Travelling in Northeast Brazil in 2022- Part 1 (Maranhão)

Brazil is made up of five different regions namely the North, Northeast, Center-West, Southeast and South. In August 2022, I visited the states of Maranhão, Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte in the Northeast region. 

I was excited for my trip to the cities of São Luís (Maranhão), Barreirinhas (Maranhão), Fortaleza (Ceará) and Natal (Rio Grande do Norte) as they present so many interesting places to visit that I have heard so much about my whole life. 

You can also opt to do The Route of Emotions that starts in Maranhão and ends in Ceará. It is also possible to make the reverse route.

(Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-five-regions-of-brazil.html)

I will explain more in my 5-day-4-night itinerary below in Part 1 of this article covering the state of Maranhão and how I managed to keep my total expenditure (including flight ticket) at ~RM 2030. 

 

Day 1 (13 August 2022)

We (my husband and I) flew from Confins–Tancredo Neves International Airport in Belo Horizonte (Minas Gerais) to São Luís (Maranhão), with some pre-purchased snacks. 

São Luís, the capital of the state of Maranhão was founded by the French in 1612. The city was also conquered by the Dutch and the Portuguese, giving it a special kind of charm like no other city in Brazil.

We arrived in São Luís at night, took the 99-car ride (similar to Uber but sometimes has a better deal than Uber) from the airport and settled down in our pre-booked hostel (RioSLZ Hostel) via Booking.com for the night after dinner. Just when we thought the night was over, a homeless guy came to our window overlooking the street and asked for food. We gave our bread and closed the window once and for all.

You see, Brazil may be known the world over as an unsafe country, and I personally think this is true. But with some common sense and effort to always put your safety as your number one priority, especially in places known to be unsafe, you can enjoy your travels nonetheless. I personally do not walk around aimlessly at night in big cities in Brazil (companied or unaccompanied) and I never walk around flashing my handphone, among the other safety precautions that I take. 

 

Day 2 (14 August 2022)

In the morning, we had bread and coffee for breakfast and went to the House of Maranhão. Here, you can learn about the well-known Bumba Meu Boi festival from the tour guides who gladly explain the costumes, displays and accessories. The guides were free. Bumba Meu Boi takes place every year and is marked as a UNESCO cultural heritage. We enjoyed the museum so much that we made a small donation to express our gratitude.

The streets of São Luís on a clear day.

Next, we headed to the Reggae Museum. Free guides were provided. It is an interesting museum which showcases the arrival of Caribbean music to this part of the world and its evolution. There is a restaurant that you can go to at the end of the tour for a taste of the local delicacies and try your hands at dancing. 

Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) juice for the soul.

Tapioca flour-made pancake (beiju).

By noon, we went to the weekend fair in the square already blaring with music by the time we arrived. It was filled with local sellers, tempting us to have a go at the scrumptious seafood galore with fried crab meat in bread crumbs and dough as side dishes.

Trying baião de dois ao mar.

We then went to the imposing Palácio dos Leões which is currently the state governor’s palace with the French fort still in existence. Visits include a free obligatory guided tour. We went to the observation point to see the mangrove forest after the visit for a breath of fresh air.

The palace and fort overlook the bay.

The view of the bay from the palace.

We then headed to Maranhense Gastronomy Museum which included a free tour guide, walked past the Grand Square of Dom Pedro II, stared at art murals decorated with poem lines from famous Brazilian poets and finally sat down at a park with a palm and a tree being used as buffet-style dining by the common parakeets (Brotogeris sp.), before whisking our way to our last visit of the day, the Church of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios. The cobbled streets and colourful buildings with balconies were nice to look at throughout our walks.

We had a nice burger for dinner. 

Quiet streets with photo-taking opportunities.

(a)Summary of our self-curated city walking tour.

(b)Summary of our self-curated city walking tour.

 

Day 3 (15 August 2022)

We had bread and coffee first thing in the morning before heading out. Today’s sightseeing included the Convent of Mercês. It is a great place to learn about Brazilian history, with a highlight on the 31st president of Brazil, José Sarney, who reigned from 1985 to 1990. 

Later that day, we were slated to board the evening bus.

A building loaded with historical facts and figures, also known as The Heritage Museum.

We had lunch at a low-budget restaurant in a space that looked like a school canteen. The food was cheap and scrumptious nonetheless. The restaurant was quite unnoticeable though.

Rice with black-eyed peas (not the band), meat and vegetables. 

Next, we headed to Mercado das Tulhas, which presented us with findings like dried prawns and Brazil nuts. We also drank Maranhão’s popular regional soda, Guaraná Jesus to beat the heat. It was a warm and humid day, almost like the weather in Malaysia. 

