Northeast - Internationally known for its beautiful beaches and sand dunes

BRAZILIAN NORTHEAST

Internationally known for its beautiful beaches, sand dunes, and crystal clear waters, the Brazilian Northeast is a region with its own identity, that holds many strange secrets for the discerning tourist in its little-known interior.

We are a result of a mixture of many races and cultures ... a sincere smile, primitive fishing rafts, "forró" dancing, accordion music, leather goods, lace handi- crafts, hammocks, and other goods which are characteristic of the region.

Also, unique are the culinary delights made of flour, tapioca, brown sugar and coconut sweets, sun-dried beef, lobsters, crabs, coconuts, cashew nuts and regional fruits. Cold, pollution, traffic, stress ... you'll quickly forget!

Natal beach

Natal, located in the center of the Northeast coast, is the ideal starting point for those who want to get to know this region. Genipabu, Pipa, Fernando de Noronha, João Pessoa, Recife, Olinda and Fortaleza are all accessable from this city. The beaches of white and warm sands are synonymous with "carefree" and "recreation".

Known as "the city of sun", Natal offers the most for tourists in the northeast. The temperature is comfortable... an average of 26º C... with a constant breeze and sunny days. According to NASA, the air here is considered to be the most pure in the Americas.

Map of the praias in Rio Grande do Norte

Visit the beaches along the south coast, and see the "Largest Cashew Tree in the World", take a dip in the natural pools of Pirangi, enjoy dolphin-watching at Tabatinga beach, "giboiando" (relaxing) in the lagoons of Camurupim, riding jet-skis at Arituba Lake and WOW, if you're still alive, exploring the cave of Pedra Ôca (The Hollow Rock).

Take a dune buggy or motorcycle ride along the northern coastline until you reach Cabo de São Roque (Cape of Saint Roque), the part of Brazil closest to Africa.

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In Natal we represent the Manary Praia Hotel, whose owner is a professional guide providing escorted ecological and cultural tours. His service - Manary Ecotours - specializes in excursions to archeological and paleothological sites, national parks, colonial architecture, deserted beaches and Northeast Brazilian culture.

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And in Genipabu, we represent the Villa do Sol, a very nice pousada run by an American, Lon, and his wife Cristina.

And, hopefully, Edna and I will soon have our own pousada, CUCA FRESCA.

I retired officially last June from being a boat captain in the 'offshore oil business', we are selling our home in Louisiana, and we're 'going home' to Natal.

We also have many other hotels and pousadas through out the state of Rio Grande do Norte and the northeast.

Honorable Mention - Other tours we handle!

AMAZON JUNGLE AND RIVER BOAT TOURS

We offer a program of 26 package adventure tours in Brazilian Amazonia: riverboats, jungle lodges, fishing, birdwatching, diving, Yanomami Indians, trekking, canoeing, climbing, Gran Sabana, Pantanal etc.

In the Amazon the weather is always changing and there are special things to see and do at different times of the year. Normally the rainy season from January to July is the best time to visit for boat travel and canoeing- the weather is cooler, and there are short daily rain showers. The dry season is between August and December. It may be hotter and drier then but it is a good time for trekking and fishing, and there are beautiful white sand beaches along the Rio Negro to enjoy.

"The Over Look Lodge", a twelve bed, rustic jungle-lodge

THE PANTANAL

To the south of the Amazon basin, the central-west in Brazil, lies one of the world’s least known but most extraordinary natural areas: The Pantanal. It is an enormous grassland covering over 89,000 square miles, the approximate area of Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland combined. In some ways it is comparable to the savannas of Africa with its vast prairies divided by lazy meandering rivers forested at the waters edge. The Pantanal is also teeming with life.
Along the rivers among the trees there are clouds of birds that chatter and cavort in rookeries of thousands of nests. There are countless caiman [South America's crocodiles] lounging and snoozing on the beaches in full view and rather unconcerned about our presence. Herds of 150 pound capybara, giant guinea-pig-like rodents, graze near the waters edge pausing only to glance at us with their slightly timid looks. Roaming the sea of grass from horizon to horizon is a fantastic collection of mammals like Giant Anteater, Jaguar, Marsh Deer and wild Peccaries.

The wildlife of the Pantanal is spectacular and our stay there is in a comfortable lodge with a very well thought through natural history program. An extraordinary place that everyone interested in nature must sometime in their lifetime visit.

While at the lodge we spend our days exploring the small rivers and streams that drain this vast wetlands. There are excursions across the broad savanna by four wheel drive vehicle. A number of our passengers have been able to walk through the knee high grass to closely observe Giant Anteaters with their three foot long snouts that have a tiny mouth at the end. Expect to see clouds of bright pink spoonbills, hundreds of large caiman lying on the shore, howler monkeys and spider monkeys cavorting in the tree tops and herds of the worlds largest rodent, the capybara, lounging on the river banks.

This trip consists of travel by plane to south central Brazil and drive for another 4-6 hours on a raised roadway across and enormous Savannah. While at the lodge guests spend their days exploring by aluminum skiff the small rivers and streams that drain this vast wetlands. There are also drives across the vast grassland by four wheeled drive vehicles and optional horseback riding. Visitors can expect to see clouds of bright pink spoonbills, hundreds of large caiman lying on the shore, howler monkeys and spider monkeys cavorting in the tree tops and herds of the worlds largest rodent, the capybara, lounging on the river banks. The accommodations are very comfortable and the staff professional and organized

A comfortable lodge, surrounded by wildlife.

DESCRIPTION OF OUR PROPOSED MOTORCYCLE TOURS