Jericoacoacoara

Jericoacoacoara Beach

Jericoacoacoara, a fishing village in northeastern Brazil’s Ceará state near the equator, was not long ago a secluded place. There were no roads, no electricity, no telephone, no television, not even newspapers. The economy was based on bartering for fish. In 1994 the government declared this amazingly beautiful place a protected area, and tourists began to come here, but even now the peaceful and serene atmosphere and white sands of the beaches have been preserved. Hunting and the construction of paved roads are strictly prohibited, as well as anything that could cause pollution. Construction of new buildings is prohibited outside the village and all newly built houses must conform to the traditional architectural style. The number of tourists is strictly limited, despite the huge number of people wishing to travel to this paradise. It is forbidden to erect hotels here.

General information

The beach at Jericoacoara is among the ten most beautiful beaches in the world. One of the attractions of these places is the Arch Rock, a huge natural gateway made of stone, the result of sea waves, wind over tens of thousands of years. This bizarre rock is located in a rocky area that stretches for more than 2 km near Malhada beach. It seems to be an edge of bizarrely shaped rocks as well as caves that can be explored with a guide. The unique scenery is only accessible at low tide.

Jericoacoacoara is almost completely surrounded by the sea, so that both sunset and moonrise can be seen over the blue waves. Tourists have developed a custom of watching the sunset from the Sunset Dune to the west of the village. The lighthouse is the best place to watch.

After sunset, locals demonstrate the ancient art of capoeira by torchlight – this combination of martial arts and dance was once brought to South America by slaves of African descent.

To the west of Sunset Dune is an area called the Moving Dunes, which are sands that gradually approach farmland.

If you come here between June 15 and July 30, you can see the sunset at Arched Rock.