feel good with us ...

...the delta of the river Parnaíba, the Nationalparks of Jericoacoara, Sete Cidades and Lençois Maranhenses are waiting for you....

If you need a tourist-guid, further information where to go and where to stay, if you want to travel on- and offroad with casa do turismo or if you want to make an expedition to the delta of the river Parnaiba - just contact us.

Here one example of a beautyfull trip:

Jericoacoara

6295 ha, Administrated of IBAMA 

~ 360 km from Fortaleza.

~ 200 km from Parnaiba

Climat: 22-35 ° C, tropical hot,

In 1984 the place was declared an "Environment Protection Area" by federal law. Although tourism has reached the place, because of it's extraordinary beauty, it still keeps the unhurried and peaceful way of life. Because of the EPA law, it is forbidden to hunt, pollute, make roads. Buildings are limited to the village area (the EPA has 200 km², and the village is 1 km² big) and have to follow the same architectural style. Lodging facilities had their construction forbidden in 1992, in order to limit the quantity of tourists in the place. Jeri - like they used to say - has ~ 200 pensions, 200 Buggies and  ~2000 inhabitants. To arrive in Jeri you need a four-wheel-drive-vehicle to get there. Until the beginning of 1998, electricity was supplied by diesel generators. Today, there is an underground power supply, only for the houses. In 1994, the North-American newspaper "Washington Post Magazine" chose Jericoacoara as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches of the world. There are several activities for you in Jericoacoara. From calm hikes and horseback rides to radical sports, such as windsurf or kit surf. You can try sand-boarding. The most famous attraction in Jericoacoara is the Arched Rock, a large gate of stone sculpted by the waves, situated to the east of the village. The Arched Rock is part of a rocky area that stretches for over 2 km of coast to the east of Malhada Beach. 

The night live is at the beach with music, capoeira, caipirinha and a lot of nature. You can do some trips with buggies to lakes and dunes or just relax in your hammock.

 

possible trips in the surrounding:

- Lagoa do Paraiso, Lagoa Azul

- Lagoa e villa Tatajuba  36 km from Jeri

- Cavalho Marinho (=Seehorse),  in the river "Rio Guriú"

What does the name "Jericoacoara" mean? Although there are several versions for the origin of the name "Jericoacoara", the most probable is that it is indigenous, from the tupi-guarani language: yuruco (hole) + cuara (turtle), meaning "hole of the turtles", in a reference to the fact that Jericoacoara is a beach where sea turtles come to make holes to lay their eggs. But some old fishermen do not agree with this version taken out of history books. They say that the name has its origin in the small hill beside the village (where the lighthouse is situated). The hill, when seen from high seas, has the shape of a laying alligator, which in a local expression would be "Jacareqüara", and with time the name ended up changing to Jericoacoara.

When we go to Camocim, toward Parnaiba, we will pass the lake Tatajuba and some dunes, we need to take ferryboats and we pass the whole time in the National Park with dunes and beach.

In Camocim we take the road, pass some villages until we will arrive at the small sandy road to Macapá in Piauí.

Coast of PIAUÍ - the beaches:

• Macapá
  separated from Barra grande by the Camurupim river the beach of Macapá is very beautiful to take a bath, canoeing and sailing. You can eat fresh fish and crabs. It is one of the most unexplored regions of Brazil, a silent solitary place you will relax very well.
• Maramar
• Carnaubinha
• Arrombado
• Itaqui
• Coqueiro beach
• Barro preto
• Peito de moça
• Atalaia - Luis Correira
  it is the "busiest" beach of the 66 km of coast from Piauí. It is an urban beach with bars, restaurants and hotels.

Parnaiba, Delta do Rio Parnaiba, Tutóia

The city Parnaiba is located on the northeast coast of Brazil and in the state of Piaui, 366 km from Teresinha - the states capital, 630 km from Fortaleza (state Ceará) and 810 km from São Luiz (State Maranhão). It is between the Nationalparks Seven Cities in the south, Jericoacoara in the east and Lençois Maranhenses in the west. Parnaiba city has a population of ~ 160 000 inhabitants with a wide suburb. It was colonized in the 17th century by  the Portuguese and Spanish. The port of the city was one of the most important in the region in the last century due to its location.

The Parnaíba River forms the border between the states of Maranhão and Piauí. The Parnaíba River rises in the Chapada das Mangabeiras range, and flows northeast-ward for ~1450 kilometers to empty into the Atlantic Ocean. The middle and upper regions of this river are separated by waterfalls, but is otherwise navigable.

When it meets the Atlantic Ocean, it forms an archipelago with 75 registered and named  and all in all more than 110 islands. It is protected like a National Park since 1981. An ocean delta like the river Parnaiba is the mouth of a river that branches out in many directions before it encounters the ocean. The Parnaiba Delta is one of the largest of the world beside Mekong and Nile. The total area of the delta is 2700 km² and with ~ 90 km of coast. Of the whole area 35% is swamp, 12% dunes, 23% forest, 20% fields and 10% others.
The Parnaiba Delta is a rare spectacle you will visit. Some of the islands are covered with tropical forest, others with dunes up to 40 meters high and others have farms, plantations and beaches. You will enjoy sand dunes, and sweet water lakes. In one unique place you can find the luminosity of the coastline, the biodiversity of a preserved tropical mangroves and the communion of the fresh river water and the ocean. In this ecological sanctuary lives animals such as monkeys, foxes, deer, wild cats, coatis, alligators, sea turtles and more. The emotion of navigating in the forest swamps and labyrinth of the igarapes - that are small branching rivers - surrounded by, rice fields, Palms (Carnauba) are breathtaking. You will find the peace of an intact (!) natural system.

