Family friendly Brazil – 5 ways to discover Brazil’s north-east
Still undecided on your next family vacation? If you are looking for sunshine and fun, to learn something, to bond, to disconnect from work and reconnect with your loved ones? Then look no further than the north-east of Brazil. Located between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Equator, this region has sunshine year round and has little pockets of diverse cultures, tastes and adventures to share as a family, from waterspouts and pool time, to learning about preserving sea life like turtles and manatees. So grab your tribe and come and discover ours!
1. Sun and warmth all year round
The capitals of the Northeast states of Brazil are between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Equator. Thanks to its location, the Northeast region has higher average temperatures than cities in the South and Southeast of Brazil. In addition, temperature ranges are smaller, meaning that it is hot all year round. Plus, according to experts, temperatures always average 23-28°C (73.4-82.4°F) in the Northeast, with thermometers recording an average low of 24°C (75.2°F) during the winter, which extends from June to September. It is worth remembering that it coincides with the rainy season, which helps refresh the body and soul, as winter means 24°C (75.3°F) in those latitudes of the planet (from Bahia to Maranhão).
2. Activities for all tastes and ages
From a scenic walk on the beach surrounded by coconut groves to extreme surf and endless kitesurfing sessions, you can do it all from the Coast of Jericoacoara, Ceará, to Maranhão (Rancho do Peixe, in Praia do Preá, Ceará, is the starting point). There you can learn to sail. The hotel has a school prepared to help practitioners of all levels: from children and beginners to athletes looking to advance in the sport. It offers kitesurfing initiation for kids, with lessons that become great fun, including focus, courage, and independence exercises. From Preá you can go on to Jericoacoara (fondly known as ‘Jeri’) to watch the sunset from the top of a dune overlooking the sea and then walk through the charming little shops in the village centre. Once in Aquiraz, you can take a buggy ride through the dunes and shop handicrafts made by the community. Lace-makers delight with their bobbin lace art, a technique that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. If you prefer tranquillity, what about some yoga, meditation, and hours relaxing in the spa? September is detox month at Txai Resort, located in Itacarezinho, Bahia, which offers the “Practicing the Well-Living” program. Meditation, yoga, and natural food in an idyllic setting to soothe your mind, renew your energy, and align your chakras.
3. Deepen your family bond through travel
There’s nothing like leaving behind the ease and comfort of your home to win the world. Traveling is so much better with your family. An experience full of discoveries and adaptations – each place has its own culture and habits – which allows your family to enjoy some activities together, something not always possible because of the daily rush in a big city. The holiday season calls for unplugging, letting go… In compensation, you gain closer relationships, deeper bonds of affection, and everyone gains while living and experiencing new flavours, settings, and temperatures. You can enjoy your summer going back and forth from the beach to the pool in Itacaré, Trancoso, Jeri, Aquiraz, Porto de Galinhas, Barra de São Miguel, Fernando de Noronha, Lençóis Maranhenses. Most BLTA hotels offer amazing experiences to get your mind renewed and your body salted.
4. Teaching respect for diversity and strengthening social relations
Many hotels and resorts located on pristine beaches go beyond offering extremely comfortable accommodations, skilled services, and fine cuisine. It is a common practice for them to encourage integration of their guests with the communities where they are inserted. In south Bahia, for example, capoeira (a typically Bahian cultural tradition) demonstrations by the sea immediately catch attention and it doesn’t take long for visitors to start interacting. In Trancoso, Bahia, you can take capoeira classes at Uxuá Casa Hotel near the famous Quadrado, experience the delicious Bahian cuisine by the sea at Estrela D’Água, or take surf and stand-up paddle lessons at Pousada Etnia. You will also be marvelled by the cooperative work of the NGO ‘Povos da Mata’ on the Maraú Peninsula promoting organic agriculture in the middle of the Atlantic Forest in south Bahia. Casa dos Arandis supports this project and offers its guests organic food produced by these communities. In these warm waters of the Northeast, other initiatives, many of them supported by hotels, focus on the preservation of endangered species such as manatees and sea turtles. In Barra de São Miguel, Alagoas, Kenoa offers its guests an incredible experience visiting organic oyster farming communities: the Oyster Experience is a must-do!