The drink, aptly named Guaraná Jesus, is pink in colour. Guaraná is sold throughout Brazil, but the drink is usually light yellowish in colour. I also drank buriti (Mauritia flexuosa) juice which was so refreshing and unique in taste. 

Brazil nuts.

Prawn galore.

Our last stop was the Historical Center of São Luís. Throughout our walk on the first and second day, what struck me the most were the azulejos (tiles). This was the highlight for me as the detailed patterns and intricacies made it seem as if I were browsing through an open-air art gallery.

Balconies and colourful houses in the Historical Center of São Luís.

We walked back to the hostel, paid for our luggage storage and hailed an uber ride together with two tourists from France who stayed in the same hostel as us. They have been travelling and volunteering all over South America for the past 6 months and their adventure was coming to an end. They shared their travel stories and were more than excited when they told us about their Galapagos trip. When asked if the Brazilians were the friendliest among the Latinos, they thought for a while before saying Colombia was a very close rival.

(a)Summary of our self-curated city walking tour.

(b)Summary of our self-curated city walking tour.

We bought our bus tickets to Barreirinhas at the ticketing counter of the Central Bus Station of São Luís. The bus company was Cisne Branco. The bus was scheduled to depart at 7.30pm and stop at a roadside point to pick up and drop off passengers in Barreirinhas, en route to its final destination. It was a 4-hour journey. We stopped for dinner. As soon as we got off the bus, arriving late into the night, we quickly made our way on foot to our pre-booked hostel (Hostel Lençóis Park) via Booking.com located close by.

 

Day 4 (16 August 2022)

It was the end of the rainy season in the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park and the lakes were filled with fresh water, ready for visitors to take a refreshing dip. It is a famous destination in Brazil for its unique landscape. From an aerial view, the national park looks like disorganised sheets. Very alien-looking, but the story of its formation will leave you speechless!

Breakfast was buffet style (all-inclusive) at the hostel with a great array of food from this region. I was tempted by the couscous to go for a second helping.

Our first visit was to Santo Amaro, booked via Jurema Transporte e Turismo: https://jurematurismo.com.br/. We went by bus and were picked up at our hostel. After around 1 hour and 40 minutes, came the 4-wheel ride. The journey itself was an adventure with cashew nut trees and lush medium-tall sandy soil vegetation threatening to block our narrow path. 

Once we arrived at the verge of the lakes, I was thrown aback as the glimmering blue lakes amidst the soft white sand were shockingly beautiful. They contradicted so well and I felt as if I were in heaven (with Belinda’s Heaven is a Place on Earth playing on my mind). I have never seen a beauty this strikingly perfect before in my life.

The enchanting lake and the soft sand.

We swam at a lake and walked around the blaring sun, reaching different lakes that were completely empty. 

After lunch, we chilled in the hammocks before being ushered to the next lake for our sunset view. We sat and watched the beauty for hours. 

Fish and seasoned rice for lunch. 

Second lunch set consisting of goat’s meat as the main dish. 

The sand dunes offer a peace of mind with the different layers and levels providing a view like the kuih lapis.

That night, we were dropped at our hostel. We checked out and checked in into another hostel (Calango Hostel) that included a kitchen (always handy when travelling on a budget), had a burger for dinner, showered and had a good night’s sleep.

 

Day 5 (17 August 2022)

After an early breakfast of bread and coffee, we went to Canto do Atins, booked via Jurema Transporte e Turismo and witnessed the many water activities available there such as kitesurfing and windsurfing. 

I especially enjoyed watching the kitesurfers. The strong wind assisted the surfers. I was impressed as none of the surfers managed to bump into each other, despite the surfers being in close proximity to each other. 

We ordered lunch at a restaurant next to the beach and watched the many stunts that the beachgoers performed. We were then ferried to another beach which appeared like a vast sand paradise. Since it was baking hot, we decided to leave after a few minutes of walking around. I bought Guaraná Jesus to quench my thirst.

We were dropped off at our hostel at around 5pm. We took a shower and rested. 

At night, we had a simple dinner with food bought in the supermarket and even purchased eggs, tomato sauce, tuna, the famous Nissin instant noodles, wafers, apples, onions, garlic and chillies to prepare for breakfast and lunch the next day.

Beach activities.

 

Day 6 (18 August 2022)

In the morning, we went to Lago Azul (Blue Lake) via Jurema Transporte e Turismo. We were told that there were a number of lakes surrounding Lago Azul that we could head out to for a quick dip. I had so much fun walking and swimming around the amazing landscape. 

We were then dropped at our hostel. We rested and had our home-cooked lunch (spaghetti).

