Canoa Quebrada is in the north-eastern Brazilian state of Ceara. The nearest airport is Pinto Martins located in Fortaleza, 166 km from Canoa Quebrada and 85 km from Shelby White/ Praia das Fontes. Pinto Martins is a modern airport of international standard. It was refurbished and upgraded in 1998 and can accommodate 2.5 million passengers annually. Once you arrive at Fortaleza, there are three modes of transportation to reach the Canoa Quebrada beach - taxi, car or bus.

You can reach Fortaleza by either plane or by bus, from where there are convenient and straightforward connections to Canoa Quebrada.

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Our Canoa Quebrada Transportation Guide gives you all the information you need to know about transport in Canoa Quebrada. A great option for getting around and experiencing this beautiful part of Brazil is taking an exciting Canoa Quebrada tour. For transportation options across Brazil see our Brazil Transportation Guide.

Canoe Quebrada Transportation Guide

Getting to and around Canoa Quebrada

By Air

The Pinto Martins airport in Fortaleza was completely refurbished in 1998. Telephone: +55 85 3392 1200. The airport offers several facilities like the post office, health authorities, internet café, tourist information, travel agencies and the federal police. You can catch flights to every major city in Brazil and also to South American capital cities via Sao Paulo.

You can even take weekly charter services to European airports:

FlyBrazil to Amsterdam - http://www.flybrazil.nl/en-EN/FlightSearch.asp
Air Italy to Rome and Milan - http://www.airitaly.eu/

The waiting time for immigration formalities is about an hour. If it is a busy time of the day with many incoming flights, it may take twice the time.

By Bus

The main bus station in Fortaleza (Telephone: +55 85 3230 1111) offers buses to almost all locations in the country, either direct or via connecting routes. The biggest bus operator is Expresso Guanabara, which has an extensive network. Across all operators, the last bus to depart within the entire state of Ceara is between 6 and 7pm.

Another smaller bus station is in the western suburb of Antonio Bezerra. Almost all lines from here go via the main bus station. A third bus station is planned for the southern suburb of Messejana.

The bus terminal in Canoa Quebrada is referred to as Rodoviária and if you can manage its name, it is Terminal Rodoviario Engenheiro Joao Thome. The bus routes from Fortaleza are very convenient. The bus terminal is just 1.5 km from the International Airport, 3 km from the city centre and 5 km from the Praia de Iracema. If you want to head towards Aracati, the names to look out for are Northeast (85-3256-2342) and Guanabara (85-3433-6400). From Aracati, you could take taxis or vans to Canoa Quebrada.

Schedules for round trips:

Fortaleza to Canoa Quebrada and back:

Departures from the Fortaleza bus terminal are at 6:00 am, 8:30 am, 11:00 am, and 13:40 pm and 17:30 pm. The travel time is 3.5 hours.

You could take the St. Benedict route because it runs from Fortaleza and takes you all the way to Canoa Quebrada. Other operators take the road to Aracati, which is 10 km away from Canoa Quebrada. From there, you would need to take a taxi, also known as topik in the local parlance, to reach Canoa Quebrada.

If you wait at the front of the recreation centre at Canoa Quebrada, you can catch return buses leaving at 6:00 am, 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, 14:30 pm and 17:30 pm. The travel time would be 3.5 hours.

By Taxi

Just outside the main gate of the airport at Fortaleza, you'll find taxis queuing up to take you to any destination, including Canoa Quebrada. You could request the hotel to arrange for a pick up or strike a deal with the cabbie to take you to your hotel for a particular price. Sometimes the price quoted may be high, so try negotiating. The travel time from Fortaleza to Canoa is two hours and it is a very pleasant journey.

By Car

If you are coming from Natal (RN), the road to take to Canoa Quebrada is BR304. If you are coming from Fortaleza, take the BR116 to Boqueirão Cesario and then take the BR 304. Once you are on this road, whether you are coming from the north or south, just follow signs to Aracati and then the Canoa Quebrada beach will be clearly signposted all the way.

