Cachoeira Colonial Tour: Slavery History & Cigar Factory

Colonial streets, a working cigar factory, and the women who kept Cachoeira's faith alive

A private full-day tour from Salvador to Cachoeira, the UNESCO-listed colonial town in Bahia's interior, traces the region's slavery history and African heritage through walking tours of cobblestone streets, churches, and a confraternity of Black women. The guide speaks English, Spanish, Portuguese or Italian. Hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, and a farm lunch with city views are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cachoeira's history and culture

• Walking tour on cobblestone streets
• Taste local fruits, cheese, and candy
• See Church of Humildes and Rosário
• Visit main square and colonial architecture
• Photo stop at church (possible entry)
• Discover Talvis cigar factory and production
• Taste Roque Pinto Liqueur
• Lunch at regional farm or Carmo convent
• Visit historic Legal Government building
• Walk and photo at Third Order of Carmel
• Visit Afro-Catholic women's religious confraternity
• Visit Foundation for woodcutting art (schedule permitting)

The experience

You leave Salvador in a private air-conditioned vehicle and arrive in Cachoeira, a town whose architecture and layout still carry the weight of its 16th-century past. The day unfolds as a walking tour through the colonial center: the food market where you taste local fruits and banana-guava candy; the Church of Humildes and the Church of Rosário, depending on the city hall's daily schedule; the main square with its matriz church and the old parliament and prison building. A guide who speaks your language walks these streets with you and explains what each building meant in the economy of slavery and what it means now.

Two stops anchor the afternoon. At the Talvis or Danneman cigar factory, you watch hand-rollers at work from tobacco leaf to finished cigar, see the production step by step, and taste ready cigars. If you want to roll your own, that costs 75 BRL extra. Then you taste Roque Pinto Liqueur, one of the region's traditional spirits. Lunch happens at a farm with a panoramic view of the whole city, or at the Catholic Carmo Convent if the farm is closed that day: both serve the local cuisine Cachoeira is known for.

The final stops are quieter. You visit the colonial building that once housed Bahia's Legal Government, where Dom Pedro I was acclaimed Regent in 1822 and which now holds a museum; you walk past the Third Order of Carmel, founded in 1691, and its cobblestone square; you spend time with an Afro-Catholic confraternity of Black women whose resistance and beliefs have shaped the town's spiritual life for centuries. The tour ends at the Foundation for woodcutting art, created in 1975 to preserve Bahian artistic tradition. Each stop depends partly on the schedules kept by local employees and city officials, so the day shifts slightly with what is open when you arrive.

What’s included

• Private air-conditioned vehicle with hotel pickup and drop-off in Salvador.
• professional guide in your choice of language.
• walking tour of colonial Cachoeira with stops at the food market, churches, main square and historic government building.
• visit to a working cigar factory with tasting.
• tasting of Roque Pinto Liqueur.
• buffet lunch at a farm or convent with panoramic city views.
• visits to the Third Order of Carmel, the Afro-Catholic confraternity, and the woodcutting art foundation.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday to FridayDepartures at 06:00, 07:00, 07:30 and 08:00

AgesAdult (11 and older) · Child (6 to 10 years) · Infant (under 6): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 2.01

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Your Tour Brazil

Is this one for you?The tour involves steady walking through cobblestone streets and multiple stops over a full day, so it suits travelers who are comfortable on their feet and interested in history and cultural sites rather than a fast-paced itinerary. A minimum of two people per booking is required.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 10 years); Infant (under 6): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly happens at the cigar factory in Cachoeira?

The Talvis or Danneman factory shows you hand-rollers working through every step of production, from tobacco leaf to finished cigar, and you taste ready cigars at the end. If you want to make your own cigar, that option costs 75 BRL per person.

Can I actually go inside the churches, or just see them from outside?

The Church of Rosário and other churches depend on the city hall's daily schedule, which is irregular. Your guide will know what is open when you arrive, but entry is not guaranteed.

What kind of lunch is included, and where do we eat?

Lunch is a buffet of local Cachoeira cuisine served at a farm with a panoramic view of the city. If the farm is closed, lunch moves to the Catholic Carmo Convent instead.

How much walking is involved in this tour?

The day includes a walking tour through Cachoeira's cobblestone streets and stops at various colonial buildings and sites. The pace is steady but not strenuous, and suitable for all fitness levels.

What is the confraternity of Black women that we visit?

It is an Afro-Catholic religious confraternity made up entirely of Black women whose spiritual practices and beliefs have preserved African traditions through centuries of resistance and continue to shape Cachoeira's cultural identity.