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Aquiraz in Ceará has entered the tourist route with the installation of Beach Park on Porto das Duna beach. The city is located around 30 kilometres from Fortaleza, making it easily accessible by car or bus.
The Beach Park complex in Aquiraz, however, is not the only attraction of Ceará’s first capital, which is also home to immense dunes and deserted beaches, as well as a historic centre and a Rendeiras Centre where local women weave and sell delicate items.

In addition to its historical and architectural value, Aquiraz’s main natural attractions include 36 kilometres of beautiful beaches.
The main beaches in Aquiraz are: Porto das Dunas (where Beach Park is located), Praínha, Praia do Iguape, Presídio, Barro Preto and Batoque.
All the beaches in Aquiraz have similar characteristics, such as a tropical climate and a constant breeze, development in the high-end tourist sector, maintaining the local fauna and flora and offering tourists quality services in restaurants, inns and huts.
There are several options for excursions in Aquiraz.
In the Historic and Cultural Centre you can visit the Igreja da Matriz, the Ruinas dos Jesuítas, the Sacred Museum, the Praça da Matriz, the Mercado Velho, the Vila do Capitão Mor, the Centro das Rendeiras, the Porto das Jangadas and the Centro de Artesanato, where you can find bobbin lace, labyrinth pieces and embroidery, as well as perfect replicas of rafts, in miniatures ranging from 30 centimetres to almost two metres.
There are also other good leisure options, such as raft trips along the Iguape and Manguezais rivers, or in the lagoons, as well as longer trips to neighbouring Beberibe to see the cliffs of Praia do Morro Branco and the dunes of Praia das Fontes.
In 1713, the small village of Aquiraz, the scene of violent clashes between Europeans and indigenous people, was elevated to the status of a town and served as the seat of the Siará captaincy until 1726.
The town of Aquiraz, 32 kilometres from Fortaleza, preserves the buildings from colonial times and the countryside atmosphere – even though today it is intensely popular due to Beach Park, a large development that attracts tourists from all over the country.
All the beaches in Aquiraz have similar characteristics, such as a tropical climate and a constant breeze, development in the high-end tourist sector, maintaining the local fauna and flora and offering tourists quality services in restaurants, inns and huts.
The short distances between the various beaches on the east coast of Ceará along the CE-040 motorway make for pleasant day trips.
Videos – Tourist attractions in Aquiraz CE
See the map of the east coast of Ceará
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS OF AQUIRAZ
- IGREJA MATRIZ E MUSEU SACRO SÃO JOSÉ DE RIBAMAR
- JUNGLES IN MINIATURE
- BEACH PARK
- LACE MAKERS
- ARTS MARKET
- BEACHES
1. IGREJA MATRIZ E MUSEU SACRO SÃO JOSÉ DE RIBAMAR
Built in the mid-18th century, the parish church of São José de Ribamar underwent several alterations over time, resulting in a mixture of neoclassical and baroque elements.
The three large cushioned doors at the main entrance, the carved wooden pulpit and the painted panels on the chancel ceiling depicting passages from the life of São José de Ribamar (Praҫa Conego Araripe, s/n, Centro) are original.
Museu Sacro São José de Ribamar (St Joseph of Ribamar Sacred Museum), with a collection of almost 500 pieces from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, is housed in a well-preserved townhouse that was once a Town Hall and Jail and whose construction was completed in 1877.
In the upper part, the ceiling is reinforced with carnauba beams; the most important piece is a silver cross from the 18th century, brought to Aquiraz by Jesuit priests (Praҫa Conego Araripe, 22, Centro).
2. JUNGLES IN MINIATURE
Timbaúba, a wood native to the region, is transformed into small works of art in the hands of Mr Oliveira, a former fisherman from Prainha.
The craftsman, who learnt his trade at the age of eight, spends much of the day on the porch of his house carving small rafts with the help of a sharp knife.
The perfection and richness of the details of the crafts (sail, samburá, fishing line and other instruments used by the fishermen) attract the attention of tourists passing by the beach (Rua Damião Tavares, 349, Prainha).
The pieces can also be found at the Prainha Rendeiras Centre.
3. BEACH PARK
Beach Park is situated on the Porto das Dunas beachfront and offers a wide range of leisure facilities for families, with seventeen water rides of all kinds – from the quieter ones, suitable for small children, to the more “radical” ones.
The complex includes snack bars, restaurants and shops.
You don’t have to pay a ticket if you just want to use the beach area and the bar and restaurant services.
3. LACE MAKERS – RENDEIRAS
In the seven kiosks of the Prainha Lace Makers Centre, forty lace makers take turns selling to tourists and making bobbin lace with thick or thin threads (more delicate and more laborious, taking several days to complete).
Among the pieces are bedspreads and tablecloths (Rua Damião Tavares, s/n, Prainha).
At the Iguape Lace Makers’ Centre, located near the dune and the fishermen’s hut, you can find labyrinth embroidery and bobbin lace.
You can buy table runners, towels, bath towels, tray cloths, patches for clothes and even bags (Av. da Praia, s/n, Iguape).
4. ARTS MARKET
This 19th century building, a former trading post and meat market, is now home to a cultural centre with art workshops, craft shops and a restaurant, as well as a public library.
The geometric harmony of the roof frame and the precise construction technique, based on the use of carnauba and adobe, are worth a visit (Rua Santos Dumont, s/n, Centro).
5. BEACHES
- Porto das Dunas beach
- Prainha Beach
- Praia do Presídio
- Iguape Beach
- Barro Preto Beach
- Batoque Beach
Aquiraz isn’t all about the trendy and expensive Jericoacoara and Canoa Quebrada (in Aracati) in Ceará. Aquiraz is just 27 kilometres from Fortaleza, on the east coast of Ceará.
5.1 Porto das Dunas Beach
Porto das Dunas Beach has soft white sand and stretches suitable for surfing. It is the beach with the best infrastructure: it is fully serviced by hotels, inns and condominiums.
5.2 Prainha
Prainha is always very crowded and sought after by excursions; it is dotted with tents. There is intense harassment from guides offering tours and accommodation.
5.3 Praia do Presídio
Praia do Presídio is a stronghold of holiday homes on a wide stretch of white sand, permeated by lagoons and bordered by the Salinas River. Famous for its street carnival on the sand.
5.4 Iguape Beach
The most urbanised beach in Aquiraz, Iguape has white sands, a calm sea dotted with rafts and a solitary dune. It has modest inns, as well as restaurants and stalls.
5.5 Barro Preto Beach
Praia do Barro Preto in Aquiraz is straight, with dark sand, coconut trees, a few holiday homes, small hotels and shacks.
The buggies stop at Giovane Cavalcante’s picturesque hut, decorated with scrap metal.
5.6 Batoque Beach
Praia do Batoque is a secluded beach with few huts, dunes, cliffs and lagoons nearby, as well as clear sand and calm seas.
Access includes crossing a stretch of the Barro Preto river.
Tourism and Travel Guide to Aquiraz on the East Coast of Ceará