Visit the Lençóis Maranhenses sand dunes

“As a Brazilian who’s been to more than 15 countries, I can guarantee Lençóis Maranhenses is unlike any other experience in the world. It’s not uncommon for people to get emotional after climbing the first dune and seeing that endless sea of sand. It’s honestly surreal. I stayed in a house with direct access to the dune park, so after a 15 minute walk by myself I could literally pick a “private” lagoon for me and my girlfriend to swim in. The whole experience is amazing. You fly to São Luís and get a feel of a smaller Brazilian city, then head to Santo Amaro, a ridiculously small town that only got proper roads about five years ago. Before that everything arrived by boat. It still feels raw and very authentic, there are horses, goats crossing the streets of sand, like a true Brazilian experience(even for me, it’s like going back in time).”

“It’s truly amazing and I’d recommend anyone thinking about going to do it. We did a day trip from Sao Luis, early bus at 5am takes about 4 hours to Santo Amaro then get a 4x4 with a guide to the lagoons through a thick forest for about 45 mins. Then out of nowhere the trees open up and there is a big sandy hill, once you climb that you see what the whole journey was about, the most incredible and unique landscape I’ve ever seen, like another planet. We had 3 hours to explore and swim in the lagoons, then the final 30 mins was for the sunset which is spectacular.”