A great day trip from Fortaleza to Morro Branco, Beberibe

The last time I was in Brazil I visited as much as I could of the region I was. Every morning is my fixed date with the beach close to where I live, and when I didn’t go it meant I was hitting the roads to discover yet other natural wonders of this state of Ceara, in the northeastern corner of Brazil. Like the stunning beauty of Morro Branco in Beberibe.

If you are interested in exploring the natural surroundings of Fortaleza, you can book a day trip to Jericoacoara and one to Morro Branco and Canoa Quebrada.

Day trip from Fortaleza to Morro Branco in Beberibe

Before visiting Jericoacoara, I had gone on a day tour from Fortaleza along the coast and explored Canoa Quebrada, but I must say that while Canoa Quebrada is known and famed, I wasn’t particularly impressed. By far I preferred Beberibe, a village that is proud to boast, and rightly so, a hugely diverse choice of landscapes.

Morro Branco is pretty far from Fortaleza, and if you are doing a day trip, I suggest you rent your own car or you book a guided tour, like a did. You can book one online or go to a travel agency in the city.

The first thing we visited was probably my favorite among all: the Monumento Natural das Falesias, a stunning dune-shaped range of cliffs of different colors ranging from red to orange to green overlooking a long white sand beach. It’s known as a labirinto because you have the unique chance to get lost in the tangled maze of these cliffs, under an unforgiving sun and with water only possible to hear thanks to the nearby shore. But the view, and knowing that you are right in the middle of it, is priceless.

Eventually, we managed to find our way out, not without the aid of our all-knowing local guide, and we made our way to Morro Branco, Beberibe’s claim to fame, the whitest, purest, coolest, longest beach of the area. Like in Jericoacoara, kite-surfing is one of the most practiced activities among locals and tourists, and while restaurants, coconuts and bikinis are lined up along the coast, you might prefer the cozier Praia das Fontes, where freshwater springs gush out of the rock’s crevices. Here, also the standard, routine, small donkeys all spruced up in colors and flowers posing for tourists’ cameras and standing still to please tourists’ unexplainable (at least to me) desire to sit on top of them and being photographed. I didn’t take a photo of those particular donkeys as it would have felt to me as a further insult to them. Plus, they were looking at us as if to say “So, are you enjoying yourselves?”

Donkeys, actually, are a big part of the animal community all around Ceara, you can find them grazing tranquil the seldom vegetation at the foot of the giant dunes, at the beach, at your front door, along the highway, or in the middle of it. Pretty much all over the place and, obviously, looking much happier than the ones employed by the tour operators.

Like most of Ceara’s coastline, also Beberibe can be considered a true treasure trove of natural wonders Brazil is so famous for, blessed by warm temperatures and a pleasant breeze all year long. The kind of weather you are sure it will never let you down.

Idyllic coves that seem to be there right for you, small lagoons where swinging hammocks look as if they have always been there, and green forests improbably perched on the slopes of huge white dunes felt like a piece of terrestrial paradise in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully, going back to beautiful Fortaleza at the end of the day made tearing myself from those sights definitely less traumatic than expected.