Going to Fortaleza

Hey Steve. From Fortaleza, I think the best option would be a flight to Manaus. GOL and TAM both have non-stops that get you there in around 4-hours. I would recommend at least 2-nights in the area to make it worth you time. To get to the Pantanal area you are looking at at least 8-hours of flying and I would recommend 3-nights to make it worth your time. It is very spread out down there and not quite as accessible as the Amazon. Hope that helps. If you need more info feel free to contact me.
I was in Fortaleza a couple weeks ago. It was a pretty cool place but I didn't love the city. Outside the city there are some great beaches and areas to visit. Reply to this

Hi Steve
I agree with Brett about the Amazon or Mato Grosso, as well about Fortaleza. A big city with no special attractions or beaches. Most people head from Fortaleza to Jericoacoara (where I live): an amazing small coastal village with incredible beaches. You can check some sites with furter info about Jericoacoara like:
www.jericoacoara.com or www.jeriathome.com
Send me a PM if you have any specific questions about this area.

Reply to this

I can't agree with the statement that Fortaleza is "A big city with no special attractions or beaches".

The urban beaches inside Fortaleza maybe are not so specially beautiful, but the beaches NEXT to Fortaleza are astonishing.

Fortaleza is a vibrant city, with an amazing nightlife, cool nightclubs, etc. It has great restaurants with very good food, of all kind (barbecue, seafood, french cuisine, Italian pasta and much more).

An interesting attraction of Fortaleza is the "Mercado Central", a handicraft market located in a big building with an interesting architecture, with metallic ramps. There you can find all kind of Cearense handicraft, that is very diverse and creative.

And in the urban "Praia do Futuro" beach there are the "barracas", that are good restaurants with a straw-covered roof, specialized in seafood, where you can eat delicious crabs! Praia do Futuro is not a specially beautiful beach, but it have a lot of fun!

And the beaches NEXT to Fortaleza, as I said, are astonishing.

The closer one is Porto das Dunas, at a less than 25 minutes drive from the airport, a beautiful beach where there is a big and modern waterpark, called "Beach Park" (yes, the name of the park is in English), with some really tall waterslides, including the taller of the world, that is 41 meters high.

Other stunning beaches next to Fortaleza include Cumbuco, Taiba, Paracuru, Lagoinha, Praia do Presidio, Caponga, Praia das Fontes, Morro Branco.

And, of course, there are the internationally famous beaches of Canoa Quebrada and Jericoacoara, that are a little more distant from Fortaleza, but are still in the State of Ceara (the State of which Fortaleza is the capital). Reply to this