2 weeks in Brazil without Rio: Minas Gerais and Bahia

This route takes 14 days and one domestic flight. It starts in Belo Horizonte, crosses Minas Gerais to Inhotim, Ouro Preto and Tiradentes, then flies to Salvador and goes inland to Chapada Diamantina. Buses from Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto start at about R$ 59 (about US$12, checked Oct 2026), and buses from Salvador to Lençóis at about R$ 134 (about US$26). Fares rise closer to the date and on weekends.

Why this route

Rio is the default first stop in Brazil, and it can crowd out everything else. This plan skips it and goes deep into two states instead. Minas Gerais gives you gold-rush colonial towns, Baroque churches, slow food and one of the world’s great open-air art parks. Bahia gives you Salvador’s Afro-Brazilian capital and the canyons, caves and waterfalls of the Chapada Diamantina.

The route suits travelers who like history, food and hiking more than beaches and nightlife. It uses buses for most legs and one flight to jump between the states.

Getting there

Fly into Belo Horizonte (CNF) and out of Salvador (SSA). Both are state capitals with international connections, so the route needs no return to a starting point. The only air leg is Belo Horizonte to Salvador on Day 7.

Check before you go: LATAM, GOL and Azul all operate between the two cities, with nonstop and one-stop options that change by season. Compare them a few weeks ahead and choose an evening flight on Day 7. For fare families and bag rules, read domestic flights in Brazil.

For the ride from the airport into town, see airport transfers. For buses in general, read long-distance buses in Brazil.

When to go

The best months for this route are April to September, the dry season in both Minas Gerais and the Chapada. Skies are clearer, trails are drier, and the blue-water caves of Poço Azul and Poço Encantado, in Itaetê, are at their best. That is when sunlight enters the caves and lights the water.

The rainy season runs roughly November to March. Waterfalls are fuller then, but trails get muddy and storms can cancel tours. Minas Gerais nights are cool from May to August, so pack a warm layer. For rain across both states, read best time to visit Brazil.

Inhotim sells out on busy days, including some weekends in October 2026. Buy a dated ticket ahead of time.

Where to base

Six bases and five moves cover the route. The table shows nights and why each base works.

In Ouro Preto and Tiradentes, stay in the historic center, in a pousada in an old colonial house. In Salvador, stay in or near the Pelourinho, Santo Antônio Além do Carmo or Barra. Book directly with each inn or through a booking platform, and book further ahead for holidays.

Day by day

Day 1. Arrive in Belo Horizonte. Sleep near the bus station or in the Savassi area. Eat at the Mercado Central if you arrive in time.

Day 2. Inhotim. Inhotim is a contemporary art museum set in a botanical garden, at Rua B, 20, Fazenda Inhotim, Brumadinho. Large pavilions hold single works, spread across the gardens, so you walk or ride the park’s carts between them. It opens from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are sold through Sympla, the ticket platform linked from its site. The park is about 55 to 63 km (34 to 39 mi) from central Belo Horizonte hotels, so allow a full day. Entry is free every Wednesday and on the last Sunday of the month. See Inhotim as a day trip.

Check before you go: Inhotim closes on some weekdays, and free days may need a booked ticket. The simplest way there is a tour, a transfer or an app taxi. Call Inhotim’s support line on +55 31 3571-9700, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to confirm opening days and transport.

Day 3. Belo Horizonte to Ouro Preto. Pássaro Verde runs about 14 direct buses a day from the Belo Horizonte bus station (Praça Rio Branco, 100) to the Ouro Preto station (R. Padre Rolim, 16). The ride takes about 2 hours. Fares run from about R$ 59 to R$ 75 (about US$12 to US$15). Buy at the counter or online, and sit on the right for the hills.

Day 4. Ouro Preto. The town sits on steep hillsides and was the capital of Minas Gerais from 1720 to 1897. It is a unified group of Baroque architecture, and Aleijadinho, the sculptor and architect, worked here. See the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Pilar and the Museu da Inconfidência. Wear shoes with grip. The stone streets are steep and slippery after rain. See Ouro Preto.

Day 5. Ouro Preto to Tiradentes. There is no through bus, so this is the hardest leg. One option goes via Congonhas or Ouro Branco to a Viação Sandra bus to São João del-Rei. On Sundays, Sandra has also run a direct Ouro Preto to São João del-Rei bus. Local buses then cover the under 20 km (12 mi) to Tiradentes about every 30 minutes.

