Ilha do Guajiru has located 200 km from Fortaleza, and right now, it is still a hidden gem for those who love kitesurfing. It offers one of the biggest lagoons in North East Brazil, making the place perfect for any level of kitesurfers. In the neighborhoods of Ilha do Guajiru, the surrounding sand dunes and rivers create an ideal mix of flat water lagoons and wavy open sea water with only 5 km short or even 70 km long downwinders.
Kitesurfing downwind is one of our favorite ways to sail. It gives us a perfect connection to the sea and the wind, and it gives us an incredible sense of freedom. The adventure is completed by the natural surroundings. One of the benefits of the Ilha do Guajiru location is that it offers different levels of downwinders. Aside from the beautiful scenery, the area is safe and has good wind conditions. Here is a list of our favorite downwind routes.
Kitesurf from lagoon to open sea
The safest way to enjoy kiteboarding is by staying in the lagoon. If you have never done a downwinder before, this will be your first and safest trip. The lagoon is only 400 meters wide, with a sandy beach on both sides, which makes it easy to stop, wherever you need to. If you start the southest part of the lagoon, you will have a 5 km long playground to practice your favorite tricks, jumps, without the hustle to go upwind. The only thing you have to pay attention to is the tide: in low tide, there is very little water in the lagoon, so it’s impossible to kite that time, but you can pick the perfect time on windguru too.
Distance: 5 Km.
Estimated time: 40 mins – 1 hour of downwind
Level of difficulty: easy
Almofala to Ilha do Guajiru
When you are ready for a bit of adventure, catch a taxi or join in one of kite school’s trips. The Almofala downwinder is the most popular kite trip in the area and has its reasons! You will start in a river, which means you will have the most fantastic flat-water without any chop for the first 5 km. This kiteboarding trip passes through mangroves, so you can try to jump over some natural obstacles if you have the skill for that! At some spots, the water depth is only 1 m, so the tide is also a massive factor in this downwinder.
This was truly an exceptional one. If you around this are, do not miss this!
Paul Tournier
Distance: 12 Km.
Estimated time: 2 hours of downwind
Level of difficulty: easy or medium
Patos to Ilha do Guajiru
If you prefer the open sea, and don’t want to wait until the tide coming up, you can also ride all the way down on the seaside! We’ll start with some wonderful flat water at the beginning, before heading out to the open sea, where little waves will make your downwind tour even more exciting.
Distance: 22 Km.
Estimated time: 3-4 hours of downwind
Level of difficulty: medium
Patos to Ilha do Guajiru
Bye-bye to busy lagoon and Hello, infinite beaches. Start where you stay and explore what is downwind of you! This is the region’s most exclusive downwind and can be done in three sections. At the tip of the lagoon, you will ride through wind farms and undisturbed natural scenes on both sides. The view is stunning whether you choose the closer secret spots or the farthest.
Distance: 3 sections – 6Km (secret 1) / 12 km (secret 2) or 25 km (secret 3).
Estimated time: 1.5 hours or 3 hours of downwind.
Level of difficulty: easy or medium.
Ilha do Guajiru to Jericoacara
Challenging and complete downwinders to the famous Jericoacoara. On this one-day trip, you will see long-deserted sand beaches, fishing villages, huge lagoons, flat water, and small waves too. The trip ends in the sand dunes surrounded village: Jeri, which is worths staying at least one night. Something is always going on in the little streets, and everything is inviting and made with a lot of love. The entire town climbs up to the large sand dune next to the settlement in the evening to see the most spectacular sunset.
Distance: 70 Km.
Estimated time: 4 to 5 hours of downwind.
Difficulty level: medium-advanced.
The bottom line about Ilha do Guajiru is...
Don’t be surprised if other locations disappoint you after visiting Ilha do Guajiru… We have everything here for beginners to advanced kiteboarders!
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