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Kiteboarding Ceara Brazil
Brazil: A Special Place
The one thing that makes Brazil so special for me is the people.
The
Brazilians are some of the most wonderful people on the planet.
Warm,
friendly, and welcoming.
Oh yeah... Lets not forget the Wind. 9m is a popular 1 kite
quiver here!
The temperature is perfect.
Never too hot and never cold. A T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops are perfect
attire for most occasions.
Bring Jeans, and shoes if you plan to go out at night in Fortaleza
Best Months to Visit
July thru December is the Best!
June and January are less consistent but still good.
There are waves most days of the year
Feb, March, April, and May, are the Rainy Season. Good for surfing
but less consistent wind for kiting.
Current
forecast
This is a brand new page and will continue to expand.
and will soon include:
Value, Wind, Rooms, Night life, Kite Gear, Wind, Water, Temps,
Locals, Surfing, Buggies,
Dunes, Real Estate, Music, What to pack, When to visit, Brazil Web links,
Trip preparations.
Language and communication, Taxi's, and "must see and do's"
Cellular service, Internet Service, Colleges and Schools, Student Visas
NE Brazil:
The State of Ceara. A Kiteboarders Paradise for sure!
Its all here! The Big city life of Fortaleza with its modern shopping
malls,
open markets, fine restaurants,
Universities, and Nightlife.
Small Villages along the coast, Monstrous sand dunes, miles of wild
and windy beaches. Surfing,
Kiteboarding, Landboarding,
Sandboarding,
Dune buggies, and animals roaming the streets.
Cumbuco:
Probably the most well know Kiter village in NE Brazil.
A
little town with big
International appeal.
The town gets visitors from around the world. Holland,
Belgium,
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Portugal,
France, Australia,
Mexico, Argentina, and every other country.
Americans visitors to this area are rare most
likely due to the long
expensive flight, the need to apply for a Visa, and the ever decreasing dollar.
Cumbuco is a great place to begin your tour of the NE Beaches
If you like the idea of meeting kiters from around the world, and at the same
time
being
close ( 40 min Drive) to the Big city of Fortaleza, they book a night or 3 in Cumbuco.
Cumbuco The Facts
Reading the internet "you'd think" that Cumbuco was the greatest place in the world
for
kiteboarding. The truth is that its warm sea and air temp, combined
with almost constant
wind is a rare and welcomed combination.
Cumbuco beach ( in the center of town ) IS a great great spot
to meet kiters from
around the world. The town has many kite schools, pousadas, restaurants, and has
amazingly consistent wind.
As far as the actual riding conditions... in the center of town. its 99% Hell chop!
Riding this spot you feel like you're going to lose your teeth.
For smooth water or Waves, you're need to go Upwind, or Downwind of the City
Center.
Rent a Car, Share a ride, or hop on a 1, 3, 7, or 10 day kite tour.
The town is a nice place to visit, and a good base camp for excursions,
Buts its NOT the best kiting conditions available in Brazil.
Paracuru
Anyone who has ever kited on Paracuru knows thats its one of the best places
on the planet. If you are visiting NE Brazil, don't miss paracuru.
Actually,
I recommend doing a tour and experiencing all of the nearby beaches.
The biggest mistake visitors make is staying the entire trip in one location.
Seriously, A NE Brazil Kite vacation is NOT complete unless you
get out
experience the other towns up on down the
coast.
Each town has its own
special qualities and it different
than the others.
Where to stay / Prices
There are sooooooo many pousadas there to choose from.
Here are 4 Great options that have people who speak english, and you
can contact them directly.
Tell them Jeff from Kitemare.com sent you.
Number of Days:
Most visitors here are from Europe come for 3+ weeks. Very smart people!
Most
Americans are workaholics and normally take shorter trips of 3-10 days. ( way to short!).
If you schedule only 1-2 weeks, its very likely that you'll be paying an
extra $150 to your
airlines to postpone your flight! I originally scheduled 3
weeks, and extended it to 5 weeks!
After returning to Florida, I quickly scheduled another trip.... for 12 weeks.
