Our Unrivaled Favourite
Visiting Aracaju, Capital of Sergipa, Brazil's smallest State, is so much more than a simple trip, it is a wonderful experience. The fascination lies in the fact that here you will find charming ambiguity. Everything is, at the same time, both simple and baroque, ingenuous and seductive, real and
fanciful.
"Sergipe, so close to nature, paradise, adventure, history, happiness, beauty, tastes. and yet, so close to you". These words of introduction are perhaps the most appropriate to describe the State of Sergipe to visitors.
This is the land of the "Forro", a local dance where everybody is invited and also Sao Joao, the State's Patron Saint. The Aaracaaju slogan rejoicingly declares, "if God is Brazilian, then Sao Joao is Sergipano". If he is in reality not native to Sergipe, then he certainly chose to naturalise himself there, proof being that the annual celebrations in his honour last for forty days!
Sergipe offers tourists spectacular itineraries, including the historical towns of Sao Cristovao and Laranjeiras and the Pirambu beach, whose dunes rival those of Mangue Seco in Bahia State. Although perhaps already familiar to some nature lovers, please remember the name Pirambu, as it will appear many times within this text. Atalaia, on the Aracaju coastline, has been extensively rebuilt and now boasts wide pavements, bicycle paths, a childrens' town, a surprising, beautiful Cultural Centre, an aquarium, excellent restaurants and kiosk selling snacks.
Sergipe has much more to offer. Two schooner excursions are available, one visiting a Rio Francisco canyon, the other takes you to the Mangue Seco (dry Mangrove) on the Aracaju border with Bahia. If Sao Joao became a naturalised Sergipe citizen, then Sao Francisco surely touched the Serra da Itabaiana with his presence. Just 30km from Aracaju, in the Parque dos Falcoes, Percilio converses with the birds, Falcons, Hawks, Crested Seriemas, Owls and even Vultures. He manages to train them in 15 days, whereas most master trainers require six months. To visit Paraiba is a must, just to become acquainted with Percilio and his disciple Alessandro.
For those who visit Sergipe, this is the wonderful atmosphere that you will encounter, a mix of the real and the extraordinary. Nowhere in Brazil, or indeed the world, will you find such curiosity, enjoyment and mystery to touch your hearts.
Historic Centre
A stroll through Aracaju's Historic Centre affords tourists a complete picture of how Aracaju was born and how it developed. Indeed, it is a veritable journey back in time. Look for the mansions constructed when the city was founded, the Antonio Franco and Thales Ferraz markets, recently restored and transformed into cultural and relaxation centres, the new Albano Franco Mercado Municipal (Municipal Market), the perfect place to "stock up". The Fausto Cardoso Square, which is the oldest in the Capital, Parque Teofilo Dantas with its artwork market, the Palacio Olimpio Campos, Centro de Tourismo (tourist centre) with its shops offering a rich selection of local artwork, the Museu de Artesenato and Ponte do Imperador (Emperor's Bridge) where an anchorage was constructed to receive the Imperador Dom Pedro II when he and his entourage visited Sergipe in 1860. Also, see the Igreja Salvador, the first church to be constructed in the new capital in 1857, and the Catedral Metropolitana, its Dome beautifully decorated with XIX century paintings.
The Aracaju beaches are blessed with calm, warm waters and constant refreshing breezes. A trip along the City coastline starts at Coroa do Meio beach, then "dos Artistas" and finally Atalaia, the most frequented beach, especially at night and weekends, when parties go on throughout the night until dawn.
The Atalaia shoreline is well developed for tourists, with a selection of courts for a variety of sports, an Events Park, a complex with restaurants and bars and a large concentration of Segipe's hotels and guest houses.
Among the many restaurants, you will find international cuisine, not to mention, of course, delicious local delicacies.
At the waters edge the "Passarela do Caranguejo" bars are always busy.
There, the speciality appetiser is crabs in their shells, much appreciated by the locals, always accompanied of course by animated conversation and live music. Do not miss visiting the "Oceanario", shaped like a giant turtle and containing twenty aquariums, exhibiting the rich, diverse flora and fauna of Sergipe's maritime, fluvial regions.
Moving on, you may visit other delightful beaches, Aruana, Robalo, Naufragos, Refugio and finally, the capital's last beach, Mosqueiro. Along the whole length of the Aracaju coastline, there is an excellent infrastructure, with beach bars that serve the very best in local cuisine.
For the more adventurous, you may try snorkelling or scuba diving over the coral reefs, which are found less than one mile from the shore.
Barra dos Coqueiros
Barra dos Coqueiras is Sergipe's principal maritime port, and is a mixture of island and continent. You may reach it either by crossing a modern bridge, or a few minute ride in a small boat, called locally "to-to-to'.
Situated between the mangroves, rivers and ocean, Sergipe offers the visitor delightful landscapes, many of them still untouched, but never the less, offering excellent, discreet infra structures. Situated in front of Aracaju, is Atalaia Nova beach, "The" meeting point at weekends! There you will find excellent waterfront restaurants set by the crystal clear calm sea where it
meets the river waters. There are also two ocean beaches nearby, Costa and Jatoba, favourite destinations for radical sport enthusiasts who go there for surfing and amateur fishing.
Croa do Gore
Croa do Gore is a tiny, white beached island created the sea tides and situated in the river Vaza-Barri, between Aracaju and Sao Cristovao. The island was given its name posthumously in memory of Gore, a local lover and admirer of nature and the waterways.
During the weekends, Croa attracts visitors seeking peace and relaxation. They arrive in launches, boats and Catamarans, having left their moorings at Mosqueiro.The short journey, which takes ten to fifteen minutes, serves as a taste of the wonders that the visitors will encounter; native mangroves, small fluvial islands and unspoilt natural vegetation, which form a
delightful background for the beautiful mansions built along the river's edge.
The island infrastructure is rustic, comprising little straw huts and a floating restaurant which serves appetisers of fried fish, stewed oysters, "Aratu" and "Sururu" (Mussels). When the tide rises, you may continue enjoying the natural surroundings as a raised platform, set in the sand
protects you.