After an hour circling Budapest trying to find the superhighway, we drove east across dry plains to the border with Romania. Clouds piled up behind the line of security stations. My friend Loren, his head bare, sniffling and coughing, drank water from a 1.5 liter supermarket bottle, and with each swallow I thought: How. Can. He. Drink. So. Much. Fucking. Water? After the border crossing we drove into the city of Cluj and stopped at the central square, curious. I had never seen such a dark place—blackness smeared the buildings. What was it? Soot? I didn’t know. We drove on.
Having left Strasbourg with only a large-scale map of Europe, we had little detail on Romania, and it was the least developed country we visited. Always the geographer, I looked for clues. Was there a more alive place somewhere nearby? We stopped for lunch, crashing a country wedding which smelled quite clearly of sewage. Long hours in the car were nothing new on this trip, but it never occurred to me to get out of the car to walk, run, or just to stretch my legs. The cramped cabin of the Peugeot 207 was not my ideal environment. Enacting one of my maxims—turn left three times—I ordered Loren to leave the highway and turn onto a small, unmarked road leading up a ridge. Quickly we found ourselves in deep forest, without much to guide our next move. Just like the early computer game Adventure, “a maze of twisty passages, all alike”. Again I chose left. The road narrowed and the sun was setting.
We came upon a large building, perhaps a hotel? It seemed abandoned, but there were some lights on and the entrance was passable, although partly destroyed. We explored for a few minutes, wandering expectantly around the dining hall, but found only dust and shuffling ghosts. A strange and again a dirty place. Finally, as darkness overtook us, following a heavily potholed dirt road into a valley, I spotted a small yellow sign. Romanian is a language much like Italian, which I can read even at a distance. Agriturismo. All of our left turns had finally borne fruit: a sane little village with a creek and a church, and a farmhouse with rooms to let and dinner on the table.
I first visited Brazil on a kitesurfing trip in 2008, and I’ve been doing kite trips there with with SurfinSemFim since 2015. Over these last few years I’ve traveled the entire northern coast of Brazil by kite, from Natal to Sāo Luís, and I’m now designing and leading custom trips in some of my most favorite places along the way.
For 2018 I’m introducing two very unique itineraries: a slower, friends & family-oriented trip and a kitesurfing adventure skills and leadership development trip (details below).
These are both in addition to the full calendar of short-, medium- and long-distance kitesurfing trips that SurfinSemFim offers throughout the year, and all SurfinSemFim trips including my own will introduce you to the joy of travel by kite in Brazil, and to the global SurfinSemFim Tribe, a community of like-minded lovers of the life outside.
Your feedback is very important to me, so please don’t hesitate to indicate your interest!
AdventureSemFim: Dec 1-8
As good as it feels to be good at something, it feels even better to get good at something. On top of that is the joy and satisfaction that we get from sharing our experiences with others through skilled leadership.
Ready to level up?
This trip is designed for those of you who want to go beyond participating as a client and learn kitesurfing adventure travel and on-the-water leadership, in the context of a long distance kitesurfing trip. If you are ready to level up, AdventureSemFim will give you the skills you need to plan and guide your own adventure kiting trips, opening a window to a new world of kitesurfing adventure.
Bowen guiding on the water with SurfinSemFim
We’ll meet on Saturday December 1 in Barra Grande, which is several hours by car from the airport in Fortaleza (FOR), and much closer to the small airport in Parnaiba (PHB). I will be coming directly from the end of my slower, friends & family-oriented trip — combine the two to get the best of both worlds!
On Dec 2 we’ll leave Barra Grande and spend the next few days making our way towards and through the spectacular Parnaiba river delta. We’ll spend two nights there in the heart of the delta at Ilha dos Poldros, before continuing on to Tutoia and then finally to Atins. We’ll have time the final day for a side trip to the otherworldly Lençóis Maranhenses before ending our time together. Most people fly out of Sāo Luís when ending trips in Atins.
The itinerary is designed to include a combination of moderate and challenging days on the water, as well as plenty of time for leadership training, workshops and group discussion. This trip is not intended to be vacation — the schedule will be rigorous and days will start early and end late. That said, the satisfaction and accomplishment that you will enjoy upon completion will more than compensate for the hard work that you’ll be putting in along the way.
Some of the skills that we will focus on will include:
Harnessing Flow as a leader and as part of the life outside
SurfinSemFim group – photo Bruna Arcangelo Toledo
Along with leadership skills, this itinerary gives you exposure to a hugely varied landscape — from dunes and lagoons to the mangroves and rivers of the Parnaiba delta to the idyllic village of Atins and the incredible Lençois Maranhenses.
