Sand Dunes, Freshwater Lagoons and Flyfishing in Brazil - A trip to Lençois Maranhenses.
- Peach
- Jul 24
- 3 min read
Picture this: A National Park in the Northeast coastal area of Brazil, as large as London's Metropolitan Area, that received 250,000 visitors in 2024. An UNESCO World Heritage Site with an exotic, surreal and mouth-opening landscape. A place to relax and chill with friends and family.
If you are an outdoors person and do not have this place under you radar, you better open your eyes.
The Lençois Maranhenses National Park is located in the State of Maranhão, in Brazil, about a 5-hour drive from the capital, São Luís. There are three main access points to the park, the towns of Barreirinhas, Santo Amaro and Atins. Barreirinhas is the oldest access point and the one with best infrastructure to support the tourist; Santo Amaro is closer to the park and more rustic; and, Atins, an old fishermen's village sitting by the ocean that is still unpaved, can only be accessed by 4X4 vehicles through the dunes or through the Preguiça River. Due to its isolation and difficult access, Atins is also the most expensive of the 3 base-towns.
Not a part of the park, but close enough to Santo Amaro, there is Primeira Cruz, another old fishermen's village nested in the mangroves of brackish waters filled with Snook, Tarpons, Yellow Croakers and a bunch of other Saltwater species. Primeira Cruz lacks charm but it has a descent hotel, a few shops, grocery stores and restaurants to support the visitors that come to fish or to watch the beautiful Scarlet Ibises (Guará).
Lençois Maranhenses is a place to chill and relax. Think of it as a freshwater Caribbean vacation! People go there to enjoy the white sand, the dunes and the innumerous emerald water lagoons, not much else. Yes, it is possible to engage in a multi-day hike-thru in the park, but the purpose of that is really getting to the lagoons that most people will not reach, and then, chill!
A typical vacation in Lençois Maranhenses would require at least 4 full days to give one a taste of it (more if you want to go fishing), and be able to enjoy it without much hurry, as it deserves. Because the access to the park is controlled, you will need to book your trips with local agencies. There are endless options, for different pocket sizes and life styles: you can take a group tour in a 4X4 for three-hours, or rent an ATV, or get a full-day personalized trip, or even a helicopter trip, ... Either way, you want to book your tours and hotels well in advance, and if it's June, when the famous São João party takes place, even earlier. Keep in mind that the best time to visit the region is from May to September, when the weather is dry and the lagoons are full.
Besides the sand dunes and lagoons, there are rivers you can paddle on or just jump in to cool off. Brazilians love to watch the sunset, so make sure you join that tradition.
Going to Lençois Maranhenses will force you to a mandatory stop in São Luís, where the closest major airport is located. Take this chance to spend 1 day and walk around the old town of São Luís, also an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Finally, if you are planning a trip to Brazil and looking for options for the family and perhaps some fishing; this is another good place to look into.
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