The national park of Lençóis Maranhenses is a Brazilian conservation unit of integral protection to the nature located in the northeast region of the state of Maranhão.
Considered one of the most beautiful destinations in Brazil, the Lençóis Maranhenses combine kilometers and kilometers of white dunes dotted by freshwater lagoons, sometimes blue or green.
The gateway to paradise is the City of Barreirinhas, which together with the municipalities of Humberto de Campos, First Cross and Santo Amaro form the Lençóis Park, located on the eastern coast of Maranhão, where the exploration of the scenery begins , which is even more exuberant between the months of June and September, when the lagoons are completely full.
There is nothing comparable to the fascinating Lençóis Maranhenses.
The rainwater forms lagoons that spread in practically the whole area of ​​the park forming an unparalleled landscape, being a rare geological phenomenon formed over thousands of years through the action of nature.
The most known lagoons are called Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Bonita, famous for their enchantment and bathing conditions.

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Maranhão is the right destination for those who enjoy nature, gastronomy and music. Besides the famous Lençóis Maranhenses, the tourist faces 640 kilometers of tropical beaches, Amazon rainforest, savannahs, mangroves and delta in the open sea. Located between the North and Northeast, the state has a diversity of ecosystems.
Boating on the Preguiças River: Rustic boats cross the river in the late afternoon.
To get to Lagoa Bonita you need to climb a 40 meter dune.
To know the main Lençóis postcards - and other little known places - the support of tourism agencies is essential. To enter the reservation, for example, it is necessary to accompany an accredited guide.
Already to circulate the region, full of sand tracks and rivers, only in vehicles with traction in the four wheels or of boat. These are the only ways to get to Lagoas Azul, an immense pool that lives up to its name; and Bonita, which requires the climbing of a 40 meter high dune. All sacrifices, however, are rewarded by refreshing baths, unique landscapes and the setting sun in ways to the mounds of sand.
It is also the jeeps and boats that lead to the neighboring villages, with less explored attractions. In Santo Amaro do Maranhão is the largest lagoon in the region, the Seagull. Atins is the easiest access to Lençóis beach, 70 kilometers long and completely deserted.
Its main attraction is the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, on the banks of the Preguiças River, in Maranhão. They are 155,000 hectares of stunning landscape, full of tall dunes up to 40 meters high and freshwater ponds, whose waters vary between shades of green and blue.
The Lençóis Maranhenses resemble a great desert, if it did not rain here 300 times more than in the African Sahara. It is these waters that, imprisoned among the dunes, form true tropical oases, obligatory stops for those who walk in the dunes. Some ponds even have fish.

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Maranhão cuisine has been influenced by too many cultures, such as French, Dutch, Portuguese, Indian and African. Despite the brief stay, the French gastronomy has marked the place, but the Portuguese and indigenous are the most important.
Rice and water-meal or puba are the basic ingredients. But both, in many circumstances, ascend to the category of main course or almost.
Barreirinhas has bars and some restaurants serving seafood dishes. It is possible to choose between some options of establishments also on the beachfront of Caburé. Among the most requested dishes of the region is the fish fillet with shrimp sauce.

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The best time to visit the park is from about May to September, when it is sunny but the ponds are still full.
It is always hot in Lençóis Maranhenses. Temperatures can often reach 40 ° C, even during the Brazilian winter (June-September).
The almost constant breeze may lead one to think that the sun is not too hot, so it is imperative to be very careful and do not forget to apply sunscreen constantly.
The wind is an important cooling factor in Lençóis Maranhenses, as are the ponds in the park.

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