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Jericoacoara

Ceará · Jericoacoara village

also known as Jeri

Part of Jericoacoara →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlyhigh crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Jul–Jan

Months riders and schools name

How windy

20-35 knots

Character: mixed

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

26–28 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

high crowds · busy Jul Aug Sep Oct

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Comte. Ariston Pessoa (JJD)

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Generally strengthens around midday and can last past sunset; some zones close to dunes/village are reported gustier.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Guriu / Lagoa de Guriu
Tatajuba / Nova Tatajuba
Prea Beachno page yet
Barrinhano page yet
Lagoa dos Homens / Sunset Dune areano page yet
Praia da Malhadano page yet

The spot

The base and season

Jericoacoara, Jeri to everyone who rides it, is the flagship name on the Ceara coast, and it is a base more than a single beach. The trade wind runs July or August through January, most reliably September to November, and it is small-kite wind for much of that.

Where you can ride

What you cannot assume is where you may rig: central Jeri is crowded and zoned, the public descriptions of the village front contradict each other, so ask a school or the local association before you unroll lines.

Options around the area

The menu around it is broad: open-ocean chop and small waves at Jeri and Malhada, a seasonal lagoon behind the Sunset Dune at Lagoa dos Homens, flat lagoon and river-mouth water at Guriu and Tatajuba, and strong-wind downwind runs from Prea and Barrinha.

Lessons and planning

Beginners do learn here, but through a school and in the flatter water, not on the exposed village shore. Independent riders plan around tide, rocks, buggy logistics, park rules and the hour rescue cover stops.

The wind

locals call it trade winds / ventos alisios

Direction

cross-onE to ENE/NE

Direction to shore

cross-on

Kite sizes

4567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider, 7 and 9 m cover most of the July-January season. The 9 m does the lighter mornings and the shoulder weeks; the 7 m is the everyday kite from September to November, when 22-35 knots is normal, and a 5 or 6 m earns its place on the strongest afternoons.February to June runs 10-20 knots, which means a 12 m or larger and a fair number of days with nothing rideable at all.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

Reported seasonal averages vary: 17 knots for the broader Jericoacoara/Prea season by one estimate, versus about 22-35 knots or around 30 knots in the core season by others.

Typical strength

20-35 knots in high season; 10-20 knots in low season.

Very reliable in season, but local gustiness increases near the village/dune wind shadow; more exposed nearby spots are reported steadier.

The reliable season runs July or August through January, and September-November is the peak. February-June is the lighter, rainier shoulder: there is wind, just much less of it and much less often.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

10 ktJan
9 ktFeb
8 ktMar
8 ktApr
9 ktMay
10 ktJun
12 ktJul
13 ktAug
14 ktSep
14 ktOct
13 ktNov
12 ktDec

avg knots per month · season highlighted

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec, Jan).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (~30-yr MERRA-2 reanalysis-based model climatology (not a physical instrument record)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air
Jan	10 kt	E	28.3 °C
Feb	9 kt	E	27.8 °C
Mar	7.9 kt	E	27.8 °C
Apr	7.6 kt	E	27.8 °C
May	8.6 kt	E	27.8 °C
Jun	10.2 kt	E	27.2 °C
Jul	11.6 kt	E	27.2 °C
Aug	13.2 kt	E	27.2 °C
Sep	14.1 kt	E	27.8 °C
Oct	14 kt	E	27.8 °C
Nov	13.4 kt	E	28.3 °C
Dec	12 kt	E	28.9 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · ~30-yr MERRA-2 reanalysis-based model climatology (not a physical instrument record)

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Cruz, Ceará (weatherspark modeled climatology; nearest windfinder-referenced station is Comandante Ariston Pessoa Airport, 18.1 km away per Windfinder) · Weatherspark (Cedar Lake Ventures, MERRA-2 reanalysis-modeled climatology) · ~30-yr MERRA-2 reanalysis-based model climatology (not a physical instrument record)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

Shallow, standing-depth areas are reported in the nearby lagoons and river-mouth spots such as Guriu and Tatajuba; the open-ocean village and Malhada areas should not be treated as standing-depth beginner water.

Tides

Tide changes the riding character and access: low tide tends to be flatter/shallower on the open coast, rising tide brings chop/waves, and Tatajuba/Guriu lagoon size and quality are tide dependent. Praia da Malhada should be inspected at low tide to identify rocks.

