Overview
The far north is a fascinating region hardly touched by tourism. The city of São Luís (a World Heritage Site) is an unexpected treat, its colonial and art nouveau buildings decorated with delicate European ceramic tiles. Just beyond is the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, its surreal, shifting landscape a wrinkled sheet of rippling sand dunes, pitted with jade and aquamarine freshwater lagoons. The river Preguiças flows into the mangrove-rich Parnaíba delta, where the bird-filled islets support traditional fishing communities. The wild sandy coastline has a few laid-back little resorts, notably Jericoacoara.
Fortaleza is an unashamedly holiday-focussed party city, famed for its exuberant nightlife - its broad, skyscraper-fringed beaches reminiscent of Copacabana. It is also the entry point for visitors to gorgeous barefoot beaches within easy reach, such as Canoa Quebrada.
Round the corner of Brazil’s shoulder the northeast, once wealthy with vast sugar plantations, has a cultural identity all of its own, complemented by wonderful beaches. Close to the pleasant port Natal is award-winning Pipa; the gorgeous sands there visited by turtles, and the bay by dolphins.
Holidays North coast: Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Luis
From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.
Private Journeys
Brazil
Off the beaten track Brazil: Dunes and lagoons of Lencois Maranhenses
(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)
Things to do
The amazing white sand dunes of Lencois Maranhenses National Park harbour crystal-clear lagoons. To book a trip enquire online or speak to an expert.
Accommodation
Choose from a range of accommodation from guesthouses to luxury boutique properties in Sao Luis and Lencois Maranhenses National Park.
Where to go when - our guide to North coast: Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Luis
The weather in North coast: Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Luis is wide and varied
Brazil’s little-visited north coast offers World Heritage Site cities, national parks of rippling sand dunes and wild sloping beaches peppered with laid-back resorts. The port city São Luís can be visited all year round- expect equatorial warmth tempered by an ocean breeze. If you’re heading for the beach at Jericoacoara, the best time is the July - January dry season. This is also kitesurfing season. Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is at its most photogenic April - September, when there’s water in the pools, with most rain falling February - June.
View our North coast: Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Luis weather guidePapagaio
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