Brazil's Coasts and Dunes

Trip Highlights

Explore three states of Northeastern Brazil through the breathtaking "Route of Emotions", for a deep dive into this region's coastal delights. Hop aboard our expedition-ready Land Cruiser for an off the grid ride along beaches and sertão, the Brazilian savanna, with private guided excursions. From Fortaleza through Jericoacoara to São Luis, you’ll enjoy small fishing villages, crystal clear lakes, glorious beaches, and endless sand dunes, including the inland ocean of sand dunes found in the iconic Lençóis Maranhenses National Park. Home to million dunes and lagoons, Lençóis Maranhenses is considered the most geographically impressive landscape in the state of Maranhão and one of the best places for kitesurfing in Brazil. You will visit villages that still remain untouched by tourism, yet offer authentic Brazilian beaches and beach bars. Stops during the journey will be made for swimming in lakes and beaches, as well as hiking and visiting local communities to experience the real charm of the Northeastern culture.

Hotels described in the itinerary are recommended by Craft Travel but there are numerous options in each destination and we will customize your itinerary based upon your preferences. With your feedback, we will similarly customize suggested activities, time spent in each location and trip extensions to additional destinations of interest nearby.

Detailed Itinerary

You will be privately transferred to your hotel in Fortaleza for an evening of leisure, as you prepare for your adventure the following morning.

Overnight at Hotel Gran Marquise (no meals)

Depart from Fortaleza on a 4x4 at 8am to an off road seashore course starting from Cumbuco beach. Along the way you will visit several beaches, one of them being Cumbuco, with a stop for sand ski and photography. You will also visit Paracuru and Lagoinha, one of the most beautiful Ceará postcards, where we will stop for lunch at Flecheiras Beach. In the afternoon, we will visit the local community Mundaú rendeiras (female lace makers) to witness their ancestral craftsman techniques, followed by watching the sunset in Guajiru beach.

Overnight at Zorah Beach Hotel (Breakfast)

Depart for Jericoacoara on a 4x4 traveling through backroads, deserted beaches and fisherman villages, which will expose you to the peaceful sertanejos life (inlander native). We will visit, among others, the beaches of Baleia, Caetanos and Icaraizinho.  We will arrive to your final destination, Jericoacoara, at the end of the afternoon.

Overnight at The Chili Beach (Breakfast)

Get ready for your Jeep ride to Azul and Paraíso Lagoons and be ready to be mesmerized by its crystal clear waters.  In the afternoon, return to Jericoacoara to watch the sunset from the top of a large dune.  

Overnight at The Chili Beach (Breakfast)

In the morning, depart in your 4x4 through a section of beaches and tracks for approximately 40 km followed by a ferry crossing to Tatajuba Environment Protection Area, a historic fisherman village that has been reconstructed after having been buried by the dunes. Our destination will be at the other side of the Coreaú River. 

Overnight at Pousada Chic (Breakfast)

At 8am, we will depart to Parnaíba city, where we will board a motorboat to tour the Parnaíba River Delta, an impressive ecosystem and one of the three largest deltas in the world. During the tour, we will stop to swim and explore the dunes.

Overnight at Casa de St. Antonio Hotel (Breakfast)

In the morning we will depart to Caburé Beach, in the State of Maranhão, which is beautifully situated between the river and sea, as well as near the impressive dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses. We will board a motorboat to ride through the Preguiças River, glimpsing through the rich mangue vegetation and the Pequenos Lençóis (“little Lençóis”) that emerge from its banks. Penquenos Lençóis is on the other side of Lençóis Maranhenses and boasts beautiful dunes with lagoons, rainforest rivers with wildlife, golden beaches and tiny villages. The best part of this visit is that you will see very few tourists in this area!

In the afternoon, we will reach the little harbor of Barreirinhas and take a 1h15m boat down the river to Atins for your final destination. Your stay will be at La Ferme de Georges, which is at the entrance of the national park and near hundreds of turquoise lagoons and dunes.

Overnight at La Ferme de Georges (Breakfast)

Enjoy your day at leisure or one of many activities that can be offered (additional cost) as follows:

• Kite Boarding / Kite Surfing: With constant wind and numerous lagoons, Atins is an ideal spot for kite surfing. Lessons are provided as well.

• Stand-Up Paddle Board: Enjoy paddle boarding in the lagoons, which are right at your doorstep.

• Discover Lencois Park once again, either hiking, horseback riding or by a 4x4 vehicle.

Overnight at La Ferme de Georges (Breakfast)

At the scheduled time, you will be transferred to São Luiz Airport for your departing flight home.

(Breakfast)

• 8 nights accommodation (based on double/twin occupancy)

• Daily breakfast

• Private Land Rover jeep vehicle equipped with air conditioning and guided excursions

• All ground transfers between airports and accommodations (internal flights not included)

• All entrance fees as mentioned on tour

• *Not included: gratuities, visas (if applicable), international or internal flights, meals and drinks not described above, items of a personal nature

• This itinerary may begin in either Fortaleza or Sao Luiz.

• This itinerary is suitable for an all year round destination, but there is a higher chance for rain between June and July, although they are afternoon showers.

• Consider an extension to Rio de Janeiro to round out your Brazilian cultural experience, or perhaps head to the Pantanal or Amazon for a submersion into the country’s profound nature. Ask your Travel Designer for more details.