5. Unforgettable memories
The increasingly connected world allows us to record our experiences in real time. But how relevant are they? What is really and permanently worth is what we live. Nobody forgets a trip. Have you packed up yet? Northeast Brazil awaits you for warm, sunny days full of life!
Simone Scorsato is Executive Director of Brazilian Luxury Travel Association. BLTA’s main objective is to promote and strengthen Brazil as a travel destination to the global luxury market.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
2. Activities for all tastes and ages
From a scenic walk on the beach surrounded by coconut groves to extreme surf and endless kitesurfing sessions, you can do it all from the Coast of Jericoacoara, Ceará, to Maranhão (Rancho do Peixe, in Praia do Preá, Ceará, is the starting point). There you can learn to sail. The hotel has a school prepared to help practitioners of all levels: from children and beginners to athletes looking to advance in the sport. It offers kitesurfing initiation for kids, with lessons that become great fun, including focus, courage, and independence exercises. From Preá you can go on to Jericoacoara (fondly known as ‘Jeri’) to watch the sunset from the top of a dune overlooking the sea and then walk through the charming little shops in the village centre. Once in Aquiraz, you can take a buggy ride through the dunes and shop handicrafts made by the community. Lace-makers delight with their bobbin lace art, a technique that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations. If you prefer tranquillity, what about some yoga, meditation, and hours relaxing in the spa? September is detox month at Txai Resort, located in Itacarezinho, Bahia, which offers the “Practicing the Well-Living” program. Meditation, yoga, and natural food in an idyllic setting to soothe your mind, renew your energy, and align your chakras.
3. Deepen your family bond through travel
There’s nothing like leaving behind the ease and comfort of your home to win the world. Traveling is so much better with your family. An experience full of discoveries and adaptations – each place has its own culture and habits – which allows your family to enjoy some activities together, something not always possible because of the daily rush in a big city. The holiday season calls for unplugging, letting go… In compensation, you gain closer relationships, deeper bonds of affection, and everyone gains while living and experiencing new flavours, settings, and temperatures. You can enjoy your summer going back and forth from the beach to the pool in Itacaré, Trancoso, Jeri, Aquiraz, Porto de Galinhas, Barra de São Miguel, Fernando de Noronha, Lençóis Maranhenses. Most BLTA hotels offer amazing experiences to get your mind renewed and your body salted.
4. Teaching respect for diversity and strengthening social relations
Many hotels and resorts located on pristine beaches go beyond offering extremely comfortable accommodations, skilled services, and fine cuisine. It is a common practice for them to encourage integration of their guests with the communities where they are inserted. In south Bahia, for example, capoeira (a typically Bahian cultural tradition) demonstrations by the sea immediately catch attention and it doesn’t take long for visitors to start interacting. In Trancoso, Bahia, you can take capoeira classes at Uxuá Casa Hotel near the famous Quadrado, experience the delicious Bahian cuisine by the sea at Estrela D’Água, or take surf and stand-up paddle lessons at Pousada Etnia. You will also be marvelled by the cooperative work of the NGO ‘Povos da Mata’ on the Maraú Peninsula promoting organic agriculture in the middle of the Atlantic Forest in south Bahia. Casa dos Arandis supports this project and offers its guests organic food produced by these communities. In these warm waters of the Northeast, other initiatives, many of them supported by hotels, focus on the preservation of endangered species such as manatees and sea turtles. In Barra de São Miguel, Alagoas, Kenoa offers its guests an incredible experience visiting organic oyster farming communities: the Oyster Experience is a must-do!
