Your Lencois Maranhenses day tour, from pickup to the last dune

A Lencois Maranhenses tour from Barreirinhas starts at your door. The combo day on this site includes pickup at your lodging, then heads into the park for the Lagoa Azul region before a stop at a local restaurant, the Lagoa Bonita region in the afternoon and the sunset from its dunes. Be ready early and have everything packed the night before; the vehicle will not wait long.

At pickup, take a moment to look for the badge. ICMBio asks visitors to request the badge and authorization of their service providers, because only accredited vehicles, drivers and guides may take visitors into the park.^7,8 A good operator will show them without being asked twice, and it is the easiest moment to ask about the language of the guide and the plan for lunch.

Some routes begin with water rather than sand. A half day to Lagoa Bonita lists a ferry ride across the Rio Preguicas before the off-road vehicle takes over on the sandy tracks. Keep your bag on your lap during the crossing, and expect to climb back into the vehicle with damp feet and sand in your sandals for the rest of the day.

From the vehicle, the dunes are yours to walk. At Lagoa Bonita you climb timber steps onto the dunes, and SETUR-MA is clear that these outings call for a decent level of fitness.^10,6 Climbing loose sand is harder than it looks: every step slips back a little, and the white surface reflects the sun back up into your face.

Lagoa Azul is the gentler start. Of all the lagoons it draws the most visitors and asks the least of your legs, SETUR-MA says, because it lies a short stroll from the vehicles.¹⁶ If anyone in your group struggles with walking, tell the guide at the start so they can choose the shortest approaches and set a slower pace on the climbs.

You will probably want to walk barefoot on the dunes, carrying sandals for the hot patches and the scrub at the edges. In the middle of the day the sand can burn, so keep footwear close. Stay with the guide. The park authority knows how quickly people lose their bearings among identical dunes, and it warns that phones often show no signal out there, so wandering off for a photograph is a real risk.¹⁸

There is no shade on the open dunes, and the sand doubles the glare. The park's own advice is to pack water, sunscreen and something against insects, and SETUR-MA adds a swimsuit, thin clothes and steady drinking all day.^1,2 A wide hat with a cord, good sunglasses and a long-sleeved shirt you can swim in are worth more than any souvenir.

Timing helps. SETUR-MA notes that most outings head out after midday, once the sun has dropped, and puts the start of the fiercest heat at around 10 in the morning.^6,21 Walkers are told by ICMBio to stay off the sand between 11 and 15 if they can.¹⁹ The combo day breaks for a restaurant stop between its two halves, which takes you off the sand at the worst of the heat. Use that pause to drink, eat and reapply sunscreen.

Watch for the signs of too much sun in yourself and others: headache, dizziness, a red face that stops sweating. Drink before you are thirsty, sit in the vehicle's shade when you can, and do not be shy about telling the guide you need a break. A day that ends in a clinic in Barreirinhas is a day nobody enjoyed.