The charming little town of Santo Amaro was, during colonial times, a major sugar producer. The towns main industry nowadays is paper production, and bamboo has taken the place of sugarcane on the surrounding hillsides.

Sightseeing
The prosperous past of Santo Amaro is still present in the decadent old sugar mansions and the other beautiful buildings. The impressive church, Matriz de NS da Pruificação, was built in 1668. It is a wonderfully ornate building with some lovely ceiling paintings.

Getting there
There are frequent buses to Santo Amaro from Salvador, most of them have connections on to São Félix and Cachoeira.