Anyone planning the trip hits this question right away: Barreirinhas, Atins, or Santo Amaro? All three give access to Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, but they deliver very different experiences.
Barreirinhas
It's the main gateway and the most developed one. It sits about four hours from São Luís on paved road, with lodging for every budget, restaurants, a pharmacy, a bank, and the widest range of tours.
It's where most of our treks start, including the Classic Trek and the Traditional 5-Day Trek. If it's your first time in Maranhão, or if you're coming with the family, start here.
Atins
A fishing village at the mouth of the Rio Preguiças, much simpler and far more charming. You get there by boat or 4x4, the power shuts off early in some corners, and the sunset is the stop-everything kind.
Atins draws those who want to stay longer, kitesurf, and live at the village pace. That's where our One Night in the Oasis departs from, starting and ending in the village itself.
Santo Amaro
The wildest, least-visited side. It sits about three and a half hours from São Luís and it's the region with some of the most beautiful and emptiest lagoons in the park.
On our treks, Santo Amaro is usually the arrival, not the departure: you cross the park on foot from Barreirinhas and come out the other side. It's the itinerary for those who want to feel the sheer scale of the Lençóis.
How to choose
- First trip, short on time, family along: Barreirinhas.
- Want a village, beach, wind, and calm: Atins.
- Want the park from the inside and fewer people: a trek ending in Santo Amaro.
The most common mistake
Booking lodging in all three towns and spending the whole trip in transit. The distances look short on the map, but they're sand roads and river crossings. Pick one base, do the tours from there, and if you really want to know the park, book a trek with an overnight inside it.
If you'd like, we'll put this together with you: talk to the team and tell us how many days you have and where you're coming from.