Piauí Village Attracts Tourists in Search of 'New Jericoacoara'

Barra Grande is 170 km from the trendy beach in Ceará and attracts water sports fans

Cajueiro da Praia (PI)

The streets are sandy, kitesurfers stand out in the sea, and there are restaurants for all tastes and pockets. This description could fit Jericoacoara, Ceará, today one of the hottest destinations on the Brazilian coast. But a beach 170 km away, in the neighboring state of Piaui, is receiving fans of water sports and tourists who have nicknamed it the new Jeri.

For some people, however, Barra Grande is not the new one, but the old Jeri. The history of tourism in the Piaui beach village that belongs to the municipality of Cajueiro da Praia is intertwined with that of Jericoacoara.

Former Jeri residents helped start tourism in Barra Grande in 2005 after a reconnaissance trip. Ceará beach was already growing in a disorderly way, with many restaurants and inns in a competition that increased month by month.

Barra Grande (Foto: Adriano Vizoni/Folhapress, COTIDIANO) - Adriano Vizoni


There was only a small inn, which received mostly kitesurfers from outside Brazil who took advantage of the region's wind to practice the sport that has a board and a kite (which most resembles a parachute when it is open). Barra Grande was also a cheaper place than Jeri to practice kitesurf, for example.


The point is strategic for tourism for one reason: it is the gateway to the Parnaíba Delta for those arriving from Ceará. Barra Grande is 70 km from Ilha Grande, a neighboring city of Parnaíba, the second-largest in Piauí. From Ilha Grande, boat trips sail through the islands where the Parnaíba river meets the sea. There are also visits to the Delta from Tutóia, already in Maranhão. To get from Jericoacoara to Delta, you must, therefore, go through Barra Grande.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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