Jericoacoara is a virgin beach hidden behind the dunes of the west coast of
Jijoca de Jericoacoara
Jijoca de Jericoacoara () is the northernmost municipality in the Brazilian state of Ceará, near the city of Cruz. It is known for its eponymous beach and national park. It is served by Jericoacoara airport, which opened in 2017.
Name
The ...
,
Ceará,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. Selected by ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' as one of the Top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world, "Jeri" consists of blue lagoons, calm seas and huge dunes.
Etymology
The name "Jericoaquara" comes from the
Tupi language
Old Tupi, Ancient Tupi or Classical Tupi (also spelled as Tupí) is an extinct Tupian language which was spoken by the aboriginal Tupi people of Brazil, mostly those who inhabited coastal regions in South and Southeast Brazil. It belongs to ...
and means "lair of the turtles" (''îurukûá'' means "
sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
" and ''kûara'' means "lair, hole").
[NAVARRO, E. A. ''Método Moderno de Tupi Antigo''. Terceira edição. São Paulo: Global, 2005. pp. 287-288]
History
In 1984, the area around Jericoacoara was declared an
environmental protection area. It became
national park in 2002. As a result, many restrictions on building and tourism were introduced to help preserve the area. The distance to bigger cities and limited road access also helped to keep the beach and the village isolated.
Fairly recently, Jeri was just a fishing village with little contact with modern life. Electricity was generated by diesel engines, and street lighting was provided only by the moon and the stars. After the selection by ''The Washington Post'' was published, tourism grew rapidly, and the beach village became a popular destination. Electricity arrived in 1998, and today hot showers and air conditioning are no longer luxuries. However, electrical street illumination is still forbidden by local law.
Characteristics
Getting to Jeri can still be challenging. The road from
Fortaleza to Jericoacoara presents beaches and rustic villages. The last 4 hours of the journey takes place off-road, among dunes and along a beach. It is one of several places in Brazil from which one can see the sun sink into the ocean. Both visitors and locals often view this show from the tall "sunset dune" just next to the village.
The village has streets covered in sand from the dunes. Jericoacoara is a popular spot for windsurfing and sailing.
Attractions
*Pedra Furada: rock formation, approximately sixteen feet tall
*Duna do Pôr do Sol: Sunset Dune
*Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolação: Church of Our Lady of Consolation
*Serrote: rock formation about 95 feet tall
*Farol de Jericoacoara: Jericoacoara's Lighthouse
References
External links
A photo tour of the areaJericoacoara tourist information
Beaches of Brazil
{{Ceará-geo-stub