Still wasn't enough! This trip is 6 Months! Perfect.
Brazil Value.
This Month (Oct) . The USD was 1 to 1.8 Brazillian Reais (R$)
The Euro is around 1 to 3
$1 Real ( Pronounced " Hey-AL " AL as in "Al Bundy" from the TV
show)
$2 Reais ( Pronounced " Hey - Ice") The Letter "R" at the beginning of a
work is pronounced like
the sound of "H"
Apartment Rentals Can be found for R$1,000.( per month (for one month) and
as low
as R$500 per month ( for multi months).
House Rentals
Excursions
Cawipe - Flatwater kite lagoon
Icarai - Surfing
Taiba - Surfing, Flatwater kite lagoon, and wave-kiting
Paracuru - bay and reef, the center beach is windless, the kite beach is South of town.
Flexairas
Mundau
Prea
Icarai to Cumbuco downwinder
Cumbuco to Cawepe downwinder
Jeri: Pure magic, you'll have to experience the place to understand.
Canoa-Quebrada http://www.canoa-quebrada.com/
South of Fortaleza
Fortaleza: Beach park, Beira Mar, Praia Futuro
Buggy Rentals and Rides:
Buggy's are Huge fun to drive and ride the dunes and beaches.
Warning: The buggy's only "appear" to have a "roll bar". Fact, these
are NOT roll bars
as they are only bolted onto the fiberglass, and not connected to the frame.
Translation: The metal is excellent for carrying kitegear, but If your
buggy rolls over,
The metal can easily be separated from the fiber, and exposing you to the full
weight of
the car. ( Now that you've been warned, I currently take the risk and
drive my buggy everyday, Fun! )
Be sure to choose your driver carefully.
Conditions:
Windy! 7-14m Kites. In the windy season: July thru Dec,
a 9m is the most popular size.
Small Waves, Big waves, Flat wave, Chop, Deep, Shallow, Salt water,
freshwater, its all here!
Temp: Warm, Just summer beach wear. , surf shorts, Rash guard, and
sunscreen.
Weather:
Perfection! Shorts and a T-shirt. No A/C needed (but some people prefer
it)
almost bug free when the wind is blowing.
Kite Repair:
Excellent repair by Marco, and by Carlinhos
Marco's kite Repair is located next to the Bus stop in the center of Cumbuco.
Phone: (+55 85)
9905-0067
2 Street behind Marcos, ( toward the dunes, and a 1/2 block downwind)
you'll
find Carlinhos. Nice guy, excellent work, and the lowest prices in town.
He works along with his family.
Riding locations:
Miles and miles of wide open beaches. 300 Kilometes of Beach from Tabuba
to Jeri.
Icarai, Tabuba, Cumbuco, Cauwipi, Tiaba, Paracuru, Lagoinha, Gujaru,
Flexaries, Mundau,
Prea Many Many great spots to explore.
DVD Rentals:
All of the small towns have "Loucadoras" (dvd rental shops)
Food and Drinks
Many good restaurants and bars here are a few
Sabor da Praia: Translation: "The taste of the beach" (On the
corner just past Gauchos.).
Sabor is a great place. Very friendly owners and staff. They
are know for their Grilled Fish and steaks.
Gaucho's: This is THE place in town for grilled fish and fine
meats. Run by Brazillians Luiz and his wife.
Los Amigos: Nice place on the main street Icarai. The Best Shrimp (camerones)
R$9 for 400 grams, and
the best pizza.
Laranja Mecanica: The most popular Bar in Cumbuco. New,
comfortable, strong drinks.
Guys, if you meet girls there, they are
most likely nice European girls,
or local prostitutes.
0031: The restaurant on the 2nd floor directly above the Laranja
Mechanica
A very
Non-typical menu. Really GREAT Food. The Thai curry chicken is
my favorite.
Highly recommended! EXCELLENT!!!
Hi-Life: Is a kite school, and now serves great food as well.
ACL: Typical local food. Chicken on the grill, and very
low prices.
