Cumbuco Beach Day Trip: Buggy Rides, Seafood & Pools

4.89

(146 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

First thing I remember is the light — that sharp, white glare bouncing off the dunes as we pulled up to Cumbuco Beach. Our driver, Joao, had this easy way of pointing out things you’d miss from behind a window: kitesurfers in the distance, locals selling grilled cheese on sticks (I tried one — salty and squeaky). The air smelled like sunscreen and fried shrimp. I didn’t expect so many families already splashing in the pool by 10am, but there they were, kids shrieking every time someone cannonballed in.

The buggy ride was what everyone talked about. I’d seen photos but it’s different when you’re actually gripping the seat and feeling that drop as the sand gives way under you — my friend screamed so loud our guide laughed and said “sem emoção?” which apparently means “no emotion?” (he was joking — we definitely had plenty). We stopped at a freshwater lagoon halfway through; water cool enough to make you gasp. A couple of teenagers were racing down a zipline into the water. I just sat on the edge for a minute, feet buried in sand that felt almost too hot to touch.

Lunch was right on the beach — plastic chairs, toes in warm sand. We ordered this seafood trio Joao recommended (shrimp, fish, crab) and it came out sizzling. There was a breeze off the ocean and everything tasted better than it probably should have after all that sun. I tried to order another beer in Portuguese; Li laughed when I butchered it. So yeah, not my proudest moment linguistically but nobody seemed to mind.

I still think about how quiet it got for a second after lunch — just waves and distant laughter from the water park next door. It’s funny how full a day can feel without doing anything complicated. By late afternoon we were all half-asleep on the drive back to Fortaleza, sunburned and sandy and kind of wishing we’d stayed just an hour longer.