The hook
A vast field of pristine white sand dunes that looks like a desert but isn't, because after the rains, thousands of crystal-clear turquoise and green lagoons appear in the valleys between the dunes, and you can swim in them surrounded by sand.
01Why it's worth it
Lençóis Maranhenses, on Brazil's northeastern coast, is one of the most surreal and beautiful landscapes on Earth. It looks like a Sahara of endlessly rippling white dunes, sculpted by the wind, stretching for many kilometres, yet it lies in a rainy region, and that is the secret to its magic: the rains that fall each year can't drain through the underlying rock, so they collect in the hollows between the dunes to form thousands of freshwater lagoons, clear pools of astonishing turquoise, blue, and green scattered across the white sand. In the months after the rains, when the lagoons are full and warm, walking barefoot over the dunes at sunset and swimming in a lagoon perched amid the sand, with more dunes and pools rolling to every horizon, is an unforgettable, dreamlike experience. Some lagoons even hold fish, which arrive as eggs and vanish when the pools dry. The phenomenon is seasonal, so timing is everything, and the park is remote, reached via small towns and 4x4s. But few places anywhere are so strange and beautiful.
02How to experience it
Time your visit for when the lagoons are full (roughly June-September), as they largely vanish in the dry season. From the gateway town of Barreirinhas, take a 4x4 to the dunes and walk in to swim in the lagoons, ideally at sunrise or sunset for the light. Bring water and sun protection; there is no shade.