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In the village of Taboquinhas (BA), very close to Itacaré, the descent of the rapids of the Contas River in inflatable boats is an invitation to extreme sports and contact with nature. The rapids are moderate, but the adventure is guaranteed.
Famous for its natural beauty, the Cacao Coast, in Bahia, is formed by eight municipalities: Uruçuca, Ilhéus, Itabuna, Olivença, Una, Santa Luzia, Canavieiras and Itacaré. The latter is home to the district of Taboquinhas, which was once the center of the region and today stands out for its ecotourism attractions.
Several of the old cocoa farms have become attractive points of Taboquinhas, such as Vila Rosa, which offers visitors a differentiated experience.
The itinerary includes knowing the production process from the cocoa bean to the chocolate bar. In addition, it is possible to make trails through the Atlantic Forest, through the orchards and gardens, through the natural pools and visit the old mansion of the property, with the right to taste excellent flavors of handmade chocolates.
In addition to exploring the cacao circuit, the city has come to be seen as the perfect place for adventure tourism. Many travelers take advantage of the visit to practice sports such as rafting, rappelling and zip-lining.
The beaches are the most popular destinations for those who go to Taboquinhas, but the waterfalls are winning the hearts of tourists. The two favorites are the Usina and Noré, which has a 15-meter drop and is suitable for rappelling.
To reach the place it is necessary to cross the Contas River by canoe and walk a 10-minute trail inside the cacao farm.
Video about Rafting in Taboquinhas
With adventure or without adventure in Taboquinhas
“With adventure or without adventure?”, asks the driver of the boat before passing the first rapid. Thus begins the descent of the adventurers on the Contas River, in the village Taboquinhas (BA), south coast of Bahia.
The river rises in the Chapada Diamantina, runs through the entire state of Bahia and flows into the municipality of Itacaré. Its rapids are class III and IV and fast, due to the large volume of water.
The route is approximately 3.5 km long, lasting approximately 2 hours and is part of the adventure itineraries of the southern region of Bahia.
The adventure begins in the city of Itacaré, when a Land Rover jeep awaits the adventurers. The transportation is not that comfortable, because the 34km road is of piçarra and bumpy, even so getting into the adventurous spirit is a way to guarantee a lot of fun.
The fauna presents restingas of Atlantic Forest and if you are lucky, in addition to visualizing the flora and fauna of the region, the driver will also be part of the story telling causos of the region.
Arriving in Taboquinhas, a free market is the first contact of the visitor. From cachaças bottled with snake to rolls of tobacco are sold at the local fair, but the guide soon leads you to an old warehouse where safety equipment and the inflatable boat are kept.
The first information is given and everyone goes to the riverbank. There you will receive instructions on how not to let go of the oar, pay attention to the guide’s signals and row along with the team.
Each boat that leaves is baptized with a war cry chosen by the adventurers, even to sharpen the team spirit and competition among them. The boat leaves in calm waters, but the first rapids are not long in coming. The guide pulls over on one of the river banks and allows the first rapid to be made without the boat, that is, it is time to throw yourself body and soul into the river and let the force of the waters take you to have the first contact with nature.
You pass the rapids and climb back into the boat. Between rock walls, closed forest, the boat gently goes through the waters of the river and suddenly arrives another waterfall, this time, the crew passes without any problem. As soon as it reaches the waterfall, the victory cry sounds with everyone raising their oars.
We go over another waterfall and arrive at a small lake between walls. This is where the first stop is made for those who want to practice free jumps and abseiling techniques. Some risk it, others don’t. We climb the walls and the adventurers throw themselves in free fall in the river, always with a war cry at the end of each jump.
The course continues. A fall, then another, and the adventure gets harder and harder. The crew realizes from the guide’s talk that the last rapid followed by a waterfall is the most difficult and rated IV on the difficulty scale. No more going back.
Now it’s time to challenge it. Everyone is ready and after rowing for minutes, a small waterfall is seen and in seconds the boat cannot pass and turns over. This time the cry of victory did not echo and the feeling of being underwater is felt in seconds.
The guide’s tips are welcome at this time and the vest is a must.
The current carries the adventurers to the river bank. The raft has turned over, but the spirit of adventure continues, as a zip line of more than 200m awaits the new stage of the adventure rally.
The rafting has already been remembered and now it is to overcome from one bank to the other of the river attached by a cable of more than 400 meters high. Climbing the ladder with their safety equipment, the adventurers throw themselves onto the cable and slide over it to the other end of the river. Each one that passes causes sighs from those on dry land.
Six hours of adventure have passed and a plate of shrimp or fresh freshwater fish awaits you in the homey restaurants of Taboquinhas village. Shade and fresh water for an adrenaline-fueled rest. Adventure tourism is the perfect guarantee of fun in the South of Bahia.
How to get to Taboquinhas
From Salvador, take the BR-324 highway to the junction with the BR-101 highway towards Ilhéus.
Another option would be the BA-654 which is 54 km of land connecting Itacaré to BR-101, but which is in very poor condition. There are also daily bus departures from Ilhéus to Itacaré
Travel tips
Minors under 18 years old need authorization and signature of the guardians in the term of responsibility;
For your comfort it is advisable to bring a towel and dry clothes and go with light clothes for rafting: sneakers or flip flops, t-shirt and suitable shorts. If you wear sneakers, bring another pair of shoes to change after rafting;
You cannot raft with rings, necklaces, glasses, watch among other personal objects;
Haggle the value of the tour. The price is around R$ 70. There are numerous agencies specialized in extreme sports in Itacaré and several other tours and itineraries. Choose the one that suits your physical condition and spirit of adventure. There are agencies that already include lunch in the rafting price;
To practice rafting you do not need to have experience, just have team spirit and like emotion, because the rapids in this stretch of the river are classified as II, III and IV. In class II there are light rapids for beginners.
Class III requires some skill with stronger rapids and class IV should only be done with experienced people;
The descents are guided by experienced instructors and are practiced in boats that carry between five and ten people. Every participant is provided with a paddle, high flotation life jacket and helmet, which are the basic safety equipment;
There are several accommodations in Itacaré or Ilhés, the first is closer to Taboquinhas.
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