Salvador's Soul: Private Transformative Cultural Dive

Here is what you get with this: A tour of Salvador that centers on African/Black experience, history, and culture, conducted by a team of passionate locals who keep it both informative and engaging. Highly recommended. Our tour guide, Nilson, was great — he mixed anecdotes, historical background, observation, and humor with, making the experience fun and fulfilling. It is long, so come prepared with what you need, but the air-conditioned car is never far away.

Our tour guide, Vagner, was amazing! He spoke English well. This tour was definitely my favorite, or at the very least, second favorite tour of our one-week Brazil trip. We visited different museums and Vagner helped explain the history and culture behind many of what we saw. (If you use google translate and the camera option in this app, you can also translate Portuguese words/menus/descriptions in museums from Portuguese to your language). I highly do NOT recommend keeping your phone in your hand or holding it up, and was thankful Vagner explained things so well with so much knowledge. I felt like we saw the entire city with this tour. We went into favela-like areas, went into a vodun worship area, met the doctor, who invited us for lunch. We went to all the tourist hot spots. We went to the large market, saw livestock being sold, meat being butchered, spices, voodoo dolls, and so much more. This tour is definitely a MUST if you want to explore the deep culture of Salvador in a safe way with a knowledgeable tour guide and driver.

Where do I start? This tour changed my life and the trajectory of my coaching business. By learning about the history and the beginning of Salvador and walking through paths that were once slave auction spaces, I feel I am forever changed by the honesty, opennessndor, and generosity of Marcos. He even went out of his way to ensure I had vegan options. This tour covers many spaces in Salvador, but Marcos gives the true history and the background of how this history affects Bahia today. Not one to miss!

Great tour. Very knowledgeable guide who took the time to explain the intricate details of the Afro influence in the early days in Portuguese occupation.

We actually went on the Salvador: African Heritage & Acarajé Tasting 4-Hour Tour This Tour and History lesson was extremely fulfilling. I learned soooo much about who I am as an African descendant. Marcos was informative helpful and just a great host. Our group of 3 got exactly what we were seeking; an education on the our African Heritage. Obrigado... Este passeio foi fantastico !

We booked a last minute tour with Vagner and Junior(driver). What a great experience! And that’s exactly what it was- an experience of Brazilian lifestyle and history! We are returning to Salvador in a few months with friends and we are definitely going to book a tour so our friends can really experience the essence of Salvador. Thank you!

<p>Josuel Olafemi Tours was excellent. Deeply knowledgeable, flexible, warm, friendly, and enthusiastic about Salvador was the best guide anyone could hope for. Josuel picked us up at our hotel and began the tour by taking us to a site by the shore dedicate to Yemaja. From there, to the lake and the Orixa statutes, an extensive tour of Pelourinho, and Sao Joaquim market. He took us also to a terreiro and we had an amazing improptu chat 30 minutes! with a candomble priest who has given several lectures at top US universities! We finished the tour at a local family restaurant eating feijoada and pichichanga. This is the tour to take if you want not only an inside look into the culture of Salvador, but also have a guide that will accommodate you and answer your every question.</p>

<p>This was an outstanding tour....a great introduction to the Afro-Brazilian culture of Salvador. Our Guide, Marcos, was excellent. I could not have asked for a better tour. During our eight hours with Marcos, we visited many areas of the town. Had a delicious lunch at a family home. Highly recommend this tour.</p>

Melhor dia em Salvador foi este passado com a guia Mônia, aprendemos muito com ela sobre as raizes e misturas de Salvador e os porquês. Fluente em inglês, não deixou nada de fora mudando de idioma dependendo da situação. Ela é excelente.

Es un paseo en el que se conoce una Salvador muy diferente, lejos de los puntos turísticos. El guía es un libro abierto, muy dispuesto a responder todas las preguntas (¡y fueron muchas!) y apasionado por su tarea. El almuerzo, con una feijoada riquísima, y la visita al Museo Afro fueron el cierre de oro. ¡Súper recomendable!