conservation Units in a ceremony in Bahia", 06/05/2009)

The Abrolhos Archipelago can be considered a true natural treasure of Brazil. It is home to precious species of sea turtles, birds, and other marine animals.

Alongside the largest coral reef in the South Atlantic, Abrolhos is the only place in the world where the brain coral (Mussismilia braziliensis) is found — a massive coral species that resembles the shape of a human brain.

The uniqueness of this place has long fascinated scientists and nature lovers alike. Even the naturalist Charles Darwin, father of the theory of evolution, visited Abrolhos in 1832. These natural riches led to the creation of a protected environmental area in 1983 — the Abrolhos Marine National Park.

Boat trips to the Abrolhos Archipelago depart from the municipality of Caravelas, in the far south of Bahia. The nearest airports are in Teixeira de Freitas and Porto Seguro (Bahia), as well as Vitória (Espírito Santo).

In Caravelas, there is a Visitor Center located at Kitongo Beach, open every day of the week, with guided tours from Tuesday to Sunday. From there, the journey to Abrolhos is made by boat and, depending on the tides, takes approximately three hours.

Day trips by boat usually depart at 7 a.m. and return around 6 p.m., while the so-called “live aboard” trips last two to four days, with overnight stays on the vessels.

Depending on the tour package, visitors can enjoy different types of diving experiences — from shallow introductory dives (“baptism dives”) to deeper dives at three shipwreck sites in the region.

The archipelago is composed of five volcanic islands: Sueste, Guarita, Santa Bárbara, Siriba, and Redonda. Only the last two are open to visitors.

On Siriba Island, visitors can disembark for a guided trail led by ICMBio staff and authorized local guides. This island is home to the largest colonies of masked boobies, large seabirds that also inhabit other famous archipelagos such as Trindade Island and Fernando de Noronha. One of the main marine highlights in Abrolhos is the humpback whale watching season, which takes place between June and November.

On Redonda Island, visitors can observe the nesting of loggerhead turtles, which usually occurs between September and March.

Santa Bárbara Island, located near the center of the archipelago, belongs to the Brazilian Navy and has restricted access. However, from the other islands, visitors can admire the beautiful Abrolhos Lighthouse, built in 1861.

Abrolhos can be visited all year round, but the best period is from December to April, when the water is warmer and visibility for diving is at its best.