Sao Luis to Atin (Parque Nacional Dos Lencois Maranhenses)

Hi

I have two days which I would like to spend in Lencois Maranhenses. Does anyone know how I make the journey from Sao Luis to Atin (quickest way by road).

Thanks

Far

You would go to Barreirinhas first. You can get there by bus from São Luis.
If you only have two days in total, travel time to/from Atins would eat all of it.

Sao Luis to Barreirinhas by bus takes between 3 and 4 hours. There is only one road. Barreirinhas to Atins takes an hour to a but under two - usual way is by boat, but there are 4x4s mostly used by locals you can get that go through scrub and streams.

Bus departures mostly don't seem to coincide with flight arrivals in Sao Luis, and when the bus arrives in Barreirinhas, the boats have left. The easiest way is to either drink coffee all night at the rodoviaria until the bus comes early a.m. or stay over one or two nights in Sao Luis and see the historic district. Then spend a night in Barreirinhas and get the boat in the morning. (Barreirinhas is a tourist trap and pretty village - they will offer you an organised 4x4 trip into the northern area of the Lencois Marahenses at a price, very touristy.) After Barreirinhas you probably need a night in Atins to get your bearings and plan your trip. Atins is a sand-road village in the scrub at the end of the river, it is not in the Lencois Marahenses. From there you need a 4x4 (about one hour) and a walk (about one hour) with a guide unless you know the area very well indeed, and then you are somewhere that really makes the trip worthwhile in the Lencois Marahenses rather than the coastal area. (For a slightly easier version, go to Cabure, other side of the river, and visit the 'little Lencois).

Think of the Lencois Maraheses as a desert. Even if it has lagoons at some times of the year. It can kill you if you don't take precautions. If you get in deep, preferably not with a tourist group, it is also one of the most beautiful places in the world!