Surf travel to Brazil - a true windsurfer's paradise!
September 2024: A travel guide for Jericoacoara, written by Ole Hasholt, Surf Instructor at Copenhagen Surf School.
Surf travel to Brazil: Hop on a trip to South America and get Ole's best travel tips for the legendary surf paradise of Jericoacoara!
A surf trip to Brazil offers chalky white sandy beaches, blood red sunsets, delicious Caipirinhas and a 100% wind guarantee - does that sound like you? If so, head to Jericoacoara in Brazil. Here you'll find a small windsurfing paradise in the middle of the desert on the northeast coast of Brazil. Jericoacoara is a small surf town made up of a few thousand locals and a bunch of dedicated windsurfers, as well as a lot of tourists who travel there from near and far in October to windsurf and enjoy life until the wind season ends in January.
For decades Jeri has been the place where the world's best freestyle windsurfers travel to every fall to train for the World Cup - that doesn't mean you have to be a pro to windsurf at Jeri - but prepare to have your jaw dropped as the world's elite land double loops right and left of you out on the water. It's also one of the things that makes Jericoacoara unique, you're not only windsurfing with the very best, you'll also meet them on the beach and in the pubs for aftersurf, and you're sure to pick up a surf tip or two along the way when all the town's surfers get together for sunset Caipirinhas on the Dun.
How to get on a surf trip to Brazil
Book a flight ticket to Fortaleza airport and a pousada (broad term for accommodation) in Jericoacoara. Book a private transfer from the airport to your accommodation, which you can book through your pousada host - they either drive themselves or know someone who does at a reasonable price. If you're bringing your own windsurfing equipment, be sure to mention this when booking - they'll either bring a large car or one with roof racks. Then you're off on an exciting drive through Fortaleza and out into the Brazilian outback.
After about 3 hours of driving, your driver will stop along the road to take some air out of the tires. Then it's off over rough and tumble through the desert. After half an hour of dirt road, you'll finally see the legendary lights of the small desert town of Jericoacoara. Check in at your posada, give the driver a high-five and jump out for an ice-cold SOL on the beach - the ride is on!
Do you need to bring your own surf equipment?
If you bring your own windsurfing equipment, there are various places down by the water where you can pay to store your windsurfing equipment - it's not very expensive, you don't have to rig up every day and you can get on the water quickly. If you haven't brought your own windsurfing gear, you can rent premium gear from Club Ventos - this costs a little more, but can be a good idea if you're only going away for a short time (2-3 weeks).
The windsurf spot at Jeri is iconic and legendary and it's right in front of the small town, so you just walk with your equipment right onto the spot. The wind is side/offshore and the 1-2 meter high waves roll in over the most beautiful sand. It typically starts blowing around 9-10 in the morning and picks up during the day, after which the wind dies down again at sunset. It usually blows 10-14 m/s every day during the high season, so you can start getting excited.
Life in Jeri - Surf, Eat, Party, Sleep and Repeat
A good day in Jeri starts with a hearty breakfast at your pousada before jumping into your board shorts - yep, the water is around 25-30 degrees and so is the air, so you don't need a wetsuit. Then it's off to the first windsurf session of the day, if you get out on the water at 9am you can get a couple of hours of great windsurfing before the spot gets more crowded around midday. Take a break and grab an Acai Bowl before heading out for your second windsurfing session of the day - hit the water at 2pm and grab a couple of hours of full power.
Now you're really stoked - round off the day with your surf buddies at the top of Club Ventos, where you can enjoy an ice bucket of cold Cervezas as you watch the sun set over the vast Atlantic Ocean. Continue down to one of the many delicious restaurants and enjoy a fantastic Brazilian evening meal before heading out into the nightlife. But beware, the Brazilian Caipirinhas don't just taste amazing, they also hit incredibly hard, so after a few, you'll be more than ready to dance fou halk with the locals or just end the night on the beach with your feet in the water, knowing that tomorrow will be another day in paradise.
Five cold facts for your upcoming surf trip to Brazil
1) To windsurf in Jeri you need to be able to plane in footstraps and trapeze on a 100-120 liter board and you need to be able to waterstart.
2) The best time of year to travel to Jeri is October - January, with mid-October to mid-December being the absolute best time.
3) Three to six weeks is the optimal length for this windsurfing trip. You can also have a good trip with 2 weeks, but keep in mind that it takes 24 hours to travel here, even with decent flights.
4) If you bring your own windsurfing equipment, bring your 90-110 liter freestyle or freestyle/wave board and a 4.2 and a 4.7 sail. Then you're flying!
5) You don't need a visa for travel to Brazil for less than 90 days, but check your vaccinations before departure.
Our rating for Jericoacora - 5 stars
It can't be emphasized enough how great a windsurfing spot and how lovely a place Jericoacoara is, so if you have the opportunity to go in October-December, don't hesitate to hit the book button. The locals are incredibly friendly and it's generally a very safe place to be and you'll find a windsurf vibe that's hard to find anywhere else on the planet. It's also a destination that works brilliantly whether you're traveling solo, bringing your trusty surf buddies or if you're on a combo trip with the family, with some on a beach holiday and others windsurfing until their arms fall off.
Jeri remains a legendary windsurfing paradise that should be at the top of every windsurfer's bucket list - if there is a paradise on earth, this is it.
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