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?