Brazil — Galinhos21h · 8 kt
0NOT RECOMMENDEDPick your slot
Min. level
Beginner
Optimal wind
14-32 kts
Season
August to December
Live · now
What to check
Discover the spot
The spot
Discover Brazil
Some 160 kilometres north of Natal, Galinhos is reached only by boat or buggy — a car-free peninsula where time seems to have stopped on a fishing village. Kiting here plays out on two bodies of water: a butter-flat lagoon stretched over a sandbar between the Atlantic and the Rio Aratuá, and the ocean chop over by the lighthouse. A far-flung place where you ride to the pace of horse-drawn carts.
Galinhos is a fishing village set on a spit of sand, with no roads and no cars: you get around by cart or buggy, and you arrive by sea from Guamaré, a boat crossing of about fifteen minutes. Far from the Nordeste's busy headline spots, the peninsula keeps an out-of-time feel, between lagoon, lighthouse and fishing boats. A spot for those after both wind and quiet in one place.
Who & when
Level and best time
Who it's for
The big flat lagoon south of the village, laid over its sandbar, gives smooth water and nearly five kilometres of open room — an ideal place to start out, string together your first runs and work on foil or wing without chop. The ocean side by the lighthouse is choppier and best left to riders comfortable in waves. The remoteness means you should be reasonably self-reliant, but on the water the lagoon stays welcoming for beginners and for building skills.
source : kiteguide.com ↗Best time
Wind season runs July to February, most reliable September to December when the trade wind turns almost daily — from October to December it blows on all but the rarest days. Wind picks up from September on: around 20 knots on average, 18 to 35 knots at the peak of the season.
source : kiteguide.com ↗Before you go
Safety
A remote spot
Galinhos is reached only by boat or buggy and lives cut off from the road: on this car-free peninsula there's no quick repair or spare gear within reach. Bring your full kit and ride knowing help is a long way off.
source : rome2rio.com ↗The ocean side by the lighthouse
The lagoon is flat, but the ocean side toward the lighthouse bristles with chop and waves. If you're starting out or riding foil, stay on the flat water of the lagoon and leave the ocean to riders at home in the waves.
source : kiteguide.com ↗