Fortaleza has amazing restaurants buts its also 40 minutes away.
If you like Mexican food, you're out of luck! There is only one
place in Fortaleza
on Rua Dom Luiz ( 5 minute walk from Adeolta Shopping Mall ).
Great chips. Not so great on the other items, but I still go there because
its the ONLY place to
in town get Chips, Salsa, and Margaritas.
Agents:
If you like to keep life simple and let someone set
everything up for you, these people handle
the details. More work for them = less work for you = more time to kite
and party.
They can do it all: Hotels, flights, Car rentals, tours, etc. I
booked my flight through
Karen at ozonetravel.com. Note: Recently I tried to book a flight from
Brazil to Miami on Jan 4th.
All of the agents locally told me impossible, flights were 100% booked and that
I would need to fly
on the 20th, or on the 1st! I called Karen, and she booked me on the Jan
4th flight that no one
else good get. She's the Best!
Apartments and Houses,
can save you a lot of cash if you plan to stay for a
month or more.
If you rent a house, be sure it has 24hr security, and that you have travel
insurance to replace
your personal items if stolen. Hotels (posadas) are much more
secure.
Buying Real Estate , Land or
Houses, in Brazil
Trip Preparations:
Buy your Ticket we'll in advance if possible.
Get the needed vaccinations: I got shots for: Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Diphtheria,
Hepatitis A & B,
Get an International Drivers license. (In the US visit your local AAA
office).
Brazilian Airlines:
TAM is my favorite, 5 Flights with them and
always a pleasure except for my underwear
arriving 1 day after 1 arrived. :)
Cellular Service:
Bring a GSM quad-band "UN-locked" world phone.
Purchase a Brazilian Sim Card upon arrival around R$15 R "Oi"
or "Tim"
The Sim card comes with $ 10 R on the card.
Purchase additional minutes for the specific provider: "Oi"
or "Tim" $20 R " Cartao Recarga do
Cellular"
If email access is important to you throughout the day, then bring a "smart
phone"
You'll be able to check email easily with one of the pre-paid cell chips.
This works everywhere up and down the coast Fortaleza to Jeri
Passports and VISA's: The normal limit you can stay in Brazil
is 6 months with a tourist Visa.
www.PassportNation.com (USA)
Can assist you with both passports and Visas. The Owner, Dalton, and his
staff are great.
Long Term Visas
Want to stay more than 6 months? No problem!
Here
are 4 Options:
1) Student Visa.
Enroll at UNIFOR or other School that meets the
requiremments of you countries Brazil consulate,
and apply
for a Student Visa. I did it, and it works!
Schools, Colleges, Universities:
UNIFOR: Universidade De Fortaleza.
Excellent University, nice campus. 1 hr drive from Cumbuco
FIC
UFC
IBEU Instituto Brasil Estados
Unidos
2) Investor Visa
Invest $50,000. USD into a Brazilian company or open one of your own.
This is the Best method if you really want to spend unlimited time in Brazil.
Use a good Fortaleza attorney. I was happy with mine.
Costs Approx R$6,000 up to R$10,000
The total depends on the number of people needing visas ( 1 person, or a family
)
and the attorney ( Advogado ) you choose. My Visa was R$5,500.
This includes: Setting up a company, Company Bank account, getting
registered
with CPF Number, CNPJ Number, RDE Number, and all paperwork,
processing
from Beginning until end when you have the New Perm Visa in your Hands.
Note: The $50,000 does not go to the goverment. It just needs to be transferred
"correctly" to brazil
and then you can spend it any way you'd like. Land, House, Car, whatever.
Other options:
3) Marriage. Get married to a Brazilian.
Never Never get married "only" for a Visa.
A dumb idea, not worth the risk or hassles.
Avoid this option. VERY Dumb idea.
Even if you really did meet that pefect someone,
they'll always wonder if you
did it for love, or for the visa. Get the
visa 1st, and then consider marriage. ( my opionion)
4) Make a baby in Brazil. Not recommended until you complete number 3.
 Stephan and
Denise . Kiters visiting from Switzerland.
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