Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING AND DRINKING
Carcará
Rua do Forró 530
T
88 3669 2013,
W
restaurantecarcara.com.br.
Exquisitely prepared
Brazilian and regional dishes (utilizing mostly local
produce), including
baiana
and
capixaba
-style
moquecas
(fish stews) served in authentic clay pots, Rio-style
feijoada
and Pernambucan
bobó de camarão
.
Mon-Thurs 3-11pm,
Fri & Sat noon-11pm.
Espaço Aberto
Rua Principal 104
T
88 3669 2063.
Good
bet for superb fish (try the
peixe-verde
or
peixe tropical
with
banana) and seafood, run by an affable
carioca
Beto (budget
for R$20 per head).
Daily noon-11pm.
Pizzaria Nômade
Rua da Farmácia
T
88 3669 2134.
Great spot with rustic, Northeastern decor, best known for
tasty pizza (try the prawn and cream cheese), but also
cooks up decent pasta and has a reasonable wine list.
Daily 6pm-midnight.
Tortuga Jeri
Rua São Francisco
T
88 9725 2500.
Healthy and wholesome breakfasts, sandwiches, wraps,
soups and light meals with plenty of vegetarian and
vegan options. Reverts to chilled-out bar in the evenings
.
Daily 9am-11pm.
DIRECTORY
Internet
Jeri has several cybercafés for internet access
(standard R$2-3/hr).
Money and exchange
There are no banks or ATMs in Jeri,
so make sure you bring enough cash.
Parque Nacional de Ubajara
Rodovia da Confiança (off CE-187), 5km northeast of the town of Ubajara (325km west of Fortaleza) •
Visitors' centre
Tues-Sun 9
am-4pm •
T
88 3634 1388
Cave tour
Tues-Sun 8am-4pm (last entry 2pm) • R$5 (R$10 via the trail)
Cable car
Tues-Sun 9am-2.30pm
(last trip up at 3pm) • R$4 one-way
Guides' cooperative
T
88 3634 2365 • Services start at around R$45/day
Few travellers stray far from the dazzling beaches along the coast of Ceará, and in
truth there is little to detain you in much of the dusty
sertão
-blown interior of the
state. There is one exception, however: the caves of the
Parque Nacional de Ubajara
in the
Serra da Ibiapaba
, the beautiful hills and cloud-forest highlands that run
down the border between Ceará and Piauí. Everything here is green and fertile;
the temperature, warm but fresh with cool breezes, is an immense relief, and the
contrast with the conditions only half an hour's drive away below couldn't be more
marked. The park itself is very small (at less than six square kilometres it is in fact
Brazil's smallest national park), but tourism facilities have developed rapidly in
recent years and it now has a
visitors' centre
. A cooperative of local guides can
show you round the park's eco-trails, large caves and impressive waterfalls (you
can't walk around without a guide); they are also a good source of up-to-the-minute
local information.
4
Gruta de Ubajara
From the park
mirante
(viewpoint) beyond the entrance gate, a three-minute
cable car
(
teleférico
) swoops down 550m to the cave complex of the
Gruta de
Ubajara
, huge caverns with fantastical formations of stalactites and stalagmites
that extend 450m into the mountain (with a 35m elevation loss). If you want to
hike the 7km trail down to the cave mouth, note that guides prefer to start in the
morning (8am, 9am and 10am), so you do the bulk of the walk before the heat gets
up; take liquids, and wear decent walking shoes. Going down takes a couple of
hours, returning twice that, but there are streams and a small waterfall to cool off
in along the way.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PARQUE NACIONAL DE UBAJARA
The park entrance lies a 20min walk along the road from the town of Ubajara, or you can take a taxi for R$15.
By bus
From Jericoacoara you'll have to take the Fretcar
(
W
fretcar.com.br) bus from Jijoca to Granja (12.30pm,
6.15pm, 8.45pm & 11pm; R$6-8; 1hr), then take the
2.25pm Gontijo bus (
W
gontijo.com.br) to Ubajara (2hr
10min; R$10.45).
Destinations
Fortaleza
(5 daily; 7hr; R$35-45;
W
expressoguanabara.com.br); Teresina (daily at 10am;
5hr); Brasília (daily at 10.30am; 15hr).