Temperature

26–28 °C summer · 26–28 °C winter

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; shorts/bikini and sun protection are standard, with a long-sleeve top or rash guard useful for sun and wind chill.

Currents

No strong-current warning is published for the main kite beach areas; treat the river mouth and the downwind routes as local-knowledge ground anyway.

Conditions

Jericoacoara works as a hub with several riding zones rather than one beach: the regulated village and Malhada coast with chop and small waves, the Sunset Dune and Lagoa dos Homens area while the lagoon holds water, the flat water at Guriu and Tatajuba to the west, and the open coast at Prea and Barrinha to the east.

The main village beach carries swimmers, sunset traffic and windsurfers, so schools shuttle riders out or start a downwinder instead of treating the central sand as a launch.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners belong in the flatter lagoon and river-mouth water at Guriu, Tatajuba or a school's own beginner zone.

The open-ocean village and Malhada coast is intermediate and up, because shorebreak, chop, waves, rocks and zoning all count against a first week there.

Intermediates and advanced riders use Jeri for strong-wind freeride, wave sessions and downwinders toward Guriu and Tatajuba or from Prea and Barrinha.

The scene

What riders come here for

freerideflat waterwavesfreestyledownwindsmall wavesstrong wind

Who it suitsbeginner

A busy international wind-sport village: sandy streets, pousadas, restaurants, the sunset dune ritual, capoeira and music, and late nightlife. Quieter riding means leaving the central beach on foot, by buggy, by shuttle or on a downwinder.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

13 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

4 spots nearby

All 4 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

Rescue is private and it stops early. The companies that run rescue in Jeri close at 17:00, and the Malhada navigation protocol is explicit that anyone still sailing after that hour carries the risk alone.

Coverage

Schools and clubs assist their own clients inside their operating areas, and at the larger centres rescue cover comes bundled with rental. Two municipal lifeguard posts, one on the main beach and one at Malhada, were reportedly set up in 2019; staffing and hours for 2026 are unconfirmed and lifeguards are not a kite rescue service in any case.

Downwind rescue

Downwind legs to Guriu and Tatajuba have no fixed cover unless a school or a buggy follows you.

Emergency

National emergency numbers are 193 for fire and rescue and 192 for ambulance.

Launch

Do not assume the crowded central village beach is an open kite launch. Kite activity is directed to designated or customary kite zones such as the area beyond/behind the Sunset Dune, the regulated Malhada wind-sport area, or shuttle/downwind spots at Guriu, Tatajuba, Prea and Barrinha.Launches are sandy and can be spacious outside the village core, but pedestrian traffic, buggies and wind shadow near dunes require care.

Hazards riders report 14 reported

Wind

Official park and local zoning/exclusion areas for wind sports, kitesurf and windsurf
Gustier wind close to the village and dune wind shadow
Strong high-season wind that can be too much for new riders without instruction

Crowds and zones

Buggy/4x4 traffic on access beaches and downwind logistics routes

Bottom

rocky patches on parts of the beach

Waves and currents

Rocks around Praia da Malhada and nearby Serrote/Pedra Furada coast, best checked at low tide
Shorebreak, chop and small waves on open-ocean sections
Tide-dependent lagoons and beach access, especially Guriu/Tatajuba and driving routes

Protected areas and rules

kiting is restricted/banned directly in front of the crowded main village beach
Crowded swimmer/tourist areas on the main village beach and sunset dune corridor
Lagoa dos Homens only exists when the water table is high; the lagoon bed is shallow and its edges are unmarked

Other

national park environmental rules
National park environmental restrictions and fragile dunes/restinga/mangrove areas
Private rescue cover ends at 17:00, so a late session has no one coming for you

Rules & access

2 min read

Zoning here comes from the national park and from a local association protocol, not from the town hall: a 2026 search of the Jijoca de Jericoacoara municipal law database returns no kitesurf or nautical-sport ordinance at all.

National park registration

Inside Parque Nacional de Jericoacoara, ICMBio Portaria 80/2016 requires commercial kite and windsurf instruction operators to register with the park; the authorisation runs 12 months and is renewable for equal periods.

Management plan and lagoon access

ICMBio Portaria 377/2021 amended the management plan: the whole maritime area is open to bathers and to any nautical sport except the exclusion zones (ZEEV for wind sports, ZEK for kitesurf, ZEW for windsurf), and the earlier clause that allowed kitesurf on Lagoa dos Homens only three months a year was struck, leaving the lagoon authorised for kitesurf whenever it holds water.

