Fortaleza Vacation Packages and Tours

Overview

The fifth largest city in Brazil, Fortaleza is located in the northeastern part of the country and serves as the state capital of Ceará. Situated near the Atlantic Ocean, Fortaleza provides an excellent base for discovering beaches and fishing villages along the coast while on Brazil tours.

Although the Portuguese attempted to settle Fortaleza early in the 17th century, they were unsuccessful resulting in Dutch colonization in 1637. Less than twenty years later, the Dutch abandoned the settlement allowing the Portuguese to reclaim the area from which a village and then a city emerged. Along with cattle ranchers, cotton exports helped Fortaleza to become an important city during the 19th century. One of the most significant and famous events in Fortaleza’s history came when the city chose to abolish slavery in 1884, four years before the rest of the country.