Bahia is best known for its mad house Carnival, which begins in February and ends in early March. The streets are packed all night and most days. Mobile DJs and bands on flat bed trucks roll the streets and, for a price, you can follow these trucks in a roped off, alcohol friendly environment. Pick pockets, celebratory beads and sore feet are both guaranteed.

But Bahia is a fun city all year round. Beyonce played Bahia in February of 2010, but this is not a town starved for American artists to have a great music experience. The quality of Brazilian music in general, and music in Bahia specifically, is as high as any where in the world and there's more going on here than just samba.

A fine spot to go to sample current Brazilian flavor and shake your bunda (Brazilian for booty) is Madra. On the Saturday night of my visit, three different bands performed, the first hitting at midnight, the second at 2am and the third at 3:30am. Brazilians regularly party til dawn; most clubs don't close until 5am. Brazilians love line dancing and folks will either jump into them on their own or at …

I knew almost nothing about Salvador da Bahia before my visit. However, discovering its history, culture, and nightlife was mind-blowing. Salvador da Bahia remains among my favorite vacation experiences. This trip report is a brief description of my visit to the culturally-rich gem.

African Heritage Tour
Salvador used to be the major hub of the slave trade in South America. Today, Afro-Brazilians make up about 80% of the city. One of the factors that make Salvador such an interesting place to visit is that the Africans that were brought to the city held onto their culture. This gives the city its exotic vibe today.

Candomblé Community
Our first stop was a Candomblé community. The major religions of Bahia are Catholicism and a West African religion called Candomblé. The Candomblé religion has several deities, or orixás. The Candomblé practitioners sometimes dance themselves into a trance in order to get closer to these orixás. We did not witness any of the religious ceremonies; however, we were allowed to see some of the worship places and meet some of the people in the community.

Ilê Aiyê
We …

Travel Expert-at-Large Nelson George takes you on a tour of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.