Lençóis Maranhenses - When to go

Lençóis Maranhenses - When to go

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

As the Lençóis are very close to the Ecuator line, weather is always hot or warm in this region of Brazil, all year round. It is very windy, so it isn´t an unbearable hot. Sea water is also warm. 

Rains are expected to fall from january to may, so in may the lagoons will reach its maximum water level. Up to the beggining of september, fun is granted, if rains fell substantially during the previous months. 

So, the ends of may untill the beggining of september are the best time to go, since sunny days are expected and the lagoons are suposed to be full. 

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

November is supposed to be the month when the level of the lagoons is lower, but it depends on rain levels, which can vary. 

However, climate change is obviously modifiyng rainfall in Brazil. Unexpected weather can happen, and nowadays nobody can grant a rainfall period or a dry season in advance. 

Atins - another small city close to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

Atins - another small city close to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

If you want to stay even more further away from civilization, once visiting the Lençóis Maranhenses, you can try accomodation in the fishermen´s village of Atins, in the mouth of Preguiças river. You can only get there by speed-boats, which departs from Barreirinhas. 

(above, a surfer-dog enjoying its trip alongside the Preguiças river)

These speed-boats can also ride you to the Praia do Caburé, a beach located at a peninsula formed beetween the mouth of Preguiças river in the sea and the ocean, or to the Farol da Preguiça, a lighthouse belonging to Brazillian navy located in the same area. From its top, it is possible to see the river, the sands, the small village and the dunes. 

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão

I did a simple day-trip, but resting there for some days wouldn´t have been a bad idea at all.....

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

A curitosity in Maranhão state is the declination of the beaches: the slope is very gentle, so you have to go far from the beach to get deep. But speacially in Caburé, the beach is very long and without life-savers, so it is better not to take any risks. 

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Brazillian navy lighthouse at Atins, Maranhão, view from atop

Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park

The Lençóis Maranhenses Natioal Park official website is available only in portuguese: 

http://www.icmbio.gov.br/parnalencoismaranhenses/guia-do-visitante.html) 

To enter the national park, it is only possible whith tour guides, who are provided by many tour companies at the small town of Barreirinhas. They take tourists in trucks with high suspension wheels, called "jardineiras", which can pass over the sand tracks that leads to the first point where the dunes and the lagoons can be seen. 

Before that, the jardineiras crosses the Preguiças river over ferry-boats. Tourists aren´t allowed to walk alone within the dunes, because its very easy to loose the sense of direction. 

These tours departing from Barreirinhas can be done in just one day, but for more brave and physically prepared people, it is possible to cross the dunes with a guide, and even sleep inside the dunes, which will take, of course, more than one day.  

(above, the Preguiças River)
(under, the hanging roots of the trees in the mangroves of Preguiças river)

LENÇÓIS MARANHENSES

LENÇÓIS MARANHENSES

Getting there

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

I decided to split the post and repost our tour at Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. Also, I put the marker Lençóis Maranhenses at the scroolbar to the right.

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

  The closest city to the national park is Barreirinhas, where there are many hotels. It is just a base-village to get to the dunes, so its advisable to take money and all you need, speacially sunblock and mosquito repellent. 

Lençóis Maranhenses - dunes and blue lagoons at the northeast of Brazil

Barreirinhas is 3 and a half hours from the capital of the state of Maranhão, São Luiz do Maranhão (Saint Louis). The SLZ airport is mainly a domestic airport, so to get to Maranhão you´ll probably need a conection in São Paulo, Rio, Brasília or Manaus. There are tour operators which takes tourists from SLZ airport to Barreirinhas, but renting a car can also be a good idea, with a GPS - and caution in the road to Barreirinhas, since it crosses many small villages with many speed-bumps. 

Another option is to come from the state of Ceará and its capital Fortaleza, although it is farther and you would have to cross a small part of the state of Piauí. In this case, trip would be very beautifull and at least two other stops should be added: Jericoacora, the most famous beach in Ceará state, and the "Delta do Parnaíba", the river Parnaíba mouth, in a delta shape. 

