Latin America - Brazil - Three Cities

Salvador, Ouro Preto, Belo Horizonte

(photos of July 2004 and August 2008)

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Salvador, State of Bahia

Brazil is well known for its major cities: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasilia. This large and varied country offers much more: here we pay a visit to three other very interesting cities.

Fascinating Salvador (full name: São Salvador da Baía de Todos os Santos; map) lies strategically on the Atlantic Coast at the mouth of Baía de Todos os Santos (All Saints' Bay). It is described at Wikipedia.

Salvador is a popular beach destination for Brazilians, while its Carnival is reputed to be the biggest street party of the world. The first photo looks down on the old harbor and across the bay to the large Island of Itaparica. It was taken near the top of an elevator that links the low and high parts of the city (map).

The high city attracts visitors to the historic and lively Pelourinho neighborhood (map) with its colorful colonial houses lining sometimes steep streets.

The Atlantic coast of Salvador counts many beaches and hotels. The following two scrollable panoramas were taken 4 years apart from the Othon Palace Hotel in the district of Ondina (map), looking eastward along the coast and southward to the ocean. The trees on the hill in the middle distance surround the Governor's House (Palácio de Ondina) and the zoo, while the Ondina campus of the Federal University of Bahia (Universidade Federal da Bahia) starts at left.

Ouro Preto, State of Minais Gerais

Another beautiful historic city is Ouro Preto (full name: Vila Rica do Ouro Preto, or Rich Town of the Black Gold; map). Ouro Preto lies some 300 km north of Rio de Janeiro in a mountainous mining region (Minais Gerais means "General Mines") and still relies on mining for a significant part of its economy, while tourism and a federal university also create much activity. It is described at Wikipedia.

Belo Horizonte, State of Minais Gerais

Less than 100 km northwest of small Ouro Preto, the huge city of Belo Horizonte ("beautiful horizon"; map) spreads out over a wide valley surrounded by mountains. The following scrollable panorama shows the inner city with its countless modern buildings.