Lençóis Maranhenses - Brazil (long report)

Lençóis Maranhenses felt like a fever dream. It is honestly crazy that this type of landscape exists. It feels like you’re inside a surrealist painting.

If you’re ready, buckle up for this long report of part of an amazing 15 day trip to Brazil in August 2024.

Getting there, although easy, is not fast. There are a lot of companies, from basic to luxury, doing transfers. Brazil is a continental sized country and the state of Maranhão is in the northwest of the country. Out of curiosity, a flight from São Paulo to São Luís, the capital of the state that holds the Lençóis, is the same distance as a flight from London to Istanbul, but within the same country. You’ll only get an idea of how big Brazil is when you’re flying over it.

There are three towns that you can use as a base: Barreirinhas, Santo Amaro and Atins. We chose Santo Amaro and Atins and couldn’t be happier with our choice. Arriving in São Luís, you’ll get a transfer to Santo Amaro, which is a 4 hour drive due to the terrible condition of the roads. Santo Amaro is almost inside Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, only a few minutes’ drive away. The city is small, cute and safe. There is a river passing through the city that you can enter; the water is surprisingly warm and clean.

You can’t drive around Lençóis Maranhenses National Park by yourself or go wherever you want. The park is divided into “tours”, which are specific areas you’re allowed to visit. There are collective tours and private ones, pricey but worth it. The guide will drive at your pace and you’ll have all the time you want in the dune lagoons. We did the following tours:

Ponta Verde tour – sand dunes with vegetation, also visiting a small village in the middle of the dunes. A different landscape from the other tours, my second favourite.

Emendadas tour – my favourite! An all-day tour visiting the most beautiful lagoons, catching the sunset, watching the afterglow, and seeing the stars as night falls. Impossible to describe.

América tour – a half-day tour to the nearest lagoons. This was surprisingly amazing; we had the dunes to ourselves and got to wander through them until sunset.

Andorinha tour – a short and popular tour, a good start to your visit. Andorinha’s lagoons had the clearest water we found.

You can also camp for one night in the dunes, and there are very famous 3 and 5 day treks through the dunes if you’re more adventurous.

Santo Amaro is very laid-back, a real small town, but the market, pharmacy and restaurants are very good. It was also very hot and the sun seems bigger in Maranhão. There is no cover in the dunes; you must wear a hat and UV-protection clothing. If you burn easily, I’d recommend buying Brazilian sunscreens they’re better and cheaper.

After Santo Amaro, we headed to Atins. To get there, you’ll have to hire a transfer to Barreirinhas (a 1 hour drive) and then take a boat to Atins. The boat ride itself felt like a tour, it was so beautiful and chill. I didn’t spend much time in Barreirinhas, but the city felt bigger and more chaotic; I wouldn’t recommend staying there.

Atins, on the other hand, is a cute, small village with sandy streets and a kitesurfing sanctuary. It felt more like Bali than Brazil. In fact, I saw more Europeans there than Brazilians. The restaurants were AMAZING, and the beach is something else. The water is so warm it feels like you’re in a bathtub. I must say again: there are no paved streets or pavements in the village. It’s all sand. You can hire an ATV to get around.

Overall, the trip was such a surprise. Brazilians are, in fact, so fun and warm-hearted. The food is great, the beer is crisp and cold, and the weather is dry and hot. We didn’t face any issues regarding language or safety. They are READY for tourism.

The only downside of the period we stayed in Brazil is that it is not cheap. It is definitely not an affordable destination, mostly because of its size, getting from one city to another is impossible without flying, and flight tickets are expensive. The journey to get to the Amazon took a few days. I can post about the Amazon if anyone is interested.

If you read it all, thank you!

Pictures breakdown:

1-4: Ponta Verde tour

5-7: América tour

8-9: Andorinhas tour

10-12: Emendadas tour

13-14: City of Santo Amaro

15-18: Atins village

19: Typical Brazilian lunch at the beach