Beach at Flexeiras, a small fishing village. Photo © Otávio Nogueira, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
If you’re longing for more remote beaches, your wish will be fulfilled by traveling to the tiny fishing villages of Guajiru, Flexeiras, and Mundaú, around 130 kilometers (80 miles) from Fortaleza, near the town of Trairi. Along this stretch of coastline, tourism is still in its nascent stages. Flexeiras boasts sweeping white sands and reef-protected waters that are ideal for swimming and popular with kite surfers. Mundaú offers more of the same, with the addition of the freshwater pleasures of the Rio Mundaú, whose banks are lined with tangled mangroves. Guajiru is the most secluded of all.The three little fishing villages possess friendly little restaurants and modest pousadas. In Mundaú, for simple, clean accommodations right on the beach, try Pousada Cabôco Sonhadô (Rua das Malvinas, tel. 85/3351-9047, R$90–100 d), where you’ll be lulled to sleep by the sound of the breeze in the surrounding palms.
On Guajiru, you’ll find it soul-wrenching to leave the ultrarelaxing Rede Beach Resort (Rua Principal, tel. 85/3331-3086, R$195–235 d), a comfortable place that never lets you forget you’re right on the beach. The simple but pretty guest rooms all sport air-conditioning and Wi-Fi. The British owners are warm and helpful; they can organize excursions, but it will be a struggle to abandon the premises with lures such as a pool, a hot tub, spa treatments, a beachfront restaurant, and your own private veranda strung with a soft hammock.
Viação Paraipaba (tel. 85/3256-4128) has bus service from Fortaleza’s Rodoviária to all destinations via Trairi (4 hours, around R$18). There are four daily departures for Flexeiras that continue onto Guajiru. Meanwhile, buses for Mundaú depart at 9:40 a.m. and 4 p.m. If you’re driving, follow CE-085 and the CE-163 to Trairi. From Trairi, Flexeiras, Mundaú, and Guajiru are all within 20 kilometers (12 miles) along the coast.
Excerpted from the Third Edition of Moon Brazil.
