A different place to explore

More than just beautiful beaches, Pernambuco offers in its countryside popular festivities, spectacular shows, adventures and ecotourism activities and even a wine route around São Francisco River, one of the largest rivers in Brazil.

São João Festival

When June comes, the entire region starts partying. Every town is filled with colours, rhythms and flavours. In Caruaru – an important city 130 kilometres from Recife – for an entire month, the town receives thousands of people who dance and attend typical dancing groups and concerts by local and national artists. Gravatá is another city that also has excelled during June festivities, receiving visitors with charming performances.

Passion of Christ

Less than 200 kilometres from Recife, the city of Brio da Madre de Deus has the largest outdoor theatre in the world, Nova Jerusalem. It becomes the stage of the Passion of Christ show during the Holy Week, receiving more than 60,000 people. An area of 100,000 m² houses the nine stages of the spectacle, in addition to snack bars, restrooms, and medical services.

Adventure and Ecotourism

Tourists and adventurers from all corners are enticed by the mild climate, the trails in the woods and the water supply diverse with rivers, springs, dams, creeks, rapids and several waterfalls of Bonito, located about 60 kilometres from the state capital.

The Véu da Noiva waterfall, formed by the Verde River, is the preferred place to practice rappelling. In Gravatá, rappel can be practised in the 50-metre-high Cascavel Bridge, with the mountain range’s beautiful look.

Wine Route

On the São Francisco Riverbanks, and with more than 3 thousand hours of sunshine per year, the region that encompasses Petrolina (714 kilometres from Recife) and its surrounding cities produce vigorous and fruity red wines. More than 15% of Brazil’s wines already have the São Francisco Valley as the region of origin.

The area gathers up to 2.5 harvests per year, with advanced irrigation techniques. About 3 thousand visitors arrive every month, putting the Valley on the World Wine Tours map. The tourist can experience a wine, stroll through the vineyards, accompany wines’ elaboration, and end the ride with a tasting.

Infrastructure for tourism

Most of the cities have accommodation options and gastronomic centres. The countryside is rich in handicrafts, which can be found in local fairs and stores.

Typical Cuisine

Pernambuco was marked by the sugar cane cycle. That’s why it runs through the whole state, making it possible to taste sweets, jams, cakes, liqueurs made with it, especially in the countryside. Corn, coconut, and root delicacies are also present in the region.