Dunes & Lagoons of Lençois Maranhenses Travel

Dunes & Lagoons of Lençois Maranhenses

5 Days / 4 Nights

Your tour of North-East of Brazil begins on arrival in Sao Luis, the state capital of Maranhao. After a quick look at the historical side of the city, you travel into remote and beautiful coastal lands, with dunes, lagoons and stunning natural scenery. A 4x4 journey takes you into the Lençois Maranhenses National Park, to visit the only desert with its own lakes, before a boat ride down the Lazy River to the disappearing village of Cabure. You also head into the dunes close to the Atlantic Ocean by Atins. 

The return journey can be made to Sao Luis, or you can continue onwards, heading through the smaller dunes to the Parnaiba Delta and Jericoacoara, before finishing in Fortaleza. 

from $ 525 USD

Dunes & Lagoons of Lençois Maranhenses

5 Days / 4 Nights


Destinations Visited

  • Sao Luis & Lençois Maranhenses

Trip Style

Traditional

Activities Included

  • Ecotourism
  • Beaches

Tailor Made Tours

All our Brazil and South America Tours, are completely flexible with regards to dates, duration or the tours, activities and accommodation that we can include. All the tours featured on our website are our recommendations based on our experience of how to make the very best of your time in South America. We can adjust these details in any way that you wish. We are here to organise a tour that suits you after all!

Itinerary

Day 1
All the Way to Maranhao

Destination: Sao Luis to Barreirinhas

On arrival in Sao Luis, the state capital of Maranhao in the north-east of Brazil, you will be welcomed at the airport and transferred through the rugged and remote interior of the coast to Barreirinhas. The 3hr journey on the modern highway gives you a chance to appreciate the flora and fauna of this region, plus the climate so close to the equator on the north-facing coastline. On arrival in Barreirinhas, you can check in to your hotel and then have the rest of the afternoon to explore the town. Barrerinhas sits amongst the dunes and vegetation that border the Rio Preguiças, the Lazy River. The pace of life here is as laidback as the river, with restaurants on decks overlooking it.
Day 2
Dunes and Lagoons of Lençois Maranhenses

Destination: Barreirinhas

In the morning you head into the dunes of Lençois Maranhenses, the only desert on the planet with its own freshwater lakes. This national park is one of the most photogenic areas of Brazil, with wind-carved dunes curving into the distance and the clearest water forming lakes between them. You can spend the morning leaving footprints in miles of empty white sand and refreshing in the blue lakes between them. Lagoas Azul & Peixe are the morning options, with Lagoa Bonita best visited in the afternoon. Lunch can be eaten in town during the break between them, with the hot sand best avoided during the middle hours of the day! Evening is free.
Day 3
The Shifting Sands of Maranhao

Destination: Barreirinhas to Atins

After breakfast, a boat trip takes you down the Lazy River past the Mandacaru Lighthouse, with unparalleled 360° views of Mandacaru, Atins and the smaller dunes of Lençois. Your launch takes you to explore the community of Vassouras with its friendly monkeys. You reach Cabure before lunch, the village built on a disappearing sand-spit that separates the river from the ocean. The village has already moved location at least twice! You continue to Atins on the other side of the river and have time to check in, have lunch and relax a little. In the late afternoon you visit the dunes closest to Atins for sunset and finish the day with a final stop to enjoy the finest prawns in Brazil!
Day 4
Lençois Maranhenses Options

Destination: Atins to Barreirinhas

The morning is free to explore the creeks of Atins, possibly by canoe. The slow-moving river out front and the beach it protects are also worth a wander. Atlantic waves break along the shore just around the corner, and kite-surfing is popular here both in the ocean and in the lagoons! Your boat takes you back to Barreirinhas in the afternoon. Other options in the area include quadbike trips around the smaller dunes outside of the park, or horse-rides through them. You can also float gently down the Rio Cardosa. Hiking through the dunes across the national park is also possible. Flights over the dunes are also possible for the finest way to see the Lençois Maranhenses National Park.
Day 5
Sao Luis to Finish

Destination: Barreirinhas to Sao Luis & Away

Depending on the time of your flight away, you make the journey back to Sao Luis, with time for a look at the city known as the Reggae Capital of Brazil! Sao Luis was founded by the French over 400 years ago and colonised by the Portuguese, and the marks of colonisation can still be seen in architecture of the city and neighbouring Alcantara across the estuary. Your flight away can take you to Sao Paulo, Rio or Brasilia for international connections, or we can combine this fabulous Lençois Maranhenses National Park.Tour with any of our other fantastic destinations in Brazil, including the spectacular 4x4 journey along the coast to Jericoacoara, and even all the way to Natal!

Prices

* Domestic Flights Estimated Price
N/A
** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
Simple B&B
from $525 USD
3 Stars
from $550 USD
4 Stars
from $975 USD
5 Stars
from $1,225USD

* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.


* Domestic Flights Estimated Price ** Prices Per Adult based on two people travelling and sharing accommodation
N/A
Simple 3 Stars 4 Stars Luxury

from

$525 USD

from

$550 USD

from

$975 USD

from

$1,225 USD
 

* Prices vary depending on travel dates and flight availability. Peak periods in Brazil including Carnaval, public holidays and Christmas/New Year usually require a minimum number of nights, so in these cases itineraries may need to be changed.

** Domestic flight prices are estimated on typical values when reserved six months before travel. Prices can never be guaranteed until reservations are made, and do usually become more expensive closer to the travel period.