How to Get to Barreirinhas
The road to the most structured gateway of Lençóis Maranhenses.
From São Luís to Barreirinhas
The simplest route in the whole park: from São Luís, it is 260 km on the fully paved BR-402, about 4 hours of travel. You can go by rental car, transfer or with the agencies that run the route daily from SLZ airport, which receives flights from Brazil's major capitals.
From town to the lagoons
Barreirinhas is the departure point for the classic circuits, such as Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Bonita. Access to the dunes is regulated and done in 4x4 vehicles run by accredited local tour companies, which you hire at your destination, with no access fee.
What to expect when you arrive
Barreirinhas is the base town with the most complete infrastructure in the region: more pousadas and restaurants, agencies everywhere, and the bustle of a town that has been the park's main gateway for decades. If you like structure and convenience, it is the natural choice. It is also the departure point for Atins, along the Preguiças river.
A photographer's eye
On the Barreirinhas circuits, the secret is timing: late afternoons at Lagoa Bonita, during the golden hour from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm, deliver a golden light the midday tour has never seen. As a photographer, that is the hour when I schedule practically all my sessions here.
Structure is not the opposite of beauty: with the right hour and the right setting, Barreirinhas produces breathtaking photographs. And if you are still deciding where to stay, see which base best matches your travel style.
Compare the three base towns →