5. Unforgettable memories
The increasingly connected world allows us to record our experiences in real time. But how relevant are they? What is really and permanently worth is what we live. Nobody forgets a trip. Have you packed up yet? Northeast Brazil awaits you for warm, sunny days full of life!
Simone Scorsato is Executive Director of Brazilian Luxury Travel Association. BLTA’s main objective is to promote and strengthen Brazil as a travel destination to the global luxury market.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on A Luxury Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
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It has taken me a long while but I’ve finally acquired a taste for oysters. I’ve got to admit that although it is an expensive hobby I now enjoy tasting different varieties. It would be great to do the Organic Oyster Farming Experience.up to now I’ve never tried Brazilian oysters.
It will be a pleasure to welcome you! Even better will be eating and knowing the history of the local community.
I dream of places where the definition of winter is 75 Fahrenheit. When you only have to pack T shirt and shorts for winter that is my sort of perfect holiday destination.
Fact. While it is cold in the South and Southeast of Brazil during the July holidays, we seek “winter” in the north and northeast with very hot weather.
I have always had a feeling that my kids might be good at watersports. They tried surfing once in Cornwall but it just ain’t fun under grey drizzly skies. Brazil would be a far more fun place to learn. I would also like them to have a go at sailing too. Not too sure about kitesurfing, I can see them being too reckless on a gusty day.
With my family holidays I always like to have bit of a theme to it. I like the idea that a trip to Brazil would mean that the children learn more about the natural world, its diversity and return with more of a conservation mindset.
HI Jane, I had the same impression about Kitesurfing, I was at Rancho do Peixe and I could see that they have all the infrastructure to practice the sport with individual lessons. It was amazing. My daughter (14 years old) preferred the hammock and the book. It depends on the sportsmanship of each …
From many years of experience I think that I’ve discovered the formula fr successful family holidays. You’ve got to have good weather with plenty to do to keep the kids occupied. North-East Brazil seems to fit the bill.
Around 80% of the time kids like to exist in their comfort zone. If it’s all too familiar they complain that they are bored. I reckon that Brazil would give them just about the right number of new experiences if properly managed. It’s not easy being a parent planning holidays.
HI Dan, I can assure you, there will be no boredom (but a hammock to do nothing lol) We have 8,500 km of coastline, the beach and outdoor activities take the kids’ time. Even the cell phone they abandon … and we can have fun together or rest on the hammock!
It’s great to remember the joy that local people can bring to travel. I know too many people, and unfortunately I have travelled with some of them, who just want to travel in a bubble, where everything goes directly to their plans and they hardly see the beauty of the local people.
If you travel to Brazil, then you must surely go with the flow and enjoy the spontaneous love of life by people.
Very good to hear that. In fact, our people, especially the northeastern people, have an unspeakable hospitality!! :)
A brilliant pick if you want good weather, which most of us in the UK are probably desperate for given the changeable forecast every day. A low of 24 degrees Celsius during the winter? Forget a holiday, I think I need to live there! My body is perpetually cold so I find the temps very appealing. I think travelling somewhere like this is a great opportunity to connect with those in your group, your family or friends, and take time out from busy modern living to just enjoy the important things in life.
Coming from a family who loves beach trips especially on long weekends, Brazil is certainly the perfect destination for our family. There are a lot of beaches that we can visit in the northeast of Brazil such as Jericoacoara and Iracema. We also love going to parks and museums that can teach us different things about a certain country such as the beliefs, culture and history that they are proud of. Having quality time with your family is really important especially when you belong in a field that demands a lot of time in the workplace and planning trips like this will surely be fun for everyone.
I love to see positive posts like this about Brazil. As a developing country, they are really trying (successfully) to accommodate all tourist and make the most of it. Still a lot of issues, behind the hotel walls, but I think they are getting there. On top of that such beautiful scenery and lovely people… I would love to come back to Bahia one day, but living in London makes it really expensive…