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It
is hard to describe what we felt when we got to Lencois Maranhenses
State Park. Nicknamed as the Brazilian Sahara, it is actually much more
than that. Where else you would be able to find endless oceans of tall
white dunes, among thousands of cristal water lakes. Can you imagine a
place like this? Of course not, you gotta see to beliave. |
Lencois
Maranhenses State Park have always been there, but not too many people
knew it, and the main reason is that they are located in a part of the
country that was until recently, almost forgotten. Today everything is
different, and more and more tourists who visit northeast Brazil and
Maranhao state include on their visit this wild and awsome landscape. |
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The
starting point to a visit to the park is the city of Sao Luiz, capital
of Maranhao state. From Sao Luiz you will take a fast air conditioned
Van to the city of Barreirinhas, located three hours drive from Sao
Luiz. Barrerinhas has confortable motels and inns, and is the starting
point to all the daily tours exploring the park. Actually, you can't
visit the park on your own, and will need to join those tours, which
are held by experienced local guides. |
The
touristic tour to Lencois National Park is offered by many tourist
agencies in Brazil. It can take from two days to a week, depending on
how long you would like to stay and how deep you would like to
experience it all. The one day tour starts early in the morning. The
first part is a short ride on 4wd vehicles that take you from the city
of Barreirinhas to the outer limits of the Park. Along this drive we
need to cross Preguica River, which is done onboard very thrilling
wooden boats (see photo below). Then, as the trees are left behind we
arrive at the sand dunes.
From there on, we are guided
among the dunes and the lakes. Every 15 minutes or so we get to a new
lake where those who wish can swim. There are half day and full day
tours at the Park, but always remember to take sun glasses, fresh
water, a hat, a lot of sunblock lotion, and of course, your
bathing suit. |
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Don't
even think in driving your own car at the Park. First, it is not
allowed, second it takes a very experienced driver to be able to do it
successfully. You will cruise through sand, mangroves, lakes, and
streams. Remember to keep your hands and face inside the vehicle along
the road from Barrerinhas to the Park entrance, because after crossing
the river, the trail gets very narrow, and trees sometimes slash the
vehicles severely |
The
rain season happens on the first half of the year, so the best time to
visit Lencois Maranhenses State Park is from june to november, when the
the volume of water in the lakes gets to its peak. Each depression
between dunes becomes a lake of crystal clear water. You won't need
shoes to walk on the park, because the sand it not hot and you can go
barefoot. Try not to stay way from your guide. No one ever got lost
here, buy you wouldn't like to be the first, right? At Barreirinhas
airport you also have the option to take a panoramic flight and see the
park from above. |
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This
photo was taken at Mandacaru lighthouse, near the ocean shoreline. From
its top you can watch a beautiful view of the park and the dunes
bordering the sea of Maranhao state. As soon as we got there many
children came to us, asking where we were from, willing to take
pictures with us. Most of the people living in this area make their
living thanks to fishing, and just now are starting to get used to the
increasing number of tourists in the area.
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Another
nice day tour departing from Barrerinhas is along Preguicas river. You
will travel on a confortable boat that will take you to the Atlantic
Ocean beaches, where the small village of Atins is located. Preguicas
river contains a large amount of sand from its beds and this is
discharged into the Atlantic Ocean. It divides the Park into two
halves, the large park (Grandes Lencois) and the small park
(Pequenos Lencois). On both margins of the river you will see an
amazing diversity of tropical palms, like Babassus and the Buritis. |
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One
more shot from from the Small Park (Pequenos Lencois). Combined, small
and large parks holds a total area of 383,000 acres, and of course, you
won't be able to see all of it unless you stay there for at least a
week. If you are looking for a lodge we would suggest Pousada do Buriti, which is a nice place to stay. |
Climbing some dunes along our journey. Some of them have ropes, to help the tourist go up, and it did help us.... |
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Our
visit to Lencois took two days only, buy those interested in visiting
allo of the area can arrange with local tourist guides for a longer
visit. A complete visit will take a week, including camping at the
bech, jeep rides and a lot of walking |
Boats
like this one take tourist along Preguiça river, from Barreinhas to the
coastal area of Lencois, near the Atlantic Ocean.
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A view from Preguiça river, taken during our boat trip. |
This
photo was just a joke, made by a local. Actually, there are no animals
in this area nor anything close to that image. But peoplo on our group
found this image interesting enough. |
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The Blue Lake (lago azul), where visitor can dive and swim for a while, along the journey. |
Among
the most popular beaches in the coast are Ponta do Mangue Moitas,
Vassouras, Morro do Boi and Barra do Tatu, all of them looking like
ecological paradise dreams that came true, and, of course, a large
numbers of lakes, with many shapes. |
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Map
of Lencois area. It is located at the state of Maranhao, northeast
Brasil. From Sao Luis (the state capital) to Barreirinhas City (shown
below) is something like a three hours drive. Lencois area is divided
into Grandes Lencois (Big Lencois) and Pequenos Lencois (Small
Lencois), divided ty Preguiças River. |
One
final shot from Lencois Maranhenses State Park, taken from a window of
a B737, just after we departed from Sao Luis. If you are planning a
trip to northeast Brazil we would suggest you to also include a visit
to this place. It is definitely one of Brazil's most important
ecological locations, a place where dunes and lakes marry astonishingly
well and form a landscape of unique beauty. |
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Aerial View from Lencois
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