Serra de Baturité, Canindé and Quixadá in Brazil

The town of

, the largest in the area, is surrounded by the hills and waterfalls of the

, an irregular massif with beautiful scenery. Baturité is more in the foothills than in the

proper. It has some colonial buildings and a historical museum and is home to the

distillery, which can be visited. There are several hotels and restaurants, or you can also stay in the

is beyond town on the way out to Guaramiranga.

Sixteen kilometres northwest of Baturité, is

, the centre of a fruit and flower growing area. At 365 m above sea level, it is reached by a very twisty road through lush vegetation and fruit trees full of birds. There are several

along the way. The town is packed with visitors at weekends; if you want to stay overnight you must book in advance. During

(February) there is a

. To ensure a bed during this time you must book in November. The town also holds a

in September in the

. This is in the centre of town and around it are a number of restaurants including

,

,

,

(for pasta and fondue).

About 7 km further north is

, with large botanical gardens (

). There are trails for viewing the highland flora, and several waterfalls that are good for a dip. On the main road to Pacoti, turn left at Forquilha to climb

(1115 m above sea level), previously thought to be the highest peak in Ceará, which offers special views and sunsets. You can go up by car, or if you leave early in the morning you may be able to catch a lift with the school bus.

The pilgrimage centre of Canindé, 108 km southwest of Fortaleza, is located in the

of Ceará. A large modern church stands on a hill and has carved baptistry doors and many ex-votos. It receives hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the northeast between 26 September and 4 October, devotees of São Francisco das Chagas, '

', many of them dressed like Franciscan priests. The pilgrims flock to town on foot, by bus and mostly on

trucks. It is reputed to be second in the world, after Assisi, as a pilgrimage centre for Saint Francis. There is a regional

with artefacts representative of northeast culture, and several restaurants.

There is a daily bus service from Fortaleza

with

(three hours), and interesting dry-land vegetation along the route. From Canindé south to the Sertão Central (Quixadá), CE-456 is under repair. The majority of the road is not too bad, but there are some rough bits (95 km).

Quixadá is on the

, with its rocky outcrops and dry hills representative of the central

. It is one of the top hang-gliding sites in the world and is also good for climbing and trekking. The town has a dam,

, built by ex-slaves during the empire of Dom Pedro II, following the terrible drought of 1877-1879. You can walk across the dam to view the surrounding scenery, and reach the restaurants and bars. Activities include a two-hour trail (take an

guide) to interesting rock formations such as the

('broody hen'), as well as climbing and abseiling on the rocks by the dam. There is a historical museum in the town.

is a pilgrimage centre 10 km from town, halfway up the highest peak in the region,

, or Serra Preta, at 600 m. The views are tremendous. It's a modern sanctuary (inaugurated 1995) accommodating over 800 worshippers, and is decorated with the flags and images of the patron saints of every Latin American country and Italy. The main festival is 11 February, so the whole month is packed with visitors. The main launch ramp for hang-gliding ramp is just below the church.

About 21 km from Quixadá is

, a complex of religious buildings dating from the early 1900s.

is an important regional hub and the geographical centre of Ceará, 20 minutes from Quixadá. The town centre is pleasant with a lovely old market building, and is being completely refurbished. There is a

(of Canudos), who was born here in 1830 and lived in the town until, shamed by his first wife's adultery, he left for a wandering life before becoming the religious figure famous in history and novels. The memorial has some sculptures, high-relief pictures and a tiny remnant of railway. Nearby is an old iron railway bridge, another 'postcard' view of the town and

with ancient inscriptions on boulders. The regional dam has been used for irrigation with good results. In August, an important musical event, the

, is held.