The AdventureSemFim trip will include include 8 days and 7 nights, traveling entirely on the water — a true kitesurfing journey, departing and arriving directly from beautiful small hotels along the way. The cost for the trip will be $2800 including accommodation, meals, guides, support vehicles, and training (but not including airfare or airport transfers).
Incredible Ilha dos Poldros in the Parnaiba delta
We’ll cover distances of up to 70+km on the water on some days of this trip. This multi-day, long distance journey is suitable for experienced kitesurfers with previous long distance experience and in good physical condition, with equipment in excellent condition.
Equipment: this trip is suitable for twin tip and surfboard riders. We realize that you may also love to ride a foil board, but this is not a foil trip. Feel free to bring your foil to Brazil to use before and after this trip though!
I first visited Brazil on a kitesurfing trip in 2008, and I’ve been doing kite trips there with with SurfinSemFim since 2015. Over these last few years I’ve traveled the entire northern coast of Brazil by kite, from Natal to Sāo Luís, and I’m now designing and leading custom trips in some of my most favorite places along the way.
These are both in addition to the full calendar of short-, medium- and long-distance kitesurfing trips that SurfinSemFim offers throughout the year, and all SurfinSemFim trips including my own will introduce you to the joy of travel by kite in Brazil, and to the global SurfinSemFim Tribe, a community of like-minded lovers of the life outside.
This is the first announcement of these trips. Your feedback is very important to me, so please don’t hesitate to indicate your interest!
Preá to Camocim: Nov 25-29
Inspired by the uniquely beautiful environment of northern Brazil, the spirit of discovery at the natural pace of sailing, and a desire for experience above all, this will be a meditation on the joy of travel by kite and life by the sea.
SurfinSemFim group – photo Bruna Arcangelo Toledo
There are direct flights from Miami to Fortaleza on Friday the 23rd and a quick connection on Saturday the 24th. I recommend coming in a day or two early if possible to relax and warm up with some local kiting and a visit to the legendary town of Jericoacoara.
We’ll meet on Sunday November 25 at the beautiful and unique Rancho do Peixe in Preá. After dinner and a first night there, we’ll start our downwind journey the next day down the beach in Preá and then around the legendary Pedra Furada to land at the dune in Jericoacoara.
In Jeri we’ll stay at Vila Kalango, another beautiful locally-designed small hotel perfectly suited for a group of kiters traveling down the coast. On day 3 we’ll sail on from Jeri to Tatajuba, and then from Tatajuba to Camocim on day 4. Along the way we’ll have plenty of time to ride waves and practice downwind kite skills, as well as hit the flat water lagoons. From Camocim we can arrange for you to return back to Rancho do Peixe, move onwards to continue your trip, or transfer back to the airport for departure. Another option would be to join me as I continue onwards to Barra Grande for the Kitesurfing Adventure Skills trip that I’ll be leading Dec 1-8.
This trip is designed to provide for plenty of kiting including some moderate downwinders as well as time to relax and enjoy the environment and each others’ company. We will begin each day with a warmup and briefing session and end the day with a delicious, healthy dinner prepared from local ingredients.
The itinerary includes include 5 days and 4 nights, traveling entirely on the water — a true kitesurfing journey, departing and arriving directly from beautiful small hotels along the way. The cost for the trip will be $1200 including accommodation, meals, guides, support vehicles, coaching (not including airfare or airport transfers).
The focus of this trip is unhurried experience rather than distance. The itinerary gives you exposure to a widely varied landscape — from dunes and lagoons to fishing villages, rivers and palm-ringed oases.
Extensions: If time permits, I recommend extending your trip for a few days at the end to continue down the coast to the west. You could go to Barra Grande and kite there for a few days, continue (as I will) from this trip to my kitesurfing adventure skills trip, or go a bit farther to the idyllic village of Atins and the Lençóis Maranhenses. These places are hard to get to, truly off the beaten path, and very worth spending some extra time in!
Equipment: the downwind portions of this trip are suitable for twin tip and surfboard riders. If you also ride a foil board, feel free to bring it to use on the in-between days.
What about Thanksgiving? I realize that some of you may be thinking of traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. This year SurfinSemFim and Rancho do Peixe are hosting a global kitesurfing competition the week of Thanksgiving, and so we can’t do group trips that week. If you are interested in coming in early for the event, please indicate that in your inquiry — space will fill up fast!
I’ve written a special FAQ that should answer many of the questions that you might have about visiting Brazil. Please check out the FAQ and then don’t hesitate to contact us to indicate your interest and with any further questions.
