What's on in Morro de São Paulo, Brazil through the year

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Summer high season

• Rule

  Island arrival fee

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Cairu charges everyone landing in the Tinharé archipelago a preservation tariff, paid at the quay or in advance through the council's app. It went from R$70 to R$90 in August 2026. Source ↗

Still on: Summer high season (15 Dec – 28 Feb)

Peak crowds — Carnaval week, Summer high season

• Festival

  Carnaval week

  14–18 FebCarnivalCrowdedBook earlyClosures

  Carnaval is Brazil's biggest holiday: banks, offices and many shops close from Monday to midday on Ash Wednesday, and Brazilians travel in huge numbers, so flights, buses and rooms sell out and cost the most of the year. Book well ahead. Source ↗

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Summer high season (15 Dec – 28 Feb)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Holiday

  Semana Santa long weekend

  3–5 AprEaster & Holy WeekCrowdedBook early

  Good Friday is a national holiday and the Easter weekend is one of the year's busiest for domestic travel: roads and bus stations jam, beach towns and country retreats fill with Brazilian families, and prices rise. Many shops close on Good Friday. Source ↗

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Carnaval week (14–18 Feb)

Busy — Semana Santa long weekend

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Semana Santa long weekend (3–5 Apr)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Winter quiet and rough crossings

  1 May – 31 Aug · usuallyOff-season shutdownRisk

  May to August is the wet half of the year, and swell in the bay regularly moves the fast boats from Salvador onto the longer road-and-river route. Pousada rates drop by half and the beaches empty.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter quiet and rough crossings (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — July winter break in Brazil, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Humpback whale season

  15 Jul – 5 Nov · usually

  Humpbacks come up the Bahia coast to calve, and boats from the island go out looking for them a few mornings a week. It is the best reason to come in the quiet months. Source ↗

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter quiet and rough crossings (1 May – 31 Aug (usually))

Busy — Festa de Nossa Senhora da Luz

• Festival

  Festa de Nossa Senhora da Luz

  30 Aug – 8 Sep · usuallyReligious feastCrowded

  The village's patron saint closes a novena on 8 September with a solemn mass, a procession and free shows on Praça Aureliano Lima, with people coming over from the rest of the Cairu islands. Source ↗

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Winter quiet and rough crossings (1 May – 31 Aug (usually)), Humpback whale season (15 Jul – 5 Nov (usually))

Busy — Festa de Nossa Senhora da Luz, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (15 Jul – 5 Nov (usually)), Festa de Nossa Senhora da Luz (30 Aug – 8 Sep (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (15 Jul – 5 Nov (usually))

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Humpback whale season (15 Jul – 5 Nov (usually))

Peak crowds — Summer high season, Summer holidays in Brazil

• Season

  Summer high season

  15 Dec – 28 FebSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  New Year on Segunda Praia and the weeks either side of Carnival are the island at capacity. There are no cars, so every bag goes up the hill behind a wheelbarrow through the crowd.

Still on: Island arrival fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)