The cliffs
Tide-carved hollows.
Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Otávio Nogueira from Fortaleza, BR — CC BY 2.0 · Conrado Ewerton — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Conrado Ewerton — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Conrado Ewerton — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Conrado Ewerton — CC BY-SA 4.0
Praia da Taíba, in the municipality of São Gonçalo do Amarante west of Fortaleza, runs for ten kilometres of wide sand, dunes and sandstone reefs, with low cliffs whose faces the tides have carved into a row of hollows. Its Indigenous name means «place of the sour fruit». The heart of the beach is «Taibinha», lined with coconut palms and good for long walks, where the lively sea draws surfers. Five kilometres away a calm lagoon is good for swimming, and its steady wind has made it a favourite kitesurfing spot. The local population of around 2,600 lives from fishing and tourism. In 1999 Taíba became home to Ceará's first wind farm, with ten turbines, and a food festival has been held here every year since 1998. The beach is close enough to Fortaleza for a full day trip.
Tide-carved hollows.
Surf and palms.
Steady wind.
São Gonçalo do Amarante municipality, west of Fortaleza, Ceará
About an hour to an hour and a half's drive west.