Lencois Maranhenses Lagoons Full-Day Tour from Barreirinhas

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park protects a vast field of white sand dunes on the coast of Maranhão in northeastern Brazil. The name means bedsheets, because from above the rippled dunes look like linen spread across the land. Between the dunes, rain that falls from January to June collects in thousands of freshwater lagoons, turning the desert into a landscape of blue and green pools that is unlike anywhere else in the world. Barreirinhas, the gateway town on the Preguiças river, is the base for every Lençóis Maranhenses tour.

Only 4x4 vehicles are allowed on the sandy tracks, which is why a Lençóis Maranhenses day trip from Barreirinhas is the practical way in. The best time to visit Lençóis Maranhenses is from June to September, when the lagoons are full and the sky is usually clear; from October the water level drops. Our guide adapts the exact route to the conditions on the day.

Lagoa Azul: the morning swim

The Lagoa Azul area is the first destination of the day, reached after a bumpy and scenic 4x4 drive through the hinterland and past small settlements of simple houses and palm trees. You leave the vehicle at the edge of the dunes and walk barefoot over the sand to the lagoons. The water is rainwater, so it is fresh, clean and pleasantly warm, and its colour shifts from deep blue to turquoise and green depending on the depth and the light.

There is time for a long swim, for floating in the stillness and for photographs from the crest of the dunes. A Lagoa Azul tour works best in the morning, before the sand becomes too hot to walk on comfortably. Expect to spend around two hours in this sector; the walking is on soft sand, so this part of the tour is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Lunch stop at a local restaurant

Around midday the 4x4 leaves the dunes for a local restaurant in the countryside near the park. Here you can order regional dishes of the Maranhão interior, typically fresh fish, rice, beans and tropical fruit juices, paid directly at the restaurant, since lunch is not included in the tour. The setting is simple and relaxed, with shade and a breeze after the bright morning on the sand.

The restaurant has hammocks strung under the roof, and most travellers use the break to rest for a while and let the morning sink in before the second half of the day. Allow about an hour and a half for this stop. It is also the moment to refill water, reapply sunscreen and ask the guide about the afternoon route to Lagoa Bonita, which depends on the water levels.

Lagoa Bonita and the dune staircase

In the afternoon the 4x4 heads back into the park towards Lagoa Bonita, the Beautiful Lagoon, which many visitors consider the most spectacular sector of Lençóis Maranhenses. A wooden staircase has been built up the face of one of the highest dunes in the area, so the climb takes a few minutes instead of a struggle up loose sand. At the top the view opens over an ocean of white dunes with lagoons of every shade of green lying in the hollows between them.

After the descent there is time to swim once more in the clear lagoons at the foot of the dunes. If you are asking whether Lagoa Bonita is worth visiting, the answer is yes: this is the viewpoint that appears in most photographs of the park. The sand can be hot in the afternoon, so bring sandals or light shoes for the walk.

Sunset over the dunes

The day ends on the dunes of Lagoa Bonita with the sunset, the moment the whole tour is timed around. As the sun drops towards the horizon the white sand turns gold and then pink, the lagoons mirror the sky and the shadows of the dune ridges stretch across the landscape. It is quiet, cool and one of the most memorable sunsets in Brazil.

The Lençóis Maranhenses sunset is best in the dry months, when the sky is clear and the evening light is strongest. Keep a light layer for the breeze and have your camera ready, because the colours change quickly in the last twenty minutes. Once the sun has set the group walks back to the 4x4 and drives through the dark hinterland to Barreirinhas, arriving at your accommodation in the evening.