Vehicle and dune restrictions

The same 2021 text bans vehicle traffic over the dunes and on the intertidal strip on the north face of the Sunset Dune, and limits village traffic to registered vehicles on defined tracks.

Bathing area protocols

The 2020 Praia da Malhada navigation protocol keeps a wind-sport exclusion zone near the Serrote for bathers and surfers, reserves the zone nearer the rocks for windsurf and kitesurf, bans lessons there, discourages sailing at high tide and applies the 200 m separation the Navy sets for craft near bathing water.

Village access and deliveries

Motor vehicles may not enter Jericoacoara village at all under Lei 568/2019, and cargo deliveries are confined to set hours under Lei 500/2018.

Sustainable tourism tax

Visitors pay the Sustainable Tourism Tax: R$41.50 for stays up to 10 days plus R$4.15 per extra day in 2026, with exemptions for children up to 12, people aged 60 or over, municipal residents and registered village workers.

Proposed regulations

A state bill sent to the Ceara assembly in March 2026 (PL 25/2026) would make credentialing, instructor certification and civil liability insurance compulsory for schools and instructors, with fines and equipment seizure for breaches; it had still not been voted in August 2026, so it is not yet law.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

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Rider tips

Ask a school or the local association where the legal launch is before you rig; zoning and crowding are the problem here, not the wind.
Check Praia da Malhada at low tide so the rock line is obvious, and take beginners elsewhere: lessons are banned in the Malhada free-sailing zone.
Bring small kites for September-November, when 20-35 knots is a normal afternoon, and skip the wetsuit.
Book the buggy or 4x4 before a downwinder to Guriú (short) or Tatajuba (full day), and plan the lagoon legs around the tide.
Be off the water by 17:00 unless you carry your own cover; that is when private rescue in Jeri shuts down.
Pay the tourism tax online before you arrive, keep your lines off the vehicle tracks on the sand, and use Lagoa do Paraíso or Lagoa Azul when it is too light or too crowded.

Getting there

Airport

Jericoacoara Regional Airport / Comte. Ariston Pessoa (JJD) is the nearest airport; Fortaleza Pinto Martins International (FOR) is the larger international gateway.

Route

From JJD, pre-booked 4x4 transfers to the village are commonly quoted at about 40-60 minutes. From Fortaleza, expect roughly 5-6 hours by private or shared 4x4 transfer, or a bus to Jijoca and local transport over the sand roads.You do not drive into Jeri: motor vehicles are barred from entering the village under a 2019 municipal law, cargo deliveries are confined to fixed hours under a 2018 law, and transfers drop you at the edge.Park rules and entryInside the park only registered vehicles may use the defined tracks; driving over the dunes and along the intertidal strip on the north side of the Sunset Dune is prohibited. Buy the Sustainable Tourism Tax online before you travel or pay it at the entry posts.

Transfer (minutes)

40-60 from JJD; about 300-360 from Fortaleza/FOR by direct road/4x4 transfer; 420-480 by bus-route estimates

Cost level

medium-high

Staying

Large range for a remote village: basic pousadas through boutique/luxury stays in Jericoacoara, plus quieter kite-front stays in nearby Prea/Barrinha for riders prioritizing water time over nightlife.

No-wind days

Buggy or quad tours in the dunes, Lagoa do Paraiso and Lagoa Azul visits, Pedra Furada/Serrote walks, sunset dune, surf or SUP on suitable waves, sandboarding, horseback riding, capoeira/music, restaurants and nightlife.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kitesurf at Jericoacoara?

The reliable season runs July or August through January, with September to November often described as the peak.

Is Jericoacoara suitable for beginners?

Beginners should learn through a school and use flatter lagoon or river-mouth zones such as Guriú or Tatajuba, since the exposed village beach suits intermediate and advanced riders more.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

Jericoacoara sits within a national park where kiting is restricted directly in front of the crowded main village beach, with designated exclusion zones under ICMBio rules.

What hazards should I know about?

Rocky patches appear around Praia da Malhada and are best checked at low tide, and wind gets gustier close to the village and dune wind shadow.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, several schools operate in and around the village, including GoKiteJeri and ClubVentos.

The bigger pictureEverything about Jericoacoara

Last updated: August 2026