Tips & Advice for Traveling to Ceara Brazil

It's always the little things that you forget or don't know about that can be a pain when you travel - well here you can hopefully find all the info you need about the little things, that can make a big difference!

Visa

A visa for European citizens is not required, you will be issued with a tourist visa on entry to Brazil. In normal circumstances this is a 90-day visa, you must show a return plane ticket. Extensions to the 90 day visa can be made with the Federal Police, however there is no guarantee you will be granted the extension.

American and Canadian citizens require a visa to enter Brazil – this takes upto 2 weeks to be processed. Contact the Brazilian embassy in your state.

The local people

Local people throughout Ceara will warmly welcome you with mutual respect. People are hard working, fun loving, accommodating and will patiently help you to understand local culture and language through an enjoyable shared expression of gesture and the spoken word. You may occasionally be approached by children asking for money, avoid giving money, use your best judgment in given circumstances and take with you a useful selection of things to give local children.

Language

English and other European languages are not traditionally spoken in Ceara, although the major hotels and bigger pousadas do have staff speaking English, Dutch, Spanish or Italian. Local people who speak only Portuguese are welcoming and patient and will be happy to help you communicate in a variety of ways in Portuguese!

Sun

The sun in Ceara is very strong, particularly from 10am to 3pm, make sure you use lots of sun block with a high protection factor.

Temperatures

The average daily air temp. is 28 degrees C, and at night its no lower than 22 degrees C. The Atlantic Ocean that laps the shoreline of the Ceara Coastline is an average temp. of 26 degrees throughout the year. Happy days…

Money

The best way to get cash is using a Visa, MasterCard or other major debit/credit cards at an ATM once you are here. You can also change cash at the Airport and at the larger Hotels. Travelers Cheques are pretty useless and involve standing in a long queue in a bank, so not recommended!

The Banco24 bank machines accept all international cards. You will find these machines in Fortaleza and Cumbuco.

Further north up the coastline of Ceara you need to use your card at Bradesco or Banco do Brasil ATM facilities. You can withdraw either R$600, or R$1000 per day depending on your card limit.

Driving

The roads along the coast and in the villages are mainly of very good condition now, however there are patches that are potholed, so drive safely and carefully. There are strict Drink Driving laws in Ceara now, don’t drink and drive – its easy, and cheap to organize a Taxi.

Water

Don’t drink the tap water, always buy bottled water which is cheap and available everywhere.

ID

It is law in Brazil for everyone to carry ID at all times. If you are not driving photocopies of your Passport and/or Driving License will be fine. If you’re driving take you real Driving License and Passport on every journey.

Internet

There are many Internet Cafes in all of the villages and towns, with varying speed. All good hotels and pousadas have WiFi Internet. 3G is available only in Fortaleza city.

Phones

Mobile phones work very well along the whole coastline, your phone will probably pick up the Oi, Vivo or TIM network. If you have difficulty using your phone manually select a different network.

Kite Repair

If you're unlucky and your kite needs a repair you will find two repair centers in Cumbuco, one in Paracuru and another in Ilha do Guajiru. Prices are lower than Europe and the repairs are of the highest standard.

Carnival

Carnival takes place in February at around the 19th, but the date does vary a little, carnival celebrations last for up to 5 days and nights and is a must for experiencing local music, dance and Brazilian flambouyance!

The best place in the Cumbuco area to experience Carnival is in the village of Taiba.

Further north enjoy the superb carnival atmosphere by the ocean at Ilha do Gaujiru where big band names and Djs play throughout the carnival period.