On Easter Sunday 1500 the lookouts of Pedro Álvares Cabral's fleet saw a rounded mountain rising out of the Atlantic haze and called it Monte Pascoal, Easter Mountain. A few days later the Portuguese landed on the coast nearby, and the story of European Brazil began. The mountain still stands over the low forested coastline of southern Bahia, and the national park around it protects some of the last stretches of Atlantic forest in this region. It is part of the Atlantic forest reserves of the Costa do Descobrimento, listed by UNESCO in 1999.
The park is also the homeland of the Pataxó people, who live in villages around its edge and have a long and sometimes difficult relationship with the park authorities. Visitors should respect the community and ask before entering their lands or taking pictures. Inside, the forest is thick with trees, bromeliads and orchids, with monkeys, birds and a few rarer animals, such as tapirs. The coast has long white beaches, mangroves and reefs, while the interior is a tangle of green.
The closest large town is Itamaraju, about thirty kilometres away, with nearly fifty thousand people, fuel and plenty of shops. The roads close to the park are a mix of paved highway and sandy or muddy tracks, and some become impassable in the rainy season, so check conditions locally and consider a guide. The BR-101, which runs inland of the coast, is busy with trucks, and the roads between the beaches and the park need care, especially after rain.
Heat and humidity are constant, with sudden heavy showers, so pack a rain jacket and drink plenty of water. The drier months, from September to March, are generally better, but coastal weather is unpredictable at any time. Seafood in the little coastal villages is wonderful, often a plate of fried fish with rice, beans and farofa, and the fruit juices, from cashew or passion fruit, are cold and sweet. The last light on the mountain is magnificent.