Upon arrival in Ilheus, Bahia, you will meet our private guide who will take you to your hotel in Serra Grande.

This area is considered the cacao capital and was formerly the port from where fruits and seeds were shipped for export. It is also the setting of the famous book by Jorge Amado, Gabriela Cravo e Canela. The drive takes us past the beautiful lush green Atlantice Forest and rolling hills.

In the morning you will begin a guided tour of the Fazenda Juerana's Cocoa plantation.

After being met at your hotel by your private guide and private vehicle, you will head over to Fazenda Juerana.

Upon arrival, your guide will take you on a lush trail through the Atlantic Forest while explaining the system and planting techniques.

After an informative tour through the cocoa plantation, we will return to Fazenda Juerana for a delicious vegetarian lunch prepared with organic products from the farm.

In the afternoon, we'll visit the headquarters of the Floresta Viva Institute to learn about the restoration project of tropical forests through the nursery of native trees of the Atlantic Forest are produced. A forestry engineer will show us the various stages of a reforestation with native trees, and then we will follow an ecological trail to identify these species in adult stage such as Pau-Brasil, Pau d'arco, Conduru and others.

Then we return to our hotel in Serra Grande.
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After breakfast, we will head over to Taboquinhas to visit another local cocoa plantation developed by small farmers where you can try your hand at making your own chocolate.

Walking from the Active Base to the cocoa plantation of a small farmer in the neighborhood, you will learn about the cocoa culture.

From the harvest of the fruit, we will continue with the traditional process, breaking the hard shell and manually extracting the seeds to deposit them inside a wooden box. Then our guide prepares the seeds, wrapped with pulp, by pressing gently until they release a liquid called cocoa honey. We experience this delicacy described by its discoverers as "a nectar of the gods". Afterwards, we toast and peel the seeds manually to then be beaten on the pylon and bring the cocoa mass to the wood stove. We mix it with other ingredients and mix the dough in the pot to finally get the real chocolate. Then we just have to wait for it to cool down to taste this delight. We take the opportunity and pack some samples to take home.

After lunch, we go visit a small artisanal chocolate factory. Here we will learn about the stages of manufacturing as well as the equipment to break the seed and the small stone mills that rotate for hours to make fine chocolate. We will do a direct tasting of the milling. Next to the factory we will visit a store with the delicious products of the factory.

Finally, we return to our hotel in Serra Grande.
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After breakfast, we travel overland to Cassange community within Marau Peninsula.

There we can find some of the best beaches of the Brazilian coast as well as fresh water lagoons. The combination of both turns that place into a kind of paradise for swimming and watching the sunset.

Lunch, dinner and accommodations tonight will be at Marau.

Today will be free to enjoy optional activities.

You can choose among some different options including a walk in the village of Barra Grande and its quite beaches, visiting a community that elaborates artisanal chocolate, snorkeling in Taipu de Fora reefs, or just relaxing at the pousada and taking in the atmosphere or finish reading the novel of Jorge Amado.

Lunch, dinner and accommodations tonight will be in Marau.

After breakfast at your hotel, you will be met by a Yampu representative to transfer to Ilheus airport to board your flight home.