3 Best Sights in Cachoeira, Salvador and the Bahia Coast

Restored in 2014 after a R$900,000 investment, this small museum located inside the Sisterhood of Good Death's headquarters displays photos and ceremonial dresses worn during their rituals and festivals. You can also meet some of the elderly, energetic women whose ancestors protested slavery. The best time of year to visit is in August, during the monthlong festival that celebrates Bahia's black heritage.

Cross over the rustic wooden bridge to the small town of São Félix set across the water to pay a visit to Centro Cultural Dannemann. This cultural center is housed in a stunning colonial building that acts as both a working vintage-cigar factory and a contemporary-art space.

This gilded baroque splendor from 1702 rivals the interior of Salvador's São Francisco; watch, too, for the white and blue Portuguese tiles and sculptures of Christ, dripping in cow's blood and imported from Macau.