Does "Jericoacoara" mean hidden gem in Brazilian Portuguese?

Without doubt, Brazil will become one of the world’s most talked about countries as they host the Football World Cup / Olympics double header in 2014 & 2016. Besides from the glitzy state of Rio de Janeiro, the country is absolutely full of great places to explore.

Here are the virtues of heading to to a place called Jericoacoara which is located in the far North East of Brazil. In early 2009, I was lucky enough to have my Brazilian wife plan a trip throughout North East Brazil which would easily work well for any person/group who has between 14 – 140 days to spare in the region.

However, the trip didn’t start out too glamorously as we took a 24hr bus trip from Brasilia. This wouldn’t be recommended unless it was absolutely necessary. If possible, we recommend you fly there using Gol or TAM as you can can direct flights for a reasonable price from the major cities throughout the country.

Even though your arrival point of Fortaleza is beautiful, you need to head to Jericoacoara (or, Jeri) as soon as possible. It takes about 3hrs to get there with the help of a tour company and you need to be prepared for an uncomfortable ride!

To get yourself sorted upon arrival in Jeri, it’s possible to organise accommodation from the locals who will undoubtedly pounce on you as you depart the bus with your bags. If you play your cards right, it will be possible to negotiate a good price for your accommodation. All you have to do is take a short walk through the centre of the town via a sandy main road to have your guaranteed “WOW” moment.

(From the top of the sand dunes at sunset)

As soon as you get to the beach, you’ll be greeted with a set of 30m-40m high sand dunes which are set right next to the ocean. If you’re a big kid (like me), you won’t be able to resist running and jumping down from the top to the sea. The only draw back is the lung-busting journey you’ll have to make to make your way back to the top once again.

(View from the top of the sand dunes)

After you’ve had your fill of the sand dunes, you’ll have a number of options for enjoying the rest of your stay in Jeri such as:

Enjoying a happy hour cocktail at one of the many beach side bars
Hiring a paddle board, kayak or a windsurfer to take on the locals in the sea
Watch a Copoeira show or get some lessons before joining in too!
Take a dune buggy tour
Tour the surrounding area on horseback
Walking along the beach to explore some unique rock formations
Lazing in a hammock with a book (highly recommended)

Author Bio

Luke is a lover of music, travel and all things exciting/interesting. He is also the co-owner of bytestories.com which is a new (and fun) website dedicated to sharing short stories based on real life events. Please check it out to [a] read some cool stories and [b] create your account to post up your best-of-the-best stories which have come from your travels.