Nordeste Brazil

It was 1999.. my first trip to Brazil, it would not be my last. It is 2019, 20 years later on our wedding anniversary (the idea of marriage had sparkled in Brazil after all) we decided to go back to 'our roots' back to Brazil. In the meantime I had had the privilege to visit a few other places but the Nordeste (Ceara) was still on our list.

With recently introduced direct flights to Fortaleza by KLM and Air France both from Amsterdam and Paris the journey only got easier. A mere 9+ hour flight gets you straight to the start of this amazing coastline.

Windy 9 out of 12 months with the remaining 3 months being the 'wet' season (nothing major but no wind) the coastline is THE kite surfers paradise. After a two hour drive we settled in an amazing house, straight ON the beach.. and what a beach.. no fancy beach clubs, overcrowded beds.. just a never ending shoreline.. kms long, dotted with local posadas, a few hotels, fishermen and.. kite surfers. Long (sunrise) morning walks, no one in site.. meet up with the boats bringing fish and lobsters to shore.. choosing your dinner right on the spot... We could do this.. for days..

We would not be travellers if we did not move just a tiny bit so we decided to move further down the coast driving for around 5h on the beach (by jeep) towards Jericoacoara. The name the reputation it had been on my list for ever and we needed to check it out. What started as a small hippy village has now (partly also due to the opening of a domestic airport) blown up into a major party destination. We arrived on a Friday night and I will be honest .. we felt quite overwhelmed.. probably also due to the contrast with the previous days in our private beach villa. Forget the quite hippy village, Jericoacoara is still set in between the sea and some amazing dunes, the setting is beautiful, there is still sand in the streets and shops and you need to leave your car on the parking lot at the entrance but it has become a full blown party village and you need to be prepared for that. We did stay in an amazing hotel Vila Kalango with the best hotel room we have stayed in years (on stilts) and we managed to enjoy the couple of days there, but you need to adapt your expectations.

We then moved on to the other side of the peninsula to Casa Uca In Guriu a minimalist hotel just a few km from Jeri. A destination in itself and may be a good alternative if you wish to enjoy some kite surfing, buggy rides, dune rides, visit to the nearby lagoons and quick visits to Jeri for entertainment. The pool , the view, the tides coming in and out creating some spectacular sceneries and the food are all worthwhile and highly recommended.

Ideally we would have moved even further up the coast toward the Lençóis maranhenses national park, a vast desert landscape of tall, white sand dunes and seasonal rainwater lagoons.. but we keep it on the list for next time .. because we will be back for sure.

And last but not least.. we felt safe.. people are amazingly friendly, and the food (fish, fruits) is cheap and incredibly tasteful. Brazil! na próxima vez!