Social program

The coast of Bahia is well known for its wonderful sceneries, friendly people and stress-free environment. We are preparing an appealing social program built upon the amazing musical and dancing traditions of Bahia to provide a relaxed and informal atmosphere to help foster very productive scientific interactions. During the Conference program we will have four social events:

1. A welcoming reception on Sunday evening at the Ecoresort Conference Center (http://www.arraialresort.com);

2. A "Luau welcome party" on Monday night at the "Barraca Axé Moi" (beach bar and show arena) (http://www.axemoi.com.br);

3. A Conference dinner with farewell party on Friday night at the Ilha dos Aquarios (Aquarium Island) party house (http://www.ilhadosaquarios.com.br).

Besides these events, included in the Conference registration, the town of Arraial d`Ajuda (a 10 minutes drive from the Conference venue) or the city of Porto Seguro (also a 10 minutes boat ride and drive from the Conference Venue) offer several restaurants, bars and opportunities of intense social activities. You will have some free night to explore these options.

Outdoor activities abound on the coast of Bahia. You might consider arriving a couple of days before or leaving a couple of days after the Conference. On Wednesday, for those that would rather enjoy the beaches, ocean or inland, instead of taking the technical field trip, local touristic agencies will have a booth at the conference and offer local tours. Several options are available that include excellent opportunities of snorkeling, scuba diving, bird watching, whale watching (the season will be just starting so no guarantee that whales will actually show up but they may!), trekking and extreme sports such as paragliding, mountain bike trailing and sport fishing.

Furthermore, for those interested in learning more about the local culture and history, tours are also available that will take you to native Pataxó Amerindian reserves and to the sites where the Portuguese settlers first disembarked and established their churches and towns.