Melachim guide · Market · updated 2026-08-20
Why invest in the Maraú Peninsula
One of Brazil's last preserved coastlines, at a point in the cycle that Trancoso and Itacaré have already left behind. The investment case, area by area.
What makes Maraú unique
The Maraú Peninsula is a tongue of land between the Atlantic Ocean and Camamu Bay, in southern Bahia. On one side, dozens of kilometres of open beaches and natural pools such as Taipu de Fora. On the other, the bay, mangroves and the freshwater Cassange lagoon. Almost the entire peninsula sits inside an Environmental Protection Area (APA): occupation rules are clear, and that is precisely what stops the shore from becoming a wall of towers. Regulated scarcity is the raw material of appreciation.
Where we are in the cycle
Bahia's southern coast appreciates in waves. Trancoso came first: today it is a mature market with international pricing. Itacaré followed and has consolidated its level. Maraú is the next step of the same logic: the same nature, still imperfect access, and prices per square metre well below its famous neighbours. Every access improvement (roads, ferry, flights to Ilhéus and the regional airport) reprices the peninsula. Buyers who arrive before the infrastructure capture that difference.
The peninsula, area by area
- Barra Grande: the main village, at the tip. Pousadas, restaurants, year-round life. The most liquid market and the most expensive entry point.
- Taipu de Fora: the postcard beach with the natural pools. Premium strip, sought after for boutique pousadas.
- Saquaira: a quiet village between the sea and the peninsula road, still early in its occupation phase, with ready-to-build plots.
- Cassange Lagoon: the rarest setting, between freshwater and the ocean. Larger plots, refuge character.
- Algodões: a natural-pool beach with a charming village, between Saquaira and Barra Grande. Established beachfront here is absolute rarity.
What sustains demand
Three flows add up: the Brazilian holiday season (São Paulo and Salvador drive the nightly rental market), international tourists who already know Trancoso and look for the next destination, and a growing wave of foreign buyers in Brazil's Northeast. Well-built pousadas and chalets run at premium nightly rates with solid occupancy, creating income while the land appreciates.
The checks that separate a good deal from a headache
- Registry record, not possession. Part of the local supply is unregistered possession. Only buy with a clean matrícula at the land registry.
- APA rules. Building parameters exist and must enter your plan before the purchase, not after.
- Access and utilities. Confirm legal access, power and water for the specific plot, not for the region in general.
Where Melachim fits: Melachim studies the region for its own projects and only lists properties it owns itself, sold directly, with no brokerage. To understand which area matches your goal, it is one WhatsApp conversation away.