Lençóis Maranhenses National Park Trek

Lençóis Maranhenses is a vast field of mobile sand dunes positioned along Brazil's northeastern coast. The landscape is defined by the seasonal accumulation of rainwater in the valleys between dunes, creating thousands of clear freshwater lagoons from May through August. The 43km trekking traverse between Atins and Santo Amaro involves