What do you know about kitesurfing in Northern Brazil? If you’re like most Americans, probably not all that much. Then again, you might have a high-energy friend or family member that recently went down there and had an amazing time, doing all sorts of things, including kitesurfing.

This sport is a combination of many different disciplines, ranging from sailing to skateboarding. Whether you do it on land or water, you let the power of the wind move you along. It’s a great full-body workout, always an amazing experience, and quite a vivid memory if you ever get to do it in foreign and exotic places.

Kitesurfing Brazil 

Northern Brazil definitely counts as a foreign and exotic place if you’re coming from North America. Its beaches are some of the world’s most exciting and beautiful, and they’re a common place for kitesurfing, although certainly not the only place you could go. Keep reading the rest of this article to learn numerous factors about kitesurfing in Northern Brazil you should know before you plan your trip or go:

Times Are Different: When you look on most globes or maps of the world, you notice that South America is lined up almost directly underneath North America. That doesn’t mean the time zones are the same though. Depending on where you are in Brazil, and if Daylight Saving Time is in play, the Atlantic coast of the lower continent can actually be two or three hours ahead of the Eastern Standard Time zone in the United States. That’s not typically enough to cause jet lag in most travellers, but if you’re flying from further west, you might have to shift your body even more hours. Give yourself a day or two to adjust once you get there, and you might need the same thing when you get home. Don’t plan on long days down there either, because…

You’ll Be Near Or At The Equator: This line running around the middle of the world crosses South America through northern Brazil. You might think of the tropics as a place that gets lots of sunlight, given the heat and warm climate, but what it actually means is that days are 12 hours long, every day of the year. Don’t be surprised to see the sunrise at 6 every morning and go down at 6 every evening, regardless of what month of the year you go. There are sometimes options for kitesurfing at night, to be honest, and if you can handle it, its mesmerising.

It’s A Jungle Out There: The mighty Amazon and its surrounding rainforest dominate the terrain of much of Brazil, and this might be why you’re coming down here. Seeing at least some of it should be on anyone’s bucket list. If you can find a chance to kitesurf in this part of the world, definitely take it. The beach options are great, but kitesurfing the Amazon? That’s a story to share when you get back home. Still, you need to be careful of pests, predators, insects, and illnesses that might befall you. Heed State Department warnings and see your doctor about immunisations and the like. For that matter, make sure you’re healthy enough for kitesurfing if you’re not already a regular back home.

National Geographic Amazon Brazil 

You Won’t Be Speaking English: For that matter, you won’t be speaking Spanish either. Even though that language dominates nearly every other country in both Central and South America, Brazil is a nation that speaks Portuguese. It’s similar to Spanish in many ways, but they are not fully identical languages, so learn the phrases you need to get around easily and conveniently.