Lençóis Maranhenses Itinerary 5 Days: São Luís, Barreirinhas and Atins

One hour, free. The airport is 15 km from the centre by taxi or ride app. After check-in, head down to Praia Grande, the UNESCO-listed historic centre, and start on Rua Portugal, with the largest group of townhouses faced in Portuguese tiles.

Wear trainers: the slopes are stone and slippery in the rain.

Half an hour, on the corner of Rua da Estrela. The old grain store is now the Praia Grande market, with stalls of buriti sweets, cachaça, tiquira, the cassava spirit of Maranhão, and dried shrimp. It is the place to try Guaraná Jesus.

Forty-five minutes, free guided tour Tuesday to Saturday, 2 pm to 6 pm. Walk 400 metres up to Rua do Sol. The 1817 theatre reopened in 2026 after its biggest restoration in 30 years, with its horseshoe auditorium and boxes restored.

Four hours, from 120 reais with an agency, leaving at 1:30 pm. The shared van from São Luís takes about 4h30 and costs 70 to 120 reais; leave at 7 am to make it. The 4x4 crosses the river by ferry and follows a sand track to the foot of a steep dune, climbed with a rope.

From the top dozens of lagoons appear. The tour ends at sunset; glass and litter are not allowed in the park.

Half an hour in the evening, free. The parish church square is a few steps from the Beira-Rio, the Preguiças riverfront, where restaurants and kiosks serve fried fish and cajá caipirinhas.

Forty-five minutes. The speedboat tour leaves the Barreirinhas quay at 9 am, for about 190 reais, and runs down the Preguiças River through mangroves. The first stop is Vassouras, with dunes, shallow lagoons and capuchin monkeys that come down from the trees. Do not feed them.

An hour and a quarter, with a small climbing fee paid at the entrance. The striped lighthouse stands in the village of Mandacaru. From the top you see the river meet the sea, with dunes on both sides. On the way down, the village stalls sell buriti sweets and straw crafts.

Two hours. Caburé is a strip of sand with the river on one side and the ocean on the other. Lunch is not included: fish and shrimp for two run about 160 reais. The boat returns to Barreirinhas mid-afternoon.

Four hours, from 120 reais, leaving at 8 am. It is the shortest and busiest circuit, with Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Esmeralda, and mornings are quieter. The lagoons are full from May to September; from October they start drying out.

Three hours, from 140 reais with the 4x4. The transfer from Barreirinhas to Atins takes about 1h30 by 4x4 along the beach and dunes; arrange it with your guesthouse. At Canto do Atins the dunes meet the sea, and the tour passes lagoons before stopping at one of the grilled shrimp restaurants, the local speciality.

One hour, free, at 6 am. The beach is wide and shallow at low tide, and from July to December the wind brings the kitesurfers. With an extra day, take the scarlet ibis tour to see the red birds of the mangrove at dusk.

One hour, free, Tuesday to Sunday until 5 pm. The 4x4 to Barreirinhas and the van to São Luís add up to about 6 hours; leave Atins at 7 am. The palace shows 19th century furniture, paintings and porcelain, and its windows look over São Marcos Bay.

Twenty minutes, free, next to the palace on Avenida Pedro II. The baroque gilded altarpiece is the highlight. The airport is 15 km away, with flights south in the early evening.