The location

Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is a country in South America. It is the fifth largest country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the fifth most populous country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east, Brazil has a coastline of over 7,491 kilometers (4,655 mi). It is bordered on the north by Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and the French overseas department of French Guiana; on the northwest by Colombia; on the west by Bolivia and Peru; on the southwest by Argentina and Paraguay and on the south by Uruguay.

Ceará is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is one of the main tourist destinations of Brazil.

Cumbuco is a small fishermans village in the North-East of Brasil nearby the big city Fortaleza (20km further south). Cumbuco is growing as the popularity of the spot is growing. There are a lot of shops (also kite/surf-shops) and there are some possibilities to do a cash withdrawal in the village itself.

The seasons and hotel info

There are a lot of Hotels and Pousada's (bed and breakfast) in all different price classes. The high season in cumbuco is from oktober till the end of december. In this period hotels and pousadas are more expensive. Because of the high season it may be nessesary to make a reservation for a populair hotel or pousada. Nevertheless the wind starts getting more powerfull at the beginning of july.

Possibilities besides kiting

Besides a place to sleep there are plenty options to have get your stomic filled. You can also decide to eat in the big city Fortaleza (from sushi till vegetarian).
If you feel like doing something else in Cumbuco its possible to plan a buggy tour through the big sand dunes.
At night there are some places to drink a beer, play pool or tablesoccer, or even for some dancing action. But if you really want to party you have to take a cab to Fortaleza.

Climate

Most of the year the water temperature is 28C and the air temperature 30C.The reliable wind makes the temperature pretty comfortable. Because of the warm sea temperature you dont need a wetsuit.

The beach

Cumbuco beach is a sand beach. It's a big long streched beach with almost no obstacles (a few stones downwind in the shorebreak, and some fishingboats). The beach is always clean. In the weekend it can be crowdy, because all the local people celabrate their weekend at the beach or at the laguna. Besides the people there are a few boats on the beach (and on the water)

The wind conditions

The main wind direction is southeast and is in Cumbcuo sideshore from the right. Most of the times the wind is already good in the morning, it pics up around 12:00 and drops again around 16:00 and you can kite till 18:00 when the sun sets. The wind is steady and almost always around 5BFT. The wind is always more than the statistics or forecast on windfinder because the wind is thermal too. The further north you go the harder the wind blows.

Facilities

In Cumbuco you can find kiteschools for beginners but also for more advanced people. The prices are like in Europe but that is almost everywhere in the world.
Most of the kiteschools have toilets and showers. If you are hungry you there are allot of places at the beach where you can eat fish, meat or whatever you want.
Unless Cumbuco is a really populair kite location there is not a resceu boat or jetski (the wind is sideshore so if something happens you will always come to shore further up). There are some beachboys but not as much like in Asia for axample.

How bussy is the spot

There are two kitespots in Cumbuco, the sea and the laguna. The laguna can be very crowdy (from 11:00-16:00). The sea is big enough and it is always possible to find some space for yourself.

Kitespot I: The Sea

Almost everywhere from Fortaleza till hours further to the north you can kite on the sea. Cumbuco is a long stretched small village stretching along the coast for a few kilometers. Unless the fact that the destinations popularity is growing there is still plenty of space to kite on the sea.
From the beginning of Cumbuco till the big peer of Pecem is around 25km. It is a perfect possibility to make a downwinder from Cumbuco to the Laguna 7km further north. Half way you can hit som nice waves where the beach curves more into the sea.

Kitespot II: The Laguna

The wind on the laguna is a bit off shore. Because of the size of the laguna this doesn't matter. There are enough places where the water is waist deep so you will never really get into trouble. The water is pretty flat. Sometimes the laguna can be really crowded, especially when all the pro's are training in front of the baracks.

Don't swallow the water and don't pee in it because that's not healty. There are some places where you can eat or drink something (the food is nog really good and a bit expensive compared to the shops in Cumbuco).
It is also possible to get lessons on the laguna. If you make a downwinder from Cumbuco there are always enough buggy's waiting to give you a ride back for a reasonable price; especially when you share the buggy with 3 others.

The water conditions

The sea is al little choppy. There is always a small shore break. Some days in the month there can be a swell. The sea is pretty deep and there is not a very strong current. Despite you are kiting on the ocean the water is not cristal clear.
The laguna is super flat. Almost everywhere on the laguna its possible to stand. The water is not deep but it can be al littlebit dirty sometimes.

Check the Tag Cumbucu for more newsitems/movies etc:
http://www.hanglos.net/tag/1944/cumbuco.html