The largest town on the coast, Fortaleza (fortress) is mostly known for its beaches, the ones in the city (over 30) as much as those in the surrounding areas. Visit of the city and of the beaches of Futuro (sheltering about 100 bars), Meirelles, Iracema and Mucipe are a must. The majority of the hotels, businesses and restaurants are concentrated on the avenue, several kilometers long that stretches along the sea front, and the real centre of life of the Cearense people.
For those tired of the beach, the town offers other attractions:
- The Metal Bridge or the English bridge, developed in the twenties, facing Iracema beach. It was built in the twenties and was used for a long time as a port of trade.
- The José de Alencar theatre is a superb metal architectural monument built at the end of the twentieth century.
- The lighthouse of Mucuripe pays homage to the slaves of Princess Isabel (it houses the Museum of Jangadeiro).
- You must also see the Centre Dragão do Mar de Arte e Cultura, which exhibits the best of Ceara culture. This building shelters among others, the Museum de Arte do Ceará and the Memorial da Cultura Cearense.
- Don’t forget to make a detour around the craft market, installed in what was a prison. All the craftwork of the Northeast is present here, especially textiles (clothes, napkins, curtains)...
- With regards to your palate, there is, of course, plenty of seafood for sale in this city.

Departure from the hotel at 09:00 in a dune buggy.
2 passengers with their luggage + a local driver/mechanic per vehicle.
After an hour drive, we pass Cumbuco, still touristy and close to town.
We pass near the lagunas of Parnamirim and of Banana before passing the village of Taíba, built around one street and with more coconut trees than vehicles.
Then Pecém and its long quiet beaches, before crossing Rio Suipé, between dunes and swamps.
We skirt various beaches: Lagoinha (one of the most beautiful), Pedra do Melo, Carnaubinha, Barra and Pericoara, all offering endless swimming options.
In the afternoon, we reach Fleixeiras, a picturesque fishermen’s village, practically deserted, facing reefs and their natural pools inhabited by myriads of small fish.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.
Note: The law of the Ceará says that only buggeiros (buggy pilots), trained by an authorized organization, can drive.

To reach Jericoacoara we follow the splendid coast over 125 miles, passing 12 beaches and the town of Itatipoca, nestled between the sertão and the coast. We already picture our arrival in Jericoacoara and the sunset we will see from the dunes.  It is hard to imagine a more romantic place… perfect for a rest then?? It all depends on the locals, and of their desire to sweep you away with a frenzied and sensual forro.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.

In the morning, excursion in a dune buggy.
2 passengers with their luggage + a local driver/mechanic per vehicle.
We first visit lagoa Azul and lagoa Paraíso, before passing by the “pedra furada” (the pierced stone), and the “pedra do frade” (the monk’s stone).
We then head on to Tatajuba along a sublime beach. We pass Bitupitá, a remote fishing village. One of the small islands has five rivers all converging in one place.
Tatajuba is the definition of a tranquil beach.  To be recommended to those in search of peace and a good place to set up a hammock.
Around us, 20 miles of white sand, deserted dunes, invite us to a nap.
Return to Jericoacoara at the end of the day.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.
Note: The law of the Ceará says that only buggeiros (buggy pilots) trained by an authorized organization, can drive.

Departure by regular tourist bus for Fortaleza (5-hour trip – 200 miles) before noon.
No transfer to the hotel upon arrival in Fortaleza, you will have to take a taxi (plan between $ 6.50 US and $ 11 US for the ride).
Meals not included. Night in a hotel.
Option: private transfer from Jericoacoara to Fortaleza, check with us.

From Jericoacoara, it is possible to continue in buggy towards the West, the delta of Parnaíba, the national parks of Ubajara & Sete Cidades, Camocim, Caburé. From Caburé, option to extend (by boat or on foot) towards the Lençóis Maranhenses and São Luis.

Departure from the hotel at 09:00 in a dune buggy.
As soon as we leave town, we progress on long grey or white sand beaches.
They are the theater of the local people’s life. People work there (fishing is the principal economical activity), play soccer, or take a relaxing nap with the family in the sun.
We stop when we want. The beaches invite us to swim or to meditate, while crossing villages we may want to slow down to witness a few scenes of the quotidian life of the Cearenses (inhabitants of the Ceara).
We wade or cross over the various rivers reaching the ocean on "balsas" (little barges pulled at arm-strength across the current).  In some places, in conjunction with the tide, we may have to leave the coast to follow the rocky crest over a few miles.
Lunch at Morro Branco, in a modest shelter on the beach; we then continue on to Canoa Quebrada that we reach late afternoon.
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.
Note: The law of the Ceará says that only buggeiros (buggy pilots), trained by an authorized organization, can drive.

Morning open in Canoa Quebrada; then departure for Ponta Grossa for lunch. At a beach stall, we can try some local specialties: fried or grilled fish, "romaine" calamari (lulas á dorê), and shrimps in parley’s sauce or delicious lobster.
We stay a few hours in this paradisiacal scenery where a nap and a swim are mandatory.
Return late afternoon towards Canoa Quebrada, to witness the sunset, either from the top of the red rock cliff, or from a dune in a romantic atmosphere.
At night, the activity is concentrated on the main avenue, simply and modestly called Broadway…
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.

Optional day: CANOA QUEBRADA OPEN
Day(s) open to enjoy the sun of the Nordeste and its incomparable beaches.
There are choices of diverse activities: trekking, horseback ride, kite surf or windsurf rental, massages…
Meals not included. Night in a pousada.

Departure by public bus for Fortaleza at 07:00 or 00:30. 3½-hour trip to Fortaleza, no transfer upon arrival.
Meals not included. Night in hotel.
Option: private transportation.

From Canoa Quebrada, possibility to continue by buggy towards the East, Ponta do mel, Galinhos, São Miguel do Gostoso, Natal.
For the buggy circuit from Fortaleza to Natal (or the other way around), check the section on the Nordeste on the website. 

The interior of the Ceará is unknown, but …from the heights of the Serra de Baturité and surrounded by green atmosphere, we see the scattered villages in the valley, notably Redenção, first village in Brazil to have abolished slavery.
We can visit the small museum of the local history of slavery, a production of cachaça in a fazenda or the senzala, the black and mixed neighborhood, preserved, right bellow the Casa Grande, or master’s house…
This area well serviced by windy paved roads, as well as tracks disappearing in the middle of the fazendas, spotted by small quaint villages where nothing seems to have changed since the death of Emperor Dom Pedro II, and rivers irrigating a fertile region, is entirely dedicated to agriculture.
A detour for the curious, to the discovery of a different Brazil.
Note: various combinations of itinerary available for this area; check with us.