Brazilian Campsite Reviews: Lagoa do Bonfim

New Campsite review! This time, we've hit solid gold, baby! Toby found the Camping Club of Brazil (Camping Clube do Brasil), and so now we have a whole list of campsites to visit. Yay! Our 2 year anniversary is coming up, so maybe we'll take a nice trip.

Camping on Lagoa do Bonfim was wonderful. It reminded me most of what American campsites are like. Probably for two reasons only, though. This site is a part of the Camping Club's sites, so it probably has all the amenities and organization associated with that club. Also, it was on a lake. An extremely beautiful lake, but I guess it was that we weren't beachfront that reminded me of the states. The lake, though, was the clearest lake I've ever seen. A really goopy bottom, but extremely crystal clear water. This is the time we camped on Easter (on the Camping do Amor post I misspoke). We were the only people camping. There were probably 30 spots (for RVs and tent camping), actually probably more, but we were the only people there. It was really relaxing, and we had a grill, so we got to burn things, which is why you go camping in the first place, right?

Here's what you need to know about this site:

Cost: R$17 per person, per night, + a R$4 one time electricity charge. There is a discount if you are a member of CCB

Amenities: Soccer field, volleyball net, lake access, tables (at a non-functioning food court), plenty of shade trees, showers, bathrooms, electricity (but no plug access, I guess I mean lighting), sink for washing clothes/dishes, grills, dogs allowed for a fee (also, dogs live there), it's gated and has a full time guard guy, fresh water.

Bring: Sport balls, camping stuff, a bike to ride around would be nice, water toys (perhaps a float with an anchor would be nice), umbrella for beach, bug spray (we saw a ton of wasps packing up the last day, and there were lots of ants), charcoal, goggles (I'm not sure what there'd be to see on the bottom of the lake, but it was sooo clear!), earplugs, machete (only for coconuts), had we thought about it, we would have brought our water filter, instead of lugging around a cooler of water, towels, camera (waterproof camera!).

Nearby: Gas stations within driving distance (for beer!), and little shops within walking distance for charcoal and food, yacht club and shooting club nearby, horseback riding club as well, Natal is about a 30 minute drive away.

Notes: We visited in April, and the fruit trees were just jam packed with fruit. We were the only people there, so I don't know if the rules were more lax, but there were mangos galore, coconuts, pitanga and 'black olives' (which I found out are Jamuns; I didn't know if they were edible, so I stayed away, but now I know. They are!). One bad thing about this campsite is the neighbors. There were big parties each night, loud enough to wake us up. When the parties weren't going, there were roosters. So many roosters. Crowing and crowing and crowing....bring earplugs. Also, at night the place flooded with sugar cane toads. I know they're poisonous (to dogs), so if you have a curious dog (unlike ours, who is a bit wimpy at times) watch out for that. Oh, and one more, the place was full of those grass seed things that stick to your clothes like velcro. I hate those. Just a note.

Camping in Brazil: Campsite Review of Camping do Amor

Over Easter weekend we spent three days at Camping do Amor, on Praia do Amor (pretty much the same local as Pipa, a very popular surf tourism beach) in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. It was a lovely  site, pretty empty campsite, but they said it was because Easter here is such a family holiday. We were hooligans, we ditched the family and went camping. Actually... now that I think of it, we went to Camping do Amor on my birthday, so mid-March. Apologies.

Anyway, I thought it might be nice on this blog to have some campsite reviews written in English. Brazil is such a lovely country, and so fantasticly full of nature, I can't imagine people not wanting to camp here. I had a horrible time finding campsites, but my husband found probably all of them within a 10 minute search period. What a guy.

So, Camping do Amor, here's what you need to know:

Pipa seemed incredibly touristy, we saw more 'american' looking people there than we've seen anywhere else. The small town of Pipa is super cute, all walkable, and the beaches are great too. There were lots of surfers, but the waves (to me, the non-surfer) didn't seem incredible. But maybe they are reliable, and that's why they're good. There are a lot of rocks at the shorebreak, they looked really sharp, and sort of volcanic-ish, so watch out for those. Early morning we walked south from the campsite (the campsite has a rough stair down to the beach, the campsite is located about 40 feet up on a cliff, as is the rest of the town) and South to the Chapadao, a really nice red clay plateau. We visited early in the morning, and there was no one there. It was beautiful. Later in the day it was packed with tour buses, so I recommend early. Also, an added note, there were tons of hostels and a big handful of other campsites nearby, incase you

The campsite itself:

Cost: R$15 per person, per night

Camping Spots: Lots of caju trees for shade, probably as much parking as are spaces for tents, three or four big umbrellas, but no chairs under them

Ammenities: Wi-Fi access, cafe (small, with snacks and sandwiches), beach access, bathrooms and showers, kitchen with pots, pans, utensils, fridge, stove, fresh water, electricity and plugs (they had lots of adaptors there too). Dog friendly (there are two or three dogs that live there).

Bring: Surfboard, boogie board, camera, chairs (no available seating), tent (okay, camping supplies, bring your camping supplies), lots of sunscreen, sunglasses, umbrella, a car is good for nearby, but not walkable attractions.

Nearby: Pipa, Tibau do Sul, Chapadao, Baia dos Golfinhos, lots of great sand dunes

Directions: Driving on BR-101 towards Pipa, turn East at Goianinha. We weren't actually sure what road to take in, so we just kept going on one, and it took us there. You sort of just keep going until it ends in Pipa. To get to Camping do Amor, take a right at the curve of the road and just go... you'll see signs. Awesome directions, am I right?

Notes: Privately owned by an Argentinian couple, so I believe they speak spanish. The Pipa crowd seems pretty transient, and a bit hippie ish. So if you're not okay with people smoking pot near you, maybe this isn't the place for you. When we got there a van of traveling hippies showed up, they'd been on the road for a year, just moving from place to place. Crazy, right?