To dream, perchance to surf... Visit the slideshow from the EasyDrop Surf Camp in Itacare, Brazil—then consider planning your own visit. Below is information on EasyDrop and three other surf camps we found a little closer to home.

Also see our guide to other family vacations that teach, ranging from culinary adventures to music, archeology, and other great interests.

EasyDrop Surf Camp

Getting There

Reaching Itacaré is tricky—around 15 hours inflight and over land—but the trip is jet lag–free. Nonstops to São Paulo from several U.S. cities (including New York City, Houston, and Miami) usually depart in the evening and land in the morning, and São Paulo is just one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Take a one-hour taxi ride from São Paulo–Guarulhos International Airport to Congonhas Domestic Airport for the two-and-a-half-hour flight to Ilhéus. (Depending on flight frequency, you may have to stay in São Paulo for a day. Click here for a sightseeing itinerary.) Itacaré is a 90-minute drive from Ilhéus—arrange a pickup with your hotel, and keep an eye out for the monkeys crossing the road on small footbridges overhead.

The Surf Camp

The package includes six days of instruction and all the gear, and can be booked à la carte or with accommodations at Girassol. For ages 6 and up. From $452 (without accommodations) to $993 (in a double at Girassol in high season) per person; (55) 73-3251-3065.

When To Visit

Head to Itacaré from September through March (the high season), when the surf is gentle and the weather is dry, with temperatures generally in the 80s and 90s.

The Essentials

Language: Portuguese is tough and spoken rapid-fire. Everyone at EasyDrop speaks English, but few around town do. Learn some key phrases ahead of time.

Money: The local currency is the real, equivalent to about 60 cents. (One real will buy you a cup of coffee.) Few places take credit cards, and there are often lines at Itacaré's ATMs, so withdraw enough reals for the week in Ilhéus (estimate about 40 per person per day).

Supplies: Most convenience stores and pharmacies in town stock brand-name OTC medicines and baby supplies. Labels are in Portuguese, so if you're concerned about the ingredients of specific products (mosquito repellent, say), bring your own.

Transport: There's no need to rent a car. Everything is walkable or a short $5 to $10 taxi ride away.

The Beaches: There are five main beaches and dozens of tiny ones. Visit Praia da Tiririca to scope out the local surf scene, or Praia da Ribiera to hone your skills on beginner-level waves. A 20-minute walk will take you to the spectacular Praia de Jeribucaçu.

The Hotels

Girassol: Run by a warm, friendly couple, EasyDrop's affiliated hotel is just steps from Praia da Concha beach. The 10 rooms are simple and clean, each with air-conditioning and a refrigerator. The lush, hammock-strewn garden is the perfect spot for recalling the day's events with fellow surf-campers. From $33 per person a night for a double in low season to $37 per person a night for a four-person room in high season (children under 5 are free); (55) 73-3251-2089.

Ilha Verde: A quiet hideaway near the forest, this pousada has seven rooms (and a bungalow) that feel homey and tropical, with vibrant walls, local pottery, and mosquito-netted beds. Capoeira, yoga, and samba classes are offered, as well as in-room massages. From $100 a night for a double in low season to $420 a night for a four-person bungalow in high season; (55) 73-3251-2056.

Txai Resort (pronounced Ta-shy): The luxe wood-stilted bungalows have an earthy, modern look, with huge bathrooms and outdoor showers. On site are tennis courts, two pools, and a spa. Service is highly attentive. From $300 a night for a double in low season to $900 a night for a six-person bungalow in high season; (55) 73-2101-5000.

The Food

Restaurante da Tia Dete: This hole-in-the-wall serves the best Bahian food in town, including shrimp moqueca (a rich coconut milk-based stew) and crispy fish seasoned with lime. Avenida Castro Alves, Centro; (55) 73-3251-2379.

Grão de Bico: An indoor-outdoor vegetarian shack, decorated with tables fashioned from surfboards, where you can get a tasty veggie burger and fresh mango juice for less than $5. Rua Pedro Longo 138.

Boca de Forno: The go-to place when the kids balk at fish stew, this pizza joint has a lively atmosphere, fast service, and delicious thin-crust pizzas. Rua Lodônio Almeida 108; (55) 73-3251-2174.

The Shopping

Rua Pedro Longo: In about an hour on this main drag, you can see everything Itacaré has to offer shopping-wise, including colorful cotton blankets and hammocks, carved-teak bowls, and loads of bikinis.

Farmer's Market: Although Sunday is generally a day of rest here, many townspeople roll their wheelbarrows to the soccer field to buy and sell wares from 6 to 9 a.m. You'll find exotic produce and souvenir T-shirts. But it's the people-watching that makes the early rising worth it.

Next Page: Three more surf camps