← Salvador Marathon·1 night

Praia do Forte: One Night, One Turtle Centre

A Monday night in a beach village north of Salvador, built around the Tamar turtle centre, which opens Tuesday to Sunday.

Duration1 night
TransitCoach, van or pre-booked transfer from Salvador, about 75 km
DepartsSalvador (Águas Claras bus terminal or hotel pick-up)

After the Salvador Marathon: Praia do Forte

The Route: Salvador → Praia do Forte → Salvador or Salvador airport (SSA) Logistics: A road journey of about 75 km from central Salvador and 50 km from the airport. Public buses and vans run; a pre-booked transfer removes the last-mile work. Marathon Month: September Duration: 1 night

Salvador hotel ──(transfer or coach, about 75 km)──> Praia do Forte
                                                         │
     Salvador airport (SSA) ◄──(about 50 km by road)─────┘

The Salvador Marathon finishes on a Sunday morning in September. Praia do Forte is the easy escape that follows it: a beach village about 75 km north of the city, where the main sight is the visitor centre of the Tamar turtle project.

September in Praia do Forte: the weather record used for this guide is Salvador's, which gives a September mean daily range of 21.5 to 27.7°C and a rainfall normal of 99.3 mm. Pack a light waterproof, sun cream and shoes that you can slip on and off.

Timing the Visit

The Tamar visitor centre opens Tuesday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00, according to the project's own page. A Monday visit will find it shut. The workable plan is to travel on the Monday, stay the night and visit on Tuesday, then return in the afternoon. Admission on the page read was R$54 full price and R$27 half price, with a family pass at R$150. Eligibility for the half price and the current tariff should be checked before you go.

Turtle releases depend on the animals and are not a guaranteed visitor event in September. Treat the centre as an exhibition and a place to sit, and anything else as a bonus.

Getting There

Tamar's page describes Praia do Forte as about 75 km from central Salvador and about 50 km from the airport, and notes ordinary bus and van access. Salvador opened a new intercity bus terminal at Águas Claras in January 2026, with a metro connection, and older pages that name the former terminal at the ACM station are out of date. Check where your bus leaves and when before you set off. If your legs are still stiff, a pre-booked transfer from the hotel is worth the extra cost. No fixed journey time or 2027 fare was found.

Where to Stay

The village is small and flat. Two pousadas fit the brief of a short walk and a quiet night:

  • Hotel-Pousada Porto da Lua sits right on the beach and has a reputation among reviewers for quiet.
  • Hotel Pousada Tatuapara is central in the village, with a pool in an interior courtyard, so most things are a few minutes from the door.

Ask about the walk from the drop-off point, the number of steps to your room and late checkout when you book.

Where to Eat

The village centre is a short stroll of restaurants and snack bars. Ask your pousada for one within a few minutes of the door, and order the day's fish. An early dinner and bed are the right plan after a marathon and a bus.

The Walk

Keep it to the village and the Tamar centre. The village streets are flat, and a loop of the centre takes under an hour with a coffee stop. Skip the long beach walk. Soft sand is the opposite of what a marathon-tired calf wants.

Getting Home

Return to Salvador by coach, van or pre-booked transfer on Tuesday afternoon. Salvador airport (SSA) is about 50 km from the village by road. If you are flying out that evening, leave a generous buffer for traffic into the city and do not take the last coach of the day.