Jericoacoara Kitesurf Guide: Where the Downwind Begins
Jericoacoara is the one name every kiter has heard even before they've been to Brazil — a former fishing village at the end of the paved road, wrapped in dunes, where the wind is so reliable that it's less a forecast than a fact of life. It isn't just a spot; on this coast it's the hinge point everything else is measured from.
What makes it special isn't only the wind — it's the setting the wind arrives in. A wall of dunes shelters the village and channels the breeze clean and steady over a warm, turquoise lagoon and bay, while the famous Duna do Pôr do Sol fills with locals and travelers every evening for sunset, regardless of whether they've ever flown a kite. It's a proper town, not a compound — sand streets, simple pousadas, good food — which is part of why riders come back.
On our route map, Jericoacoara sits at the hinge of the whole coast. Head south and the corridor runs back through Preá and Barrinha; head north and it opens onto Tatajuba, Guriú and, eventually, Barra Grande and the Lençóis Maranhenses. Almost every one of our downwinders touches Jericoacoara at some point — it's less a single stop than the anchor the rest of the route swings around.
For a first taste, our Downwinder Initiation runs four short, sheltered legs built around exactly this stretch: Barrinha to Jericoacoara is the gentlest of the four, a calm introduction over flat water; Jericoacoara to Tatajuba steps up the distance and exposure, tracing dunes and lagoons on the way; and for riders ready to push further in a single day, Preá to Guriú and the full Preá to Tatajuba corridor cover 30 and 40 km respectively, both threading past Jericoacoara's dune line.
If you're coming back for more, Jericoacoara is also where the longer trips pick up. Our 3-day Intermediate Downwinder runs from Jericoacoara to Barra Grande, and the 6-day Advanced Downwinder splits into two halves at exactly this point — Cumbuco to Jericoacoara for the first stretch, Jericoacoara to Atins for the second, at the edge of the Lençóis Maranhenses. Wherever your trip starts, there's a good chance it passes through here.
Jericoacoara itself makes a good base for a few nights either side of your downwinder — walkable, well set up for travelers, and close enough to the water that gear doesn't need to travel far. It's busiest in the peak wind months, September through November, and noticeably quieter (without losing much wind) in June, July or December.
Pair this with our season guide to pick your dates, then tell us your level — Jericoacoara works into nearly every route we run, so there's almost always a way to build your trip around it.
