Icarai de Amontada

Icarai sits on a bay on the western Ceara coast with a long crescent of beach, jangadas drawn up on the sand and a fishing economy that still functions alongside the wind tourism. The comparison locally is with Cumbuco: the same trade wind season, much of the same water quality for kiting, and a fraction of the development, because the approach road put people off for years. There are flat-water sections at low tide and open ocean conditions further out, and downwind runs to Moitas and Caetanos de Cima. Behind the village are dunes and freshwater lagoons. Building has picked up as the wind community found it, and the quiet is not guaranteed to last, but for now it stays a village.

What you actually see

• A working fishing beach - jangadas on the sand alongside the kite schools.
• Trade wind from mid-year - the same season as the busier spots east.
• Downwind runs - the coast to Moitas and Caetanos de Cima.
• Dunes and lagoons behind - freshwater pools inland from the beach.

When to go

July to January for wind. Three days.

Honest expectations

The last road in is unpaved and slow, and transfers from Fortaleza take four hours or more. Facilities are simple, cash is often needed and there is little nightlife. Outside the wind season the village is very quiet.

Nearby

Amontada is inland; Jericoacoara is further west along the coast.