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Discover northeast Brazil’s dunes and lagoons

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Explore the otherworldly landscapes of the Lençois Maranhenses, where a vast sheet of sand dunes harbours freshwater lakes.

Imagine a Saharan wilderness of undulating dunes, but where shimmering blue lakes fill the valleys between each crest of sand. The inviting oases of the Lençois Maranhenses in far north-eastern Brazil are no desert mirages: thanks to a unique phenomenon, the summer rains collect amidst the sand dunes to create a mesmerising scene, best appreciated between May and September.

On a half-day tour of the national park, you’ll traverse a wonderland of dunes and lagoons in a 4x4 jeep, with the opportunity to swim in the beautifully clear aquamarine pools that dot the ever-changing desert landscape.

Brazil
North coast: Natal, Fortaleza and Sao Luis

Holidays Discover northeast Brazil’s dunes and lagoons

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

Dunes of white sand

Private Journeys

Brazil

Off the beaten track Brazil: Dunes and lagoons of Lencois Maranhenses

10 days from £2,700pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Papagaio

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Real Latin american experts

  • Heloise
    Heloise Buxton - Travel Expert

    Heloise started her Latin American journey as an exchange student in Santiago, Chile. With extended summer holidays this was the perfect opportunity to backpack through Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Brazil.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

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