Formed by nature over thousands of years, the National Park of Lencois Maranhenses is a rare geological formation. With breathtaking landscapes, the park resembles a desert in places, due to the abundance of sand. During the rainy season, the area takes on a new kind of beauty and the Great Sheets are a not-to-be-missed sight. The Laguna Bonita and Blue Lagoon ponds are the area's two most famous bathing ponds for their beauty and lush landscape. Whilst tourist infrastructure in the area is limited, this makes it even more of an adventure, and you can still find a number of quaint Lencois Maranhenses hotels.
With a desert landscape of fine sand combined with lagoons of clear blue waters, Lencois Maranhenses is as close to paradise as one can get.
Located in northeast Brazil, this exotic place also offers agreeable temperatures along with its stunning natural beauty. Situated on the east coast of Maranhao state, along the Preguiças River, Lencois Maranhenses is 252 km (156 miles) from São Luís. The National Park at Lencois Maranhenses covers the municipalities of Primeira Cruz, Humberto de Campos, Barreirinhas and Santo Amaro.
Reaching Barreirinhas, the gateway to the park and the only spot with basic tourism infrastructure and a landing strip, is quite an adventure in itself. Once there, it has a number of Lencois Maranhenses hotels and is the ideal place to start a tour in Lencois Maranhenses. Another way is to come via Cabure, which is a quaint village consisting of rustic Lencois Maranhenses hotels and lodges of nomadic fishermen who live in the village just six months of the year. While there is no access by road, you can take a Lencois Maranhenses tour in a 4x4 vehicle to explore the dunes that look like bed sheets (lencois) spread across the landscape.
There is a lot to see and do in the Lencois Maranhenses National Park which covers a wide expanse of white sand dunes. Some of these dunes are over ten metres in height, contrasting with blue lagoons filled with sweet crystalline waters, untouched rivers and pristine beaches. Encompassing 155,000 hectares (383,000 acres), the National Park was formed on June 2, 1981, and is one of the world's most unique spots, with its combination of white sand dunes, which have been formed by the strong coastal winds of the region, and the pools of turquoise water that collect due to the long rainy season.
Lasting from December to May, about 1,500 mm (60 in) of rain falls and forms the freshwater lagoons between the dunes. Water levels are highest in June, when the dunes and lagoons form a fantastic mosaic of white sands interspersed with blue and green lagoons. Fauna and flora abound in this paradise of nature, along with mangroves, beautiful beaches, buritis (a local palm tree) and the Preguiças River. Taking a Lencois Maranhenses tour at this time is the ideal way of exploring the area.
Barreirinhas, which is located outside the park, is the main starting point for tours in Lencois Maranhenses National Park and the nearby areas. The best time to visit is between June and September, when the lagoons are at their fullest and freshest, and the weather is dry and warm. By the end of the year, most of the water from the freshwater lagoons has evaporated, leaving only the desert. It is an interesting phenomenon to see the wildlife come back as the lagoons fill up each year. It is a good idea to head to the Parnaiba Delta to see rare aquatic species such as giant marine turtles and manatees in their element.
Lencois Maranhenses was one of the contenders during the campaign for the New Seven Wonders of the World. Although the region has limited infrastructure for tourism, you can still find a number of hotels in Lencois Maranhenses, as well as restaurants and craft shops in Barreirinhas and Cabure. You can even use our Lencois Maranhenses map to choose your hotel in Lencois Maranhenses based on its location.To get a taste of the local food, visit the villages and meet its people. In spite of increasing tourism, the local fishing population is still extremely simple and follows the traditional fishing season during the rainy period and working on plantations that border the Park in the dry seasons.
The warm weather of the area (over 30ºC) can be combated by cooling baths in the crystalline waters of the lagoons, along 70 km of untouched beaches. The most popular is the Blue Lagoon, which is also the most beautiful. Other popular lagoons are Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Bonita, both of which are near Barreirinhas. Another popular lagoon is the Tropical Lagoon, which is near the Atins Village. The largest lagoon of the Park is the Seagull Lagoon, located near Santo Amaro, about 60 miles from Barreirinhas.
At the park borders, you will find large mangroves that provide shelter to clams, crabs and a large variety of birds. This region of Brazil is known to be one of the best for bird watching, and you will get ample opportunity to admire "Trinta-réis", "Maçarico", "Marreca-de-asa-azul" and many other migratory birds.
