The Ultimate Guide to Jericoacoara - Brazil
Jericoacoara in Brazil is a small isolated town in the northeast, surrounded by sea and sand dunes. It’s famous for its crystal clear lagoons, sand dune sunsets, and kitesurfing. Below we’ve helped address the most common questions about Jericoacoara for travellers, Including the tours available in Jeri, how to get there and the best hotels Jericoacoara has to offer.
MAIN TOURS IN JERICOACOARA BRAZIL
In Jeri, there are 2 main tours you can do; A West Coast Tour of Jericoacoara OR An East Coast Tour. Both can be done by either 4x4, which is basically a safari truck with outside seats (you’d be sharing the tour with other people), a dune buggy (private), or a quad bike (Private).
So what’s the difference in the tours I hear you ask? Jeri’s East coast tour is full of beaches, and crystal clear lagoons, whereas Jeri’s West coast tour is more rivers, mangroves and a couple of lagoons. Below is the full list of places you would visit in each of the Jericoacoara tours, to learn more about each stop on the tour click on the links.
East Coast Tour Jeri
Pedra Furada / Tree of Preguiça / Praia do Preá / Buraco Azul Caiçara / Lagoa Azul / Lagoa do Paraíso / National Park and Dunes
How much should I expect to pay?
For Jeri’s east coast tour you’d expect to pay about R$400 for a buggy (not per person, so as four fit in the buggy + guide this can be as little as R$100 per person).
Important note - Lots of the stops you go to are protected and require an additional fee to cover staff costs and maintenance. Therefore you will spend about an extra R$100 per person on the tour to pay for entrance fees.
West Coast Tour Jeri
Mangue Seco (Sea Horse) / Ferry crossing in Guriú / Mangrove roots / Dunes with Lagoons / Toboágua and Zipline / Lago Grande / Return via beach
How much should I expect to pay?
Jeri’s west coast tour is usually slightly more expensive, and you should expect to pay about $450 for a buggy and a bit more for a quad.
KITESURFING IN JERICOACOARA BRAZIL
If you’ve read anything about Jericoacoara you’ll know it’s well known for its watersports, but Jeri is particularly famous for Kitesurfing. It has pretty much guaranteed wind 6 months of the year. Pair that with 15 miles of pristine beach, flat waters and regular sunshine and you’ve hit the Kitesurfing jackpot. People travel from all over the world to Kitesurf in Jericoacoara.
The peak season is from July to December, but you can Kitesurf in June & Jan too, the days of good wind are just less consistent.
There are multiple Kitesurfing hotels in Jericoacoara and Kite schools to choose from. Below we have listed our favourite few Kitesurfing schools in Jeri and our top Kite hotels in Jeri, but this is just our personal preference, there are plenty to choose from.
Jericoacoara Kitesurf Schools
Jericoacoara Kitesurf Hotels
Raiz Kite Cabana (The more budget option but still great)
HOW TO GET TO JERICOACOARA BRAZIL
If a trip to Jericoacoara is on your agenda anytime soon, you've probably realised planning how to travel to Jeri is pretty confusing, especially if you are going as part of a bigger trip around Brazil. Travelling to Jeri can also be quite expensive and time-consuming so it's important to be smart and plan ahead.
There are only 2 modes of transport to get to Jericoacoara, Bus or Plane. The 3 most popular routes are to fly to Sao Luis and stop at Lencois Maranhenses on your way down (if you can do this I really would advise it, You won’t experience a national park like this anywhere else in the world…REALLY! Alternatively, you can travel by bus from Fortaleza or fly straight into Jeri airport. All of these transfers will end with a 4x4 car, as this is the only way you can access Jericoacoara due to the sand dunes that enclose the town.
Working out how to get buses on these routes to Jericoacoara can be pretty confusing, as there isn’t much information posted online. So below we are going to break down the main routes and how to book your transport.
Book a flight towards Jericoacoara
Depending on your route around Brazil you would fly to 4 possible destinations in the North; Jicoa, Sao Luis, Parnaíba or Fortaleza.
The prices can vary drastically and where you decide to go depends on where else you can book flights in Brazil. If you wish to fly direct to Jericoacoara this can be done from Sao Paulo.
Scan for flights to Jeri, you can get flights for as little as £75.
Getting from Jericoacoara Airport to Jeri
Jeri Airport is about a 1-hour drive from Jeri town. As the town is enclosed by sand dunes you’ll only be able to access it by booking a 4x4 transfer. I would advise booking this through your hotel as online bookings are available but limited and more expensive.
If they aren’t able to help check out this Jeri airport transfer provider.
Getting from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara
You’ll be spoilt for choice travelling from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara, there are plenty of private and shared transfers available.
You can get a shared bus from Fortaleza to Jeri for as little as $60R, and it takes around 5-6 hours and departs late morning/early afternoon.
Alternatively, you can book a private transfer to Jeri for about $500-600R per vehicle which will take about 4.5hours.
Getting from Sao Luis to Jericoacoara (Via Barreirinhas)
You can get a Guanabara bus all the way from Sao Luis to Barreirinhas and spend a few days in Lencois Maranhenses, which is known for its vast desert landscape of tall, white sand dunes and seasonal rainwater lagoons. If you have time to stop here for a few days I would definitely recommend it. The bus from Sao Luis is about R$65 and only takes about 3-4 hours.
From Barreierinhas you can grab another Guanabara bus to Parnaiba. Now, this was super confusing for us. There is so little info online and locally about how to get from Barreirinhas to Jericoacoara unless you find an English speaking local who can help. However, the process is actually super simple.
Head to the Guanabara stop in Barreirinhas (Google is incorrect as to its exact location, a common issue in Brazil). Pay for the ticket over the counter, and head back to the same place to get your bus (This will cost about R$50 and take about 5 hours). The bus will change in a small village and you may have about 1-2hour wait here, but there are a few restaurants and a local bus kiosk where the staff can help you
Spend the night in Parnaiba before getting a follow-on transfer to Jericoacoara. You can either get a private transfer or a shared minibus. The best provider for shared transfers is Rotacombo, it’ll cost you about $160 and take about 5 hours. The minibus is really nice and has aircon, you’ll switch to a 4x4 about 45 mins before the end of the journey.
Alternatively, you can get a private transfer to Jeri in a 4x4 that will take you the whole way.
After spending a while in Jeri, we got to explore most of the town so if you have any additional questions before your trip, please feel free to drop them in the comments section below and we’ll get back to them ASAP.
Have an awesome trip!
FAQs
When is the best time to go?
Jericoacoara is a tropical destination, and relatively close to the equator, meaning it has pretty good weather all year round. The average temp is around 30C and the average sea temp is around 24C, even in the winter months.
However, June to January is Jeri’s dry season, meaning there are lower levels of rainfall and humidity making them the best months to go.
What are the best restaurants in Jericoacoara?
Check out our blog on the Top 10 Restaurants in Jericoacoara.
What are the best pousadas in Jericoacoara?
Check out our blog on the Top 10 Hotels in Jericoacoara.
How long do the day tours last?
Most tours start between 9:00 - 9:30 am and finish around 16:00 pm.
How early do I need to book the tours?
The day before is usually fine unless you are going on a public holiday or event.