Fortaleza Travel Forum

I'm planning to drive up from Fortaleza along the coast to Jericoacoara, passing by Cumbuco, Paracuru & other nice places on the way...
Do I really need at 4x4, or will a normal rental car do if I drive only during daylight, and not at local speeds ;-)

Thanks
Marc

Yes, you do need a 4X4 because it's all sand road at Jericoacoara.

Thanks to Canaleiro and Henry for your answers - saves me getting stuck in the sand. - Marc

To get in to Jerri itself you'll need a 4x4, but these are way more expensive to hire than a standard car. So here are the best ways to get there without a 4x4.

Get your standard hire car, the roads to Cumbuco, Paracuru etc are really good and pretty quite so you wont have any trouble getting to them (and most of the other towns in this area, Pecem/Trairi etc.). When you want to visit Jerri there are a couple of options:

1. Drive as far as Acarau, as you approach the town, there is a round about with a Dolphin (obviously it's a statue), and a Posto (service station). At this Posto you will find lots of guides offering to take you in a 4x4 to Jerri. Just arrange a deal with one of them and they'll tell you where to park your hire car (if you take this option, make sure your insured to the hilt with the hire company). Sit back and let a pro drive you the rest of the way. Jerri is tiny so you wont need transport once you are there.

2. Don't go to Jerri! Go to Prea instead. Prea is the village next to Jerri, and whilest it only has dirt track access, it's perfectly do-able in a standard car. I did it in a VW Fox, in the dark, towards the end of the rainy season (so lots of flooded bits). There are a couple of places you can stay in Prea but I only stayed at one and I can highly recommend it. Villa Prea, looks and feels like a Maldivian resort (if you know what I mean, check it out at Vilaprea.com). Get in touch with Fred (info@villaprea.com or Skype villaprea), he can sort you out with a reservation and give you accurate directions. Then to get to Jerri, just jump in a buggy and enjoy the drive down the beach.

Note though, that Prea is a local village with not much going on, to get out and party you're going to want to be in Jerri. So if you want to party loads stay in Jerri. If you want somewhere quite but would like to party once or twice stay at Prea and get Fred to sort you out with transport there and back. Oh and if you're a polesurfer you'll want to be in Jerri and if your a kitesurfer you'll want to be in Prea, if you're neither then take your pick.

Hi,

maybe its a little bit late for an answer, I don't know.

If its just to get there, I would completely agree with everything Adebo writes.
Rent a normal car, get about 95% of the way on paved roads and for the final 5 to 10 km get on a bus or rent a ride on a 4x4.

With a good "normal" car (a high chassis, big tires, low load), good weather conditions and maybe a guide, one might be even able to get into Jeri directly. But be carefully, one also might not and I wouldn't try it.

You can get all the way even without renting a car. On Beira Mar in Fortaleza you find a lot of tour operators who will bring you there.

That was the serious answer. But what about the fun part of the vacations? If you say: "The journey is the reward"?
Its absolutely fun to ride an 4x4 by yourself if you know what you are doing and what you and your car can handle. Already west of Cumbuco you find some dunes and its fun to do a stop and ride along the beaches. Specially when you don´t want to do the 300km trip from Fortaleza in one day and take your time for stops in between.
In Jeri you might stroll along the beaches or find your way to the Lagoa de Jijoca or some other nice places.

Of course, all this trips you can do also in a rented buggy with driver.
A 4x4 costs you around 300R$ per day.

Hope this answer helps more than it might confuse you :-)

Enjoy your holidays !

Here is a mix of some pictures, the last from this year: http://heavy-fuel1.medion-fotoalbum.de/

Em Jeri só se chega com carros 4x4, apartir de Gijoca,por haver muitas dunas e todas as ruas da vila serem em areia pura, impossivel de se locomover com carros comuns. e nada melhor do que um passeio pelas duras num 4x4 eja em Jeri;Cumbuco;Icaraí.........Essas ultimas tem acesso facil em carros comuns.
Espero ter ajudado.
Benedito Mendonça