Experience the magic of Bahia, Brazil

Rest and renew at Casa do Morro

Join like-hearted travelers while connecting to your capacities to care for yourself, community, and the Earth

NEXT EXCURSION: January 30-February 7, 2010 for the annual Festa de

Yemanja, Festival of Brazilian Goddess of the Sea

(see optional photographic component below)

-Experience natural, cultural, and spiritual richness, in the most African of Brazilian regions, where elder women reign and the sacred is palpable

-Nurture yourself with delicious food, yoga, meditation, and circle discussions

-Contribute to social projects working in economically impoverished communities

-Develop cross-cultural sensitivities and relationships with our neighbors to the South

For an unforgettable experience, journey to the heart of Brazil, in the state of Bahia!  We arrive in the captivating city of Salvador, on All Saints Bay, home to a multitude of well-known Brazilian writers, artists, and musicians, and the country’s most authentic Carnival.  We then retreat to Casa do Morro, a century old estate (until recently our host family’s private escape) perched on a hillside overlooking the Paraguaçu River and the historic town Cachoeira in the Reconcavo region...birthplace of samba.

Researchers, travelers, and cultural connoisseurs from around the world know this place as home to the celebrated Sisterhood of the Boa Morte or Good Death, a society established in the 1800s to buy the freedom of female slaves, and still intact today.  Both Salvador and Cachoeira are recognized centers of Afro-Brazilian cultural, social, historical, and spiritual traditions made even more fascinating by

the multiple manifestations of matriarchal authority and reverence.

At Casa do Morro, we enjoy authentic Bahian hospitality, rest, and rejuvenation from morning yoga and breakfast on the veranda to evening circle gatherings - a time to share the day’s discoveries and contemplate upcoming adventures. Our journey is centered around community-based tourism, encountering and supporting local artisans, organizations, and individuals living close to the land and water, and in harmony with Earth in a manner most of us have abandoned.

1. Our January/February 2010 trip includes: (extended stays possible)
   

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3. •8 nights of accommodations (5 nights @ Hotel Catharina Paraguacu in  Salvador with 3 nights at Casa do Morro (extended stays may be arranged);
   

4. •daily breakfast, and all meals (typical cuisine) during 4 days at Casa do Morro
   

5. •daily yoga classes and meditation at Casa do Morro with Kandy Taylor Love
   

6. •tour of Salvador and the Festa de Yemanja
   

7. •visit Cachoeira/Reconcavo region with art galleries/ateliers, markets, and the Dannemann Cultural Center & cigar manufacturer (with program reforesting  the endangered Atlantic rainforest)