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Sertão – Crato and Juazeiro do Norte

Sertão do Ceará is punished by droughts and its biggest city is Juazeiro do Norte with its religiosity, Cariri with my palaeontological museum and Crato.

One of the most anticipated trips for many is the visit to Juazeiro do Norte. In addition to the faith that moves the land of Padre Cícero in this period, the tourist itinerary that has been added provides moments of leisure and relaxation to visitors.

In the city of Juazeiro do Norte in the hinterland of Ceará, four tourist attractions stand out, among them the hill of the garden, the Padre Cícero museum, the Chapada do Araripe and the shopping centre.

The garden is 3 km from the city of Juazeiro do Norte and includes the statue of Padre Cícero, the Padre Cícero Living Museum, the Church of Senhor Bom Jesus do Horto and the access trail to the Holy Sepulchre (2,650 metres).

The Hill of Horto gained prominence in the history of Juazeiro do Norte due to the presence of Father Cícero Romão Batista, a major political and religious figure in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Today, devotion to Father Cícero continues to attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every year from all over Brazil, especially from the Northeast.

The Araripe Plateau, in the hinterland of Ceará, is a vast area of vegetation that is home to a national forest, an environmental protection area and a geopark.

The vegetation is quite diverse, presenting domains of cerradão, caatinga and cerrado. Its fauna is rich in birds, mammals, reptiles and insects. An increasing number of people are entering the Araripe National Forest, either on kilometre-long hikes or by bicycle, with groups that are attuned to the nature of Cariri. Ecological tourism has been increasingly stimulated in our region.

The itinerary prepared for the traveller in Juazeiro do Norte actually brings together four strands. Those seeking to know the religiosity of the land of Padre Cícero, the “Padim Ciço”, the greatest spiritual leader of the people of the sertão, can follow the “Caminhos dos Romeiros” and visit the Colina do Horto, where his entire trajectory and life story is represented in the museum. Those who want to discover the rich cultural and historical heritage of the sertão can follow the “Cariri Histórico-Cultural” route.

For those who prefer a scientific and educational itinerary, full of archaeology, geology and palaeontology, follow the paths of the expedition “Unveiling Prehistory” and find records of up to 110 million years, in the Araripe Geopark.

Those who are passionate about nature, adventure and ecology can follow in the footsteps of “Cantos e Encantos da Chapada do Araripe”.

Located at the foot of the Chapada do Araripe in the hinterland of Ceará, Crato is considered the ‘capital’ of the Cariri region. For a long time – before the advent of the University of Ceará – it was more closely linked to Pernambuco.