Lençóis Marenhenses

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The Parque Nacional Lençóis Marenhenses covers a huge area (1,600 sq Km) of sand dunes on the Atlantic coast.
During the rainy season (May to August) multiple lagoons of fresh water are formed which gives spectacular views, especially when taking a sightseeing flight. In short it is a desert with millions of lagoons!
We arrived in the dry season (November), however we were lucky as the previous rainy season had been exceptionally wet so not all lagoons were dried up.

The main access town to the park is Barreirinhas, a 4 hour drive from São Luis. We were told that once there, a multitude of travel agencies were offering their services to visit the park or to go on a 4x4 trip. We wanted something more authentic and decided to go to Santo Amaro do Maranhão a little village situated at the other site of the park.
We bought a bus ticket from São Luis to Santo Amaro and were told we would have to change vehicle at a town called Sangue (Blood, yes the place is called Blood). The first bus was in fact a comfortable air conditioned coach with a mix of local people and tourists. After about 3 ½ hours drive the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere and the driver announced that those passengers for Santo Amaro should get off.
All we saw was a small house along the road, a kind of bar/lanchonete.
We were the only tourists. Just like us a few people were trying to find a bit of shade and escape the sun. The bus was gone and silence was all we could hear. The movie Bagdad Cafe came to my mind.
After a few minutes a 4x4 Toyota truck showed up, it was our new 'bus' for the next 36 Km.
The back of the truck was equipped with three rows of seats, there was a roof, but no windows. A total of about twelve people could be accommodated. I took a seat next to the driver while Robson found a seat in the back where he was joined by others. Once more we were going to enjoy the friendliness of the people in the north of Brazil.
As soon as the truck was in motion, a general discussion started among all, explaining why they were there, where they were going, what they were doing. From time to time the bus (sorry, the truck) stopped to let off or in another passenger. Some had a bag of farinha, others a basket of fruit or other personal belongings. All were enjoying each others company and needless to say that Robson's voice could be heard a lot.

The road was impossible, we were driving in thin dry sand and had to cross rivers without bridges. Fortunately our truck and driver were very good at the job. The truck was equipped with an air intake for the engine situated at the roof of the truck. The driver told me that sometimes he sits in the water till his waist especially during the rainy season when the rivers expand hugely.
We were having a true 4x4 experience and were thinking about the tourist in Barreirinhas who were going to pay 50 reals for ½ hour 4x4 drive.
After about 2 hours drive we arrived at Santo Amaro. This was a relieve as my back kept asking me when this trip would come to an end.

The road stops at Santo Amaro do Maranhão and the place is very isolated. All you have after Santo Amaro are the sand dunes. Some locals would like to keep it like that while others would prefer a new road to be built which would bring much more tourists. We might have seen the end of an era as more and more locals sell their land to people who are betting on a new road. Only time will tell us. In our opinion, there is an excellent opportunity for ecotourism here, so please keep the road as it is.
The Pousada Agua Doce had a big open common area which served as dining room and bar.
In the garden a few buildings were housing the rooms.
On arrival we had lunch on our own, no other tourist could be seen.

With the help of the lady at the pousada, we found somebody who could bring us, with his Toyota truck to the dunes and the 'blue lagoon'. There are a few tracks that can bring you to some lagoons, but crossing the dunes by 4x4 is now forbidden in order to preserve the dunes. We stuck to the rules and climbed the dunes on foot. The landscape was superb while the peace and silence were like magic. We couldn't resist and had a quick dive in the crystal clear (and warm) waters of the lagoon. Another couple of tourists appeared, we didn't speak much but had our picture taken. The day was coming to an end and our driver joined us to enjoy the sunset and the change of colours it brought.

It was a very good start, we had a wonderful day. For dinner we were joined by Carlo and Rosa from Verona, Italy and by George, a Brazilian engineer who was hunting the region for land to buy as he was close to retirement.
As Rosa is Brazilian and as Carlos speaks fluently Portuguese, it was one more opportunity to practice my beginners Portuguese.
A bit later, the same couple we saw in the dunes joined us too, they were from Turino, Italy, so this time Robson could practice his rusted Italian.

The following day we went hiking in the dunes with a guide. The same driver from the day before accompanied by a young guide came to pick us up and brought us to our starting point. From there we crossed dunes and rivers and arrived at a place that can be described as the end of the world. The guide's cousin was living there. His house was in fact a roof; no doors, no walls, no windows. He managed to cultivate cassava (manioc) in the sand and had a few chickens and goats. He also had a small canoe for fishing. He was very nice and welcoming and took time to explain his activities and material to us.

After this visit we continued the hike in the dunes and, from time to time, had to cross lakes and rivers so our shorts were wet. We arrived at a small community (too small to be called a village) along a bigger river. One of the houses was our guide's house where he was living with his parents, brothers and sisters. His mother knew we were coming and was preparing a lunch for us. In the mean time we went to the river bank were we were welcomed by a group of children who had a great time swimming and playing around.
After our almoço (lunch) consisting of country chicken and other typical dishes, hammocks were brought so that we could have a siesta.
In the mean time the driver showed up. He joined us for a swim in the river before bringing us back to the pousada.

We enjoyed our dinner with the same excellent company and went to bed very happy with our day.

After breakfast while waiting for the 'bus', we explored the river that was running at the back of our pousada and had a walk into the village.

In the afternoon we went back to São Luis and the following day flew to Florianopolis, our temporary dwelling place, three wonderful weeks had passed.

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