Leaving Canoa Quebrada

If you are travelling by bus, buying your ticket in advance is the best option. Bus services here are on schedule, so arrive at least 15 minutes before departure time. If you are taking the bus from St Benedict, you must wait in front of Pólo de Lazer in Canoa Quebrada, right next to Hotel Tropical. While using other modes of transportation, get to the Aracati bus stop to catch services to Fortaleza and Natal. Check the timings with your hotel concierge.

If you want to get to the National Park of Jericoacoara, which is not far from Canoa Quebrada, your best mode of transportation would be a buggy. Unfortunately, there is no other form of transport ation to this park. Majorlândia, however, is well connected by road. You could even stroll along the beach to reach it.

Transportation Companies

São Benedito

São Benedito Bus, Ceará, Brazil This is the only bus company that has busses depart and arrive inside Canoa Quebrada Village, near to the "Pólo de Lazer," where there is a sports court in the beginning of Rua Dragão do Mar, better known as Broadway. São Benedito busses are equipped with air conditioning and its destination/origin is Fortaleza Bus Station (Estação Rodoviária). Different from the other two bus companies, the route of these busses is the well maintained CE 040 State Road, so, it is the only option to go by bus to the little towns where the beautiful beaches that are between Fortaleza and Canoa Quebrada, like Cascavel, Beberibe and Uruau are located. Note that, if you want to go to one of these beaches by bus, when you stop at one of the said towns, you have to hire a taxi or alternative transportation, such as a dune buggy or a van, to reach seaside. The daily timetable to and from Fortaleza is:

Fortaleza / Canoa Quebrada: 8:30 am; 1:40 pm; 3:40 pm
Canoa Quebrada / Fortaleza: 6:00 am; 9:30 am; 12:30 pm; 2:30 pm; 5:30 pm

The time of this trip is about 3 and a half hours.

Type: Bus Company

Address: Av. Borges Melo, 1630 box 30, Fortaleza-CE

Phone: Aracati Bus Station: +88 3421 2020 - Fortaleza Bus Station: +85 3272-1232 / 3452-1980

Guanabara

Expresso Guanabara Bus Fortaleza-Aracati Expresso Guanabara is a big bus company and it is a good option to go from Fortaleza to Aracati and vice-versa without stopping: the route is BR 116 and BR 304, both Federal highways. The conservation status of BR116 is reasonable, but the BR 304 is in bad conditions. The ticket one way for one passenger is R$ 15,88. The busses of this company are new, comfortable and well equipped; to go from Aracati to Canoa Quebrada and vice-versa (10 km), you have to hire a taxi (R$ 20,00 the vehicle for up to 4 passengers) or a van (R$ 2,00 for each passenger).

The daily timetable to and from Fortaleza is:

Fortaleza / Aracati: 6:45 am; 12:45 pm;
Aracati / Fortaleza: 1:45 pm; 5:20 pm;

The time of this trip is about 3 hours.

Type: Bus Company

Address: Rua Cel Pompeu s/n, box 03, Centro, Aracati-CE

Phone: Aracati Bus Station: +88 3421-6901 or 3421-1385 - Fortaleza Bus Station: +85 3444-9999 or

Website: http://www.expressoguanabara.com.br

Viação Nordeste

Viação Nordeste, Ceará, Brazil Viação Nordeste has its main bus lines between Fortaleza and other Brazilian northeast capitals: Aracati is, infact, an intermediate stop between Fortaleza and Natal, so, if you want to take a bus of this company to or from Canoa Quebrada, you have to hire a taxi or a van to cover 10 km between Aracati and Canoa Quebrada. The route Fortaleza-Aracati is the same one used by Expresso Guanabara busses, which is BR 116 and BR 304 Federal Highways. The ticket price is about R$ 15,00.

The daily timetable to and from Fortaleza is:

Fortaleza / Aracati: 8,00 am; 1:00 pm; 6:00 pm
Aracati / Fortaleza: 6:30 am; 9:30 am; 2:00 pm; 7:30 pm

The time of this trip is about 3 hours.