Florianópolis (5) - Barra da Lagoa

Floripa (5) - Barra da Lagoa

The Barra da Lagoa beach is where the channel linking the Lagoa da Conceição (see previous post) meets the sea. It hosts a fishermen village, but also many hostels and b&b´s, specially closer to the road leading to Praia Mole and the Lagoa itself. 

The beach continues north, becoming the Moçambique beach, a vast and almost unhabited beach. Some seabirds can be seen at Barra da Lagoa beach.

Barra da Lagoa also hosts the TAMAR project in Floripa, a seaturtle´s national conservation project in Brazil. TAMAR takes injured turtles for treatment there but they´re specially focused on environmental education. Their visitor´s centre charge 12 reais (about 3 dollars) for a tour, where tourists can see the 4 most common seaturtle species in brazillian waters. 

They highlight the dangers of illegal fishing and plastic waste in the oceans, which can be very harmful to turtles. A very advisable tour for families, but I don´t think they have tours in other languages than portuguese.   

TAMAR´s website: http://www.tamar.org.br/centros_visitantes.php?cod=8

A peculiar restaurant in Boipeba

A peculiar restaurant in Boipeba

Guido´s Restaurant at Boipeba island: shrimp and farofa, a mix made of manioc flour and other ingredients.

A very famous restaurant amongst brazillian tourists is Guido´s restaurant or kiosk, at one of the beaches at Boipeba Island. 

Lobster, fish and shrimp, done in the bahianian way, are very good. The farofa, a mix of manioc flour (or wheat or rice flour), combined with bacon or sausage, is almost always present at the northeastern dishes in Brazil. 

Palmtrees at Boipeba Island, close to Guido´s restaurant

The simplicity of the place, surrounded by gorgeous palmtrees at one side, and by the sea, at the other, makes the shack where Guido makes his cousine a very pleasant place. 

Palmtrees at Boipeba Island, close to Guido´s restaurant

Just the peace of this magic place makes company to food lovers, who flock after a morning bath or ride to Guido´s restaurant looking for a good food. 

Palmtrees at Boipeba Island, close to Guido´s restaurant

Palmtrees at Boipeba Island, close to Guido´s restaurant

Guido´s Restaurant at Boipeba island

Guido´s Restaurant at Boipeba island, is recognized by the 4 roads magazine

Boipeba

Boipeba

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

The Boipeba island is located between Morro de São Paulo and the Maraú Peninsula, however closer to Morro de São Paulo. In fact, a river separates both islands. 

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

Boipeba is harder to get than Morro, as it is further south; from Maraú, it is possible to get there by the speedboat, but it is not a quick, neither cheap trip. 

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

The community has a web site, not only in portuguese but also in some other languages. Here is the link for the english version: 

http://www.ilhaboipeba.org.br/en/boipeba.html

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

They even explain all the options on how to arrive there:

http://www.ilhaboipeba.org.br/en/comochegar.html

Boipeba is a very beautiful spot where humpback whales come in the search for warmer waters during the months of july to november. Some tour operators offer the ride to viewing the whales. 

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

Natural swimming pools are also available in the middle of the ocean, formed by the coral reefs, common in the area. The watercolours is also amazing and rare in Brazil, as it is more similar to the caribbean sea. 

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

Boipeba beaches and island, at Bahia, Brazil

The stone with a hole

The stone with a hole - Maraú Peninsula

A very curious formation in one of the islands close to the Maraú Peninsula, is this stone with a hole. The islands nearby can be good spots for swimming and chilling out, but this one is doubtlessly, the most interesting. 

The stone with a hole - Maraú Peninsula

 Travelling by boat alongside the Maraú Peninsula´s coastline is quite an experience with very beautiful views and small islands with white sand beaches.

The beautiful scenary at the Maraú Peninsula, Bahia, Brazil

The beautiful scenary at the Maraú Peninsula, Bahia, Brazil

The beautiful scenary at the Maraú Peninsula, Bahia, Brazil

To get to Barra Grande and the Maraú Peninsula, see our previous post>

http://brazilguide.blogspot.com.br/2015/09/peninsula-do-marau.html