Paulo Afonso

Paulo Afonso is a city of 118,000 people (2022) in the Bahia Interior in Northeastern Brazil. It is located near the states of Alagoas, Sergipe and Pernambuco.

Get in

By car

BR-110 fom the capital, Salvador; local highways from Alagoas, Sergipe, Pernambuco and neighboring municipalities. BA-210 is a very important road for the northern region of the state of Bahia: it connects the most important municipalities in the region of the São Francisco Valley and goes to the border with the state of Sergipe.

By bus

• Paulo Afonso is about 9 hours by bus from Salvador (about R$70).

By plane

Paulo Afonso Airport PAV  ^IATA on Highway BA-210 5 km from the city center teceives flights flights from Recife and Salvador.

See

Tourism in Paulo Afonso has increased in events such as Moto Energia and São João in the region. The city also receives tourists because it has natural beauties such as the waterfalls and the Raso da Catarina environmental reserve (where endangered species such as the Lear's Macaw and the Flying Dove can be found).  

Do

• The main attraction is the Paulo Afonso Hydroelectric Complex, which contains three dams and provides power for much of Northeast Brazil. Visitors can take a tour of the complex for R$25 per person (plus R$30 per group if you don't have your own car). Inquire at the tourist information center on Av. Apolônio Sales.
• Prainha is a beach on a reservoir created by one of the dams. A nice place to relax. There are several restaurants here.
• Paulo Afonso is known as the Brazilian capital of extreme sports, and hosts several extreme events to take place throughout the year
• The Sailing Cup lasts an average of 3 to 6 days and normally, as it is out of season, most of the great singers are available to perform at the event.