A trip to the Northeast is usually associated with beautiful beaches, coconut trees, natural pools and a pleasant sea breeze. However, the Northeast still has many attractions to surprise you.
The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is a place of unique landscapes, with an almost surreal beauty. The wind changes the shape of the dunes daily and the scenery is a constant surprise.
There are kilometers and more kilometers of very fine white sand that are joined by freshwater lagoons in shades of green and blue after the rainy season. It’s impossible to resist a refreshing swim in the lagoons. The destination is ideal for nature lovers; For those who want to get out of the ordinary and like a light touch of adventure, the destination is literally an oasis.
The park and when to visit
The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park has an area of more than 155 thousand hectares, spread across the municipalities of Barreirinhas, Primeira Cruz and Santo Amaro do Maranhão.
Created in 1981, it is located on the eastern coast of the state, close to the Equator, with temperatures that can exceed 35° C between the summer months (without rain) which runs from July to December.
If you want to visit the park in the splendor of the landscape with lagoons, the best period is from May to September (if there are no meteorological phenomena such as El Niño, etc.). With the absence of rain, the water in the lakes begins to evaporate, and between November and February the predominant landscape is the desert within the park.
How long and the best tours
You should consider a minimum of 4 days for a basic visit to Lençóis Maranhenses. Better if you have 5 to 6 days, if you want to explore the scenarios in more depth, you can consider up to a week without any problems.
Do you have 10-12 days to travel? Then take the complete Route of Emotions that includes Jericoacoara, the Parnaíba Delta and Lençóis, ending a trip full of beauty.
To get to know the park with its dunes and lagoons, you can stay in different places. The scenarios and tours are different and the cities (villages) offer very different infrastructures.
Barreirinhas is the city that receives the most visitors and has the best infrastructure in terms of hotels and restaurants. From there, the famous tours depart to discover the Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Bonita Circuit, tours carried out in jardineiras (open vehicles) and which take the visitor to the Park. You take the tour on foot, going up and down dunes, if you get out of breath you can cool off in one of the lagoons (the tour is of moderate difficulty).
An unmissable tour from Barreirinhas is the flying boat ride that goes down the Preguiças River, passing through mangrove scenes until reaching Caburé. On the way you make stops at Pequenos Lençóis (dive in another lagoon) and the village of Mandacaru with its lighthouse that provides a beautiful panoramic view over the region. At Caburé you will be a few meters from the beach, your question is whether to fall into the sea or cool off in one of the natural pools that form there!
Have lunch at an authentic fish stand in Caburé.
If you have no problems staying in villages with limited infrastructure, choose to stay in Atins (at the mouth of the Preguiças River) or in Santo Amaro do Maranhão (in the western part of the Park). Fewer visitors offer more exclusive tours and access to remote regions.
