Jericoacoara is a beach
located in the northeast of Brazil, close to the
equator, in the state of Cearį. It was, till about 15
years ago, an isolated fishing village, without any
construcao with modern civilization. There were no roads,
no electricity, no phones, no TV’s, no newspapers, and
money was something almost useless, since deals were
based on trading fish for goods. In 1984 the place was
declared an "Environment Protection Area" by federal
law. Although tourism has reached the place, because of
it’s extraordinary beauty, it still keeps the unhurried
and peaceful way of life. Because of the EPA law, it is
forbidden to hunt, pollute, make roads, and buildings
are limited to the village area (the EPA has 200 sq. km,
and the village is 1 sq. km big) and have to follow the
same architectural style. Lodging facilities had their
construction forbidden in 1992, in order to limit the
quantity of tourists in the place. The last 15 km on the
way to Jericoacoara is soft sand, so you need a 4WD
vehicle to get there. Until the beginning of 1998,
electricity was supplied by diesel generators. Today,
there is an underground power supply, only for the
houses. Street illumination still comes from the moon
and the stars. In 1994, the North-American newspaper
"Washington Post Magazine" chose Jericoacoara as one
of the 10 most beautiful beaches of the world, in a
special holiday issue.
But
what makes the place so special? Jericoacoara has more
then one reason to be considered a paradise. The place
is a set of several different sceneries, altogether in a
very beautiful and harmonic combination. And not only to
be seen, but to be felt. The intense construcao with
nature, and the sensation of freedom that the place
transmits, where every place is so wide, and no kind of
behavior is restricted, will mark Jericoacoara forever
in your memories. What is there to see and do in
Jericoacoara? There are several activities for the
visitor in Jericoacoara, to satisfy every taste. From
calm hikes and horseback rides to radical sports, such
as windsurf or sandboard. There are countless touristic
interest sceneries, that sometimes it is hard to believe
that they can be so different and be so close to each
other. For more information, check out the other
sections of this page.
What does the name
"Jericoacoara" mean? Although there are several
versions for the origin of the name "Jericoacoara",
the most probable is that it is indigenous, from the
tupi-guarani language: yuruco(hole) + cuara(turtle),
meaning "hole of the turtles", in a reference to the
fact that Jericoacoara is a beach where sea turtles
come to make holes to lay their eggs. But some old
fishermen do not agree with this version taken out
of history books. They say that the name has its
origin in the small hill beside the village (where
the lighthouse is situated). The hill, when seen
from high seas, has the shape of a laying alligator,
which in a local expression would be "Jacareqüara",
and with time the name ended up changing to
Jericoacoara.
What can
you expect from
Jericoacoara? Until a few years ago, there were no
lodges, restaurants, bars or shops. The several
restrictions imposed by the EPA law for new buildings
preserved several original characteristics of the place.
In Pousada do Norte Jericoacoara you will find luxury, there are
clean
and pleasant rooms, as well as some restaurants with
delicious food. And if you are also more concerned about
knowing a very beautiful place, with intense construcao
with nature, then this is your paradise. Book more days
than you think are necessary to get to know the place:
the great majority of travelers end up delaying their
departure, either because they feel that there is still
a lot to be seen or because they want to enjoy more days
in this unique and fantastic place.
