Itacaré is a fishing village 150 kilometres south of the state capital Salvador, nestled along one of the most beautiful stretches of coast in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The town’s rich Afro-Brazilian culture of spicy food, drums and mystique draws a young and carefree crowd: the atmosphere is relaxed and lively. Once the domain of pirates, the beaches are now under the command of capoeira masters and surf instructors. As lovely as the cozy bays of ‘Havaizinho’ (Little Hawaii in Portuguese) may have been, the 16th century colonists were keen to avoid this area.

Stretching between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the Costa Verde is spectacularly green. Around the colonial town of Paraty, the coastal mountains and their many waterfalls disappear into the waters of the Ilha Grande Bay, emerging later in the form of sixty tropical islands covered in dense rainforest. These islands offer around 200 picture-perfect beaches. The bay was once teeming with pirates who had their eye on the treasures from the Caminho do Ouro, the supply route from the gold mines in the Brazilian hinterland.

According to the yearly polls among Brazilians, the Fernando de Noronha archipelago features the most beautiful beaches in Brazil. The island lies just below the equator, 350 km from the mainland and is mostly composed of nature reserve. Only 460 visitors a day are allowed so it never gets too crowded. Legend says that the poisonous plants on the island are the result of the great number of bad men who once made their home here. These were not only the notorious pirates such as Captain Kidd but also prisoners, as for many years this tropical paradise served as a prison.