Paracuru is located 80 km away from Fortaleza, capital of Ceará state. Is another famous spot, due to the strong winds and untouched nature, which attracts lots of kitesurfers. The city is neither attractive nor touristic, but provides anything that a tourist needs during a trip. The natural landscape is what compensates: there are eleven beaches with complete different scenarios, of calm and hot water.

The kite spot

Besides having a lot of beaches, when the subject is kitesurfing, the only recommended beach is the one from the Quebra Mar Restaurant, 10 minutes by car from the city. The journey can be a bit confusing because there are not many signs on the way, so it is a good idea to have a look on the map (or Google Maps) before going. The main tip is: always follow to the east right after leaving the city central area, so you won’t get lost in direction.

On the day we visited Paracuru, we left Flecheiras in a really cloudy day, with no wind expectations. When we arrived at the kite beach, we were surprised on how many kites where on water, with a relative good wind speed for the time of the year (it was early February 2014).

The area is great for kiting on both tides, high or low. In front of the restaurant, a natural lagoon is formed between the reefs, perfect for freestyle practice. On high tide, some waves are formed right after the reef. But only there you will have the opportunity of sharing space with marine turtles. An incredible experience!

The launch area is big, so the kitesurfer won’t have a problem on launching, landing or preparing the kite. A kite school and storage area are also available at the area, making it easier to kite here.

Many downwinds also leave from Paracuru. As the village is located after Pecém Port, is possible to have a safer downwind, with a support car by the beach. As fast options, the downwind to the mouth of Curu river (great for flat water even on high tide) or even to Lagoinha beach (one the most famous of the sand, beware of the rocks close to arrival).

Where to stay

When we visited Paracuru, we didn’t spend the night, because we just wanted to know the spot in a low season time (even with so many kitesurfers on the beach). But in the village and in the path to the spot you will manage to find a nice place to stay. Trip Advisor has also great options!

As the distance to the spot is quite long to go on foot, it is worth to have a car rented to make your tour to the spot easier. If you prefer, you can also check with the pousada where you are staying if they have any transfers options.

It is a pity that there are no options of pousadas close to the spot on foot distance. For sure it would be great for kiting, as you have to depend on transportation to get to the kite spot. But the advantage is that the beach remains well preserved.

Where to eat

During the day, you have no option: the only restaurant available on the kite beach is Quebra Mar. But it is not bad: we had lunch there and the food was simple, but really tasty. The prices are close to the prices from other beaches. On the kite school they also sell açaí and sandwiches, great option if you prefer to kite all day.

How to get there

As we weren’t sleeping in Paracuru, we went to the place just to check out. We were staying in Flecheiras, 40 km downwind from Paracuru, but, as the day was really cloudy there, we decided to explore the region. The trip was very tranquil and fast, because there are many signs on the way.

To get to the kite beach, going by car is the only option, because there is no public transportation in the area. By that time, we were driving a normal car, no wd. All the access is through paved roads, but not many signs. We just discovered that we were on the kite beach because of the kites. But we chose to remain on the road that was built for the wind turbines park, until we reach a small community. There we decided to go back.

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