At 2pm, a 4 x 4 drive came to pick us up to Lago Bonita (Beautiful Lake). We booked via São Paulo Ecoturismo: https://saopauloecoturismo.com.br/. We had ice cream during a quick stop. 

At the starting point, which was also the parking spot, there was a steep staircase to climb. Here, the scenery was slightly different with more vegetation at the beginning of the stairs climb (quite a climb up), before being presented with tiny dotted faraway lakes (at the end of the stairs climb). All blue. Just amazing. We walked to the lake with the rest of the tour group, stopped to swim and went to watch the mesmerising sunset. 

Vegetation to cheer up the vicinity.

Vegetation marks the border of the sand dune formation.

These little lakes are actually large close-up!

Panoramic sunset over the dunes.

Before leaving, we bought the signature beiju which is made from tapioca flour. We chose guava and cheese (a combo famously known as Romeu e Julieta) as the fillings. By the time we arrived in Barreirinhas, it was nightfall.

Tapioca flour-made pancake is a tasty and fulfilling snack.

At night, we had a nice dinner by the river bank and had ice cream at Frutos de Goiás, which is apparently a popular ice cream shop in this part of Brazil. There were different exotic fruit and nut flavours that you could choose from like jabuticaba (Plinia cauliflora), ciriguela (Spondias purpurea), cagaita (Eugenia dysenterica), murici (Byrsonima crassifolia) and baru nuts (Dipteryx alata). 

Eye-catching ice cream flavours.

 

Day 5 (19 August 2022)

At 8.15am, right after breakfast, we went to the jetty on foot to start our journey to Vassouras, Mandacaru and Praia do Caburé via the Preguiças River. We booked with São Paulo Ecoturismo. The boat ride was very pleasant.

First stop, Vassouras. Here, you can opt to swim in the lake, eat or shop around. 

During the boat ride.

The were many monkeys around, but none of them behaved aggressively.

Monkey’s (Cebus libidinosus) haven.

Lake in Vassouras.

Passing through a mangrove forest.

Our next stop was Mandacaru, where you can climb up a lighthouse, shop around and have ice cream. There were many shops selling cashew nut juice too. While boarding the boat, we saw a flight of the scarlet red birds (Eudocimus ruber). The bright red colour of their plumage is caused by their diet. Witnessing the vibrant red feathers was an unforgettable experience.

Our last stop was at Praia do Caburé, where we headed for lunch. We managed to buy bread and tuna the day before for our packed lunch. We ordered drinks and enjoyed watching the river mouth that flowed so gracefully to the sea. The waves were quite high and I had a whale of a good time playing in the water after lunch. 

Abandoned buildings on the beach. 

Passed by a fishing trawler.

Upon reaching Barreirinhas, we had an early dinner at Santos Restaurant, ordering egg soup. It was a very energizing and tasty meal.

Another ice cream later, we found ourselves waiting for the bus with our tickets pre-booked in São Luís via Expresso Guanabara, at the roadside point. We collapsed immediately upon boarding, nonetheless with a thrill simmering inside of us from the unknown next destination! Stay tuned for Part 2 of my travel!

Expenses (~RM 2030 per pax):

Details	Cost (Brazilian Real)
Bus from Belo Horizonte Bus Terminal-(Confins) Tancredo Neves International Airport	22.50
Snack	9
One way flight with GOL Airlines (Belo Horizonte-São Luís)	432.33
Etiqa 360 Travel Insurance	237
Car ride airport to hostel	12.50
Hostel (RioSLZ Hostel)	180 (price for 2 pax in a private room)
Dinner	20
Breakfast	9.20
Donation at Museum	5
Snack	4.30
Lunch	30
Dinner	20
Breakfast	9.20
Lunch	15
Snack	20
Earrings	5
Hostel luggage storage	20
Car ride to bus terminal	6
Bus (São Luís-Barreirinhas)	60
Dinner	15
Tour Jurema Transporte e Turismo Santo Amaro Canto do Atins Lago Azul	420
Tour São Paulo Ecoturismo Lago Bonito Vassouras, Mandacaru and Praia do Caburé	240
Hostel (Lençóis Park Hostel)	60
Hostel (Calango Hostel)	324 (price for 2 pax in a private room)
Mineral water	3
Lunch	55
Dinner	11
Breakfast	8.71
Lunch	19.92
Snack	9
Supermarket- dinner, breakfast and lunch	23.02
Ice cream	11
Snack	7.50
Dinner + candies	26.50
Ice cream	4.50
Breakfast	8.71
Ice cream	11
Lunch + drinks	14.5
Dinner	14
Ice cream	8
Bus (Barreiheinhas-Fortaleza)	182
Total cost	2593.39