The other option goes back to Belo Horizonte first. Buses from Ouro Preto to Belo Horizonte cost about R$ 54 to R$ 68 (about US$11 to US$13) and take about 2.5 hours. From Belo Horizonte, Viação Sandra serves São João del-Rei. Driving is simpler: Belo Horizonte to Tiradentes is 197 km (122 mi). A private transfer from Ouro Preto is worth pricing if you travel as a group.

Ask about Viação Sandra times and fares, and the Sunday Ouro Preto service, at the Ouro Preto or Belo Horizonte bus station a day ahead.

Day 6. Tiradentes. Walk the cobbled center, the Matriz de Santo Antônio and the stone fountain of the Chafariz de São José. Ride the Maria Fumaça steam train to São João del-Rei if it runs that day. Tiradentes is also a food town, so book one good dinner. See Tiradentes and the Estrada Real.

Day 7. Tiradentes to Belo Horizonte, then fly to Salvador. Allow a full day for the bus legs and book an evening flight. Leave a margin of several hours between the bus arrival and the flight.

Day 8. Salvador to Lençóis. Rapido Federal runs direct buses to Lençóis, about 400 km (250 mi) away, in about 6.5 to 7 hours. One bus a day has left from Salvador’s airport at 11:00, reaching Lençóis at 17:40, at R$ 159 (about US$31). Other buses leave from the city’s intercity bus terminal, which moved in January 2026 to the Novo Terminal Rodoviário in Águas Claras. Fares from the city run from about R$ 134 to R$ 160.

Check before you go: the airport bus does not run every day, and departure times change by season. Check the Rapido Federal timetable for your date and buy ahead. If the airport bus does not fit, sleep in Salvador and take a morning bus from Águas Claras.

Days 9 to 11. Chapada Diamantina. The national park covers about 152,000 hectares across Andaraí, Ibicoara, Itaetê, Lençóis, Mucugê and Palmeiras, and was created on 17 September 1985. Climb Morro do Pai Inácio, a lookout at 1,120 m (3,675 ft), for sunset over the table mountains. Swim at Poço do Diabo, a waterfall near Lençóis. Hike to the Cachoeira da Fumaça, about 380 m high, on a trail from the Vale do Capão. Spend one day on the caves and blue pools around Itaetê. Read Chapada Diamantina for the full list. The multi-day Vale do Pati trek needs extra days that this plan does not have.

Hire a local guide for most outings. Guides know the trails, the river levels and the weather, and Lençóis has an association of local guides. Book day tours through your pousada or a licensed agency in town, and agree the price and what is included before you go.

Day 12. Lençóis to Salvador. Rapido Federal runs about three buses a day, taking about 7 hours, with fares from about R$ 134 to R$ 160. Departures usually include a morning, an afternoon and a night bus. The bus arrives at the city bus terminal, not the airport.

Days 13 and 14. Salvador. The historic centre was inscribed by UNESCO in 1985. Salvador was Brazil’s first capital, from 1549 to 1763, and from 1558 the first market for enslaved people in the Americas. Its Afro-Brazilian culture shapes the music, the food and the religion. Spend a day in the Pelourinho and Santo Antônio, and one by the sea in Rio Vermelho or Barra. Read Salvador beyond Pelourinho. For a day outside the city, see Cachoeira and the Recôncavo.

Costs

Prices convert at US$1 = R$ 5.08, checked Oct 2026. Bus fares vary by date and time, so treat these as ranges.

Add the flight from Belo Horizonte to Salvador, which varies widely with the date. Budget for guided tours in the Chapada, which cost more than any bus leg. Many churches in Ouro Preto and Tiradentes charge a small entry fee, so carry cash. Lodging is cheaper in Minas Gerais towns than in Salvador’s tourist areas.

Practical tips

• Buy bus tickets a day or two ahead, and earlier for holidays.
• Carry your passport on buses and flights.
• Pack layers. Minas Gerais and the Chapada get cold at night in winter.
• Use app taxis in Belo Horizonte and Salvador after dark.
• Keep one flexible half day for a missed connection.

Skip it if

• You want beaches. This route has none. Add Itacaré or Boipeba and plan 3 to 4 more days.
• You dislike long bus days. Days 5, 7, 8 and 12 are transfer days.
• You book Inhotim late. Tickets sell out on busy days.
• You want a wildlife trip. Read where to see wildlife in Brazil instead.

Related reading

Minas Gerais sits inside the Minas Gerais travel guide, and Bahia inside Bahia beyond Salvador. For food on the route, see comida mineira and the Bahian food guide. Check your entry rules at Brazil e-visa for US citizens.