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The Emotions Route unites the Lençóis Maranhenses, in Maranhão, the Parnaíba Delta, in Piauí, and Jericoacoara, in Ceará, in a single trip.
Rota das Emoções in the northeast is to face a dirt road in a 4×4 vehicle, take a chance on windsurfing, face the rise and fall of the dunes to reach a kind of oasis, dive in a river side by side with sea horses, try fish and typical flavors of the Brazilian Northeast and finally, when you decide to rest in a hammock, count on a stunning beach to frame the view.
This sequence of activities can be done all in a few days or over a week, but it doesn’t matter: it is the dose of adrenaline needed to live up to the name Rota das Emoções.
Created by the Ministry of Tourism and Sebrae, the route is composed of three main and already established destinations in the Brazilian Northeast: Jericoacoara, in Ceará, the region of Delta do Parnaíba, in Piauí and the Lençóis Maranhenses.
Each one stands out in its own way, but all have nature as their biggest draw.
Video Emotions Route in the Northeast
Rota das Emoções no Nordeste
Rota das Emoções - Guia07:01
Rota das Emoções no Nordeste - Guia de Turismo
In addition to the classic tours of lagoons, dunes, beaches, trails and rivers (such as the Preguiças River), the program includes stops along the way – usually traveled in a four-wheel drive car – in villages and small towns to get to know the crafts, gastronomy and culture of local communities.
The practice of extreme sports, such as windsurfing and kitesurfing are also attractions of the route.
The official route lists 14 municipalities (Araióses, Barreirinhas, Paulino Neves, Santo Amaro and Tutóia, in Maranhão; Jijoca de Jericoacoara, Barroquinha, Camocim, Chaval and Cruz, in Ceará; and Cajueiro da Praia, Ilha Grande, Luis Correia and Parnaíba, in Piauí), but nothing about this trip is inflexible.
The agencies that promote the tours have increasingly worked with personalized itineraries.
“The agencies had been selling this route with Jeri, Delta and Lençóis for a long time, but not in such an organized way.
In 2005 the project began to be born and in 2007 the brand and the name ‘Route of Emotions’ gained strength and support from the government and Sebrae, “explains Karin Goidanich, consultant articulator of the entire circuit since 2005.
The time available, specific interests, profile of tourists and, of course, the price, will determine what kind of trip will be made in the region.
The route can be done in seven or twelve days, include the 14 municipalities or just the three main ones – or even pass through some other nearby city that is not on any standardized itinerary. The means of accommodation are also very varied: in the region, there are from more economical inns to luxury resorts.
Contact with nature on the Emotions Route
Despite all the rustic atmosphere that the Route provides, make no mistake about the price of adventure. It is a trip that requires a complex structure, since most packages include all transportation (speedboat, 4×4 car and transfers), so it is not so cheap.
But by having this customized profile, the itinerary can be planned in a way that fits in your pocket;
Even so, interest in the region has been increasing – growth is about 20% per year. “The number of tourists is still small, but it leaves a lot of revenue, which is well distributed among the local population – artisans, innkeepers and restaurants,” says the consultant.
Because it encompasses three important Environmental Protection Areas, the route should not be explored without a minimum of care for the preservation of the environment. In addition, the entire program revolves around contact with nature and socializing with the community.
Knowing all this, the tourist’s mission when traveling the Route becomes much easier: just enjoy each landscape, appreciate all the flavors and let yourself be involved with the stories and simplicity of the local people.
Main attractions of the Emotions Route
Jericoacoara
The town of Jijoca de Jericoacoara (280 km from Fortaleza) is the gateway to the village of Jeri, an old fishing village hidden behind the dunes. Jijoca has a good structure of inns and the blue waters of Lagoa Paraíso.
The beaches of Jericoacoara invite you to take long walks in the morning and late afternoon: to Pedra Furada and Serrote, for example, on a trail over rocks, or in the opposite direction, to the sides of Guriú and Tatajuba.
Thanks to its winds, the destination is much sought after by those who want to practice windsurfing and kitesurfing.
Its beaches, dunes, lagoons and sandbanks have the status of Jericoacoara National Park, administered by Ibama. In 1984, Jeri had been transformed into an APA (Environmental Protection Area), a condition that contributed to its conservation.
Delta do Parnaíba
The Parnaíba Delta is the only delta in the Americas that flows into the open sea and the third largest in the world. Its branches, arms formed by the river before it meets the sea, form an archipelago with more than 75 islands, dunes, freshwater lagoons and a tropical forest.
Delta do Parnaíba is located in the north of the state of Piauí, near the border with the state of Maranhão, its main divisions delimit the territory of the largest islands in the region, with good infrastructure for visitation: Canary Islands , Igaraçu, Caju Island, Melancieira Island and Tutóia.
On the smallest coastline in the country (66 km long) the climate of tranquillity is present, since its beaches are visited almost exclusively by locals.
Clear, transparent water and a few gusts of wind bring fishermen, bathers and kitesurfers in search of adrenaline, combining the pleasure of the sport with the contemplation of the paradisiacal coast.
Lençóis Maranhenses
The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is formed by thousands of lagoons on white sand dunes, in an area of 155,000 hectares, with about 70 km of deserted beaches.
In Lençóis Maranhenses, the force of the rains makes so much water fall in the first half of each year that billions of liters remain, neither evaporated nor absorbed by the sand, to form the natural pools that are the great highlight of the place.
It is important to plan the period of the trip in order to enjoy the lagoons in all their splendor, when several of them offer deep waters for bathing.
In general, the best time to visit is from May to September.
The small town of Barreirinhas, 260 km from São Luís, has a good infrastructure to support tourists.
Tourism and Travel Guide of the Emotions Route in the northeast
