Praia de Upanema (Areia Branca)

Set 4 km from the centre of Areia Branca, in front of the municipal lighthouse, Upanema is a working-day kite beach: wide open sand, 15–25 kt trade winds from July through February, no reef to read, room for hundreds of kites at the festival peak. The Pousada Farol is the de-facto KiteFest hub, and downwinders from here head west toward Ponta do Mel or east toward Macau. Travel-press positioning ('Costa Branca', 'Caribe Potiguar') gives international riders a recognisable handle.