People book Itacaré for the beaches and then spend a day inland almost by accident, and it is often the day they talk about afterwards. The town sits inside Atlantic forest, which is a different forest from the Amazon and a rarer one: it has been reduced to a fraction of its original range and what survives is unusually dense with species that exist nowhere else. The coast road runs through it. So do the trails to the beaches.
What Atlantic forest actually looks like
Thicker and steeper than people expect, and loud. The walk down to any of the southern beaches takes you through it, so you do not have to plan anything to see it. What you will notice first is how quickly the temperature drops under the canopy, and how completely the sound of the sea disappears twenty metres in.
Cacao, and why this coast looks the way it does
This is cacao country, and the reason so much forest survived here at all is that cacao grows in the shade of it. The cabruca system plants cacao under the existing canopy rather than clearing the land, which is why the hills behind the coast are still green. Estates in the region take visitors, and seeing where chocolate starts is a genuinely good half day.
The waterfalls
The falls are inland, and this is the part people underestimate. Most of them are not a bus ride away. They need a driver, a guide or a tour, and some need a walk once you are dropped. That is not a reason to skip them, but it is a reason to plan the day rather than decide over breakfast.
Volume depends entirely on recent rain. After a wet week the falls are spectacular and the tracks to them are mud. In a dry stretch the walking is easy and the water is thinner. You rarely get both at once, and asking locally what the falls are doing this week is worth more than any photograph you have seen of them.
The river
The Rio de Contas meets the sea at Itacaré and it is the other half of the landscape here. Boats go upriver, kayaks go out from the bank, and the mangrove stretches near the mouth are a different environment again from either the beach or the forest. It is also the calmest water you will find here, which matters if the surf has been big.
Going with a guide, and when it is worth it
For the beach trails, no guide is needed and none is expected. For the falls, the canyoning and anything involving ropes, a guide is not optional and the good ones are worth what they cost. Operators run out of town and what they offer changes with the season and the water level. Anything we have checked sits under what there is to do.
What to take
- Shoes with grip that you do not mind ruining. Flip flops do not work on a wet forest track.
- More water than you think, and something to eat. There is nothing to buy between places.
- Insect repellent, particularly near still water and towards dusk.
- Cash in small notes. Card readers inland are optimistic at best.
- A dry bag if you are going near the river or under a fall with a phone.
Which season suits it
March to June is the wetter stretch, which fills the falls and turns the trails to mud. The drier months make the walking pleasant and the water less dramatic. If the forest is the main reason you are coming, the shoulder either side of the wet season gives you the best of both. That is laid out month by month in when to come to Itacaré.
Fitting it into a week
One inland day in a week here is about right, and the day after a big surf swell is the natural one to use, because everybody else will be at the beach. Pair it with a beach day on either side rather than stacking two long days together. Plan your trip turns that into something specific, and the beaches guide covers the other half of the week.
Common questions
- Are there waterfalls near Itacaré?
- Yes, several, and they are inland rather than on the coast. Most need a driver, a guide or an organised trip to reach, and some involve a walk once you are dropped. It is a day to plan rather than to improvise.
- What kind of forest is around Itacaré?
- Atlantic forest, or Mata Atlântica. It is a different and much rarer forest than the Amazon, reduced to a fraction of its original range and unusually dense with species found nowhere else. The trails to the southern beaches run straight through it.
- When is the best time to see the waterfalls?
- After rain, when the volume is highest, though that is also when the tracks are muddiest. The wetter stretch here runs roughly March to June. In a dry spell the walking is easier and the falls are thinner, and you rarely get both at once.
- Do I need a guide for the waterfalls?
- For the beach trails, no. For the falls, and for anything involving ropes or canyoning, yes, and the good guides are worth what they cost. Water levels and access change through the season in ways a visitor cannot read.
- Can you visit a cacao farm near Itacaré?
- Yes. This is cacao country and estates in the region take visitors. The cabruca system grows cacao under the existing forest canopy rather than clearing it, which is the reason so much forest survives on these hills.
- What should I take on a forest day?
- Shoes with grip you do not mind ruining, more water than you think you need, food, insect repellent, and cash in small notes. There is nothing to buy between places and card readers inland are unreliable.
