Len Is Maranhenses

Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses is not technically a desert, though it looks like one. The rolling white sand dunes along Brazil’s northeast coast get enough rain each year to fill thousands of rainwater lagoons trapped between the dune ridges, turning the landscape into something genuinely strange: dunes full of swimming holes, some warm and shallow, some cold and several metres deep, all vivid blue or green against the white sand.

The lagoons are fullest between June and September, which is when to visit. By November the water has largely evaporated and the dunes are dry. Go in the rainy season (paradoxically) for the full effect.

Getting There

The main access point is the small town of Barreirinhas, about 260 km from São Luís (the state capital of Maranhão). You can fly to São Luís from most major Brazilian cities, then take a bus or hire a car for the 4-hour road journey to Barreirinhas. Most visitors hire local guides or take jeep tours from Barreirinhas into the park.

There’s no public transport into the park itself. Jeep tours with local operators run daily from Barreirinhas to the main lagoons, including Lagoa Bonita and Lagoa Azul. Full-day tours cost around BRL 150-200 per person and are worth doing at least once; the routes into the dunes require local knowledge of the tracks.

The Lagoons

Lagoa da Barreira and Lagoa do Preguiças (along the river of the same name) are the most-visited. The Preguiças River boat trip, which winds through mangrove and sandbar country to reach the coast and the lighthouse at Mandacaru, takes a half day and shows you a different landscape to the dune interior.

You can swim in any of the lagoons. The water is clean, UV-intense reflection off the white sand means you burn faster than you’d expect. Reef-safe sunscreen and shade between swims.

Base Towns

Barreirinhas is functional rather than attractive, with decent guesthouses and restaurants and all the tour operator infrastructure. Atins is a smaller, quieter village on the eastern edge of the park accessible only by 4x4 or boat, better for those who want several days on the dunes without returning to town each evening. Santo Amaro on the western edge is another option.

Eating

Maranhão has its own distinctive cuisine, influenced by African, indigenous, and Portuguese traditions.

Moqueca de peixe (fish stew in coconut milk and annatto) is the key dish. Cuxá, made with vinagreira leaves and dried shrimp, is specific to Maranhão and worth trying if you encounter it. In Barreirinhas, Restaurante Iemanjá and Casa do Calé are the reliable recommendations.

São Luís

Most visitors pass through São Luís on the way in or out. The historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with colourful Portuguese colonial architecture, much of it clad in azulejo tiles that have faded to beautiful, irregular blues and greens. The Bumba Meu Boi festival in June fills the streets with costumed processions. If your dates overlap with it, stay an extra day.

Practical Notes

The sun in this part of Brazil is intense at all times of year. Cover up between 11am and 3pm and keep the factor 50 topped up. Insect repellent matters near the mangroves and riverbanks; it matters less out on the open dunes.

Cash is essential in Barreirinhas. The ATM network is unreliable and tour operators often work in cash only.