Guaramiranga Mountains

— Just under a couple of hours from Fortaleza, in northeast Brazil, the Serra de Guaramiranga (Guaramiranga Mountain Range) beckons visitors who crave cooler weather and gorgeous landscapes. No matter how hot it is in Fortaleza, Guaramiranga offers views and cooler temperatures year around. In fact, in the middle of summer in Brazil, Guaramiranga is the place jazz and blues musicians go to for the town’s annual Festival of Jazz & Blues while the rest of the country celebrates Carnaval.

In 2015, we decided to spend a few days in Guaramiranga to experience its charms and cooler temperatures. It was my first time back in the town since I had been there as a kid. The town itself is one of the smallest towns in Ceará — population 4,000 people — and it is located at an altitude of 2,838 ft (865 m). The mountain range where the town lies is where we also find the state’s tallest peak, Pico Alto (High Peak). The temperature there ranges from 59 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit (15 and 23 degrees Celsius) all year around. With those mild temperatures, you also find plenty of flowers and tropical plants. There are plenty of hotels, bed and breakfasts, and lodgings in the city.