There are four bigger islands: Ilha Grande de Santa Isabel in Piauí, Ilha das Canárias, Ilha do Caju and the Ilha Grande do Paulino, in Maranhão.

Tutóia is a fishermen`s small town with 42 000 inhabitants with the villages in the neighbourhood . It is the west side of the delta and ~ 150 km from Parnaiba (the street is very bad) and ~ 450 km from São Luis.

We just pass there to change from boat to four-wheel-drive. From Tutoia we will have ~35 km offroad trails to Paulino Neves.

 Paulino Neves

~ 11,500 inhabitants, a small and silent village with the nice river Rio da Furmiga in the middle of the village, so the people have to cross the wooden bridge to arrive on the other side.

Pequenos Lençois

after the village we will pass the dunes of this region. In the raining season it is full of lakes and green vegetation. So the cows and sheep like to stay there to eat and drink. After the dunes we will drive at the coast side ~ 30 km to arrive in Caburé.

Caburé

In Caburé there are just four pensions and some fishermen. Still now there is just electricity of generators. They switch them off at night and we are alone with millions of stars, sand and water - fresh water of the river and seawater on the other side. It is always a little windy, so there are no mosquitos!

Lençois Maranhenses

The National Park of Lençóis-Marahenses is a jewel. Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is an area of about 155,000 ha of blinding white dunes until 50 m and deep blue lagoons, forming one of the most beautiful and unique places in the world.
Seen from the sky, the scenery is of a rare beauty: the contours of the dunes are formed by large pools of green and blue water that are detained within the dunes from tropical rainfalls. The landscape reminds a white bed sheet, when seen from above. That's the reason of the name given to the region: "lençóis" in Portuguese means "bed sheets". It is an area of low, flat, occasionally flooded land, overlaid with large, discrete sand dunes. It is a "sea" of sand dunes that occupies 70 km of coastline and advances 50 km inland. This very special ecosystem is worth to preserve well. The park was created on June 02, 1981. As there is no access by road, so the park must be accessed by four-wheel-drive. Short journeys can be done on foot, The strong heat can be compensated by refreshing baths in the crystal clear ponds, just take a fresh bath in one of the lakes.
Despite its desert-like appearance, Lençóis Maranhenses records an annual rainfall of 1600mm  this is 300 times more than in the Sahara.

During the period of drought, the lagoons evaporates and become completely dried. After the rainy season, the lagoons are home of many species of fishes, turtles and clams. The mystery in this story lies in the fact that when the lagoons fill up, life comes back, as if they had never left the place. One of the hypotheses to explain the phenomenon is that the eggs of the fish and crabs are maintained alive in the sand, exploding when rain come back.

To arrive in Atins -  a large fishing colony -  we will cross the Preguiças River. This is the river that crosses the Lençóis Maranhenses. The name comes from its calm waters. It flows in front of Atins to the ocean.

In Atins we will have a walk to the National Park - on one side, lagoons and the desert; on the other, the immense ocean. 

 

Mandacaru Lighthouse

From the top of its 35 m or 160 steps, it is possible to see the Preguiças River, the Lençóis Maranhenses and the white dunes along the margins of the Maranhão sea. It is located in the village of Mandacaru, at the edge of the Park. Mandacaru is a village of about one hundred houses on the other side of Caburé.

 

Barreirinhas

A small town on the banks of the River Preguiças, characterized by its quietness and its amazing sand dune in its center. There is the main entrance to the National Park, they even have a small airport. The distance to Sao Luis is approximately 260 km. Today it lives approximately 32.000 people in the municipal of Barrerinhas.

 

São Luís

São Luís is the capital of the Brazilian state of Maranhão. The city is located on São Luís island in the Baía de São Marcos. The city proper has a population of ~ 1 million people. In 1997 the city's historical center was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Starting in 1989 there has been an extensive program to restore and renovate the colonial era buildings of the city's historical center. The city was originally founded by the French in 1612 and later occupied by the Dutch in the mid-1600s. The Portuguese influence was greatest and this is reflected in the stately mansions The city is located on the island of the same name. On Avenida Pedro II - named after the Brazilian emperor - we'll see some of the oldest buildings in Brazil. Sao Luis has more than 30 km of beaches, a strong popular culture with festivals and rituals of Macumba and Bumba meu boi. It is also known as the capital of Reggae music in Brazil. The city has a totally unique atmosphere and charm in Brazil.

 

This is just an example for a trip, of course you can ask for other variations - just contact us.

Our tourist agency casa do turismo is postet in the guid-book Lonely Planet.