Trancoso Tropical, 16° south:

Trancoso is just starting to make the international tourist-circuit, but in its own tranquil way. It is a place with small colorful Pousadas, restaurants and beach bars hidden in lush vegetation. Most are built and run by the owners that live here all around the year. Major tourism has not yet taken its toll and the community resists overdevelopment. The tiny shops and the hippie-fair are showcases for local arts and handicrafts. You'll have a hard time finding Gucci-bags and Levi's jeans, but yes - there is now a Club Med and an extraordinary golf course just 7 km from the center.

Apart from having some of the very best beaches in Brazil, the heart of Trancoso is the grassy square, called "O Quadrado" with a little church overlooking the beaches and the turquoise Atlantic Ocean. The center of the village is situated on a bluff and around the square, where you will find horses and donkeys munching grass, young natives playing soccer or capoeira and many just watching while enjoying the local drink and food of the area.

Trancoso still maintains its laidback charm and the sense of a small village. Originally a Jesuit-mission and as such one of the first settlements in Brazil, Trancoso lies in the region of Porto Seguro, southern Bahia, where the Portuguese first set foot on Brazilian land. The original layout of the Jesuit-mission is still evident, as Trancoso was left forgotten by the world for centuries after the Jesuits were forced out of Brazil by the Portuguese. Here you will find a Jesuit-mission still in its original condition and protected by local codes and designated as an UNESCO heritage-site.

In the 1950´es the natives still lived from fishing and small-scale agriculture. They didn't use the Brazilian currency, but traded goods. Fish for rice. Manioc for salt. Around 1970 the simple lifestyle and beautiful setting started attracting hippies and others looking for an alternative lifestyle - away from the large urban centers. Ten years later electricity arrived. During the 1990´es more Pousadas, restaurants and bars opened, telephones and internet found its way and by the year 2000 Trancoso got its first paved road. With 8000 inhabitants from all over Brazil, the Americas and Europe, Trancoso is becoming more upscale while retaining its early charm and traditions. Most agree that there are few words to describe the magic of the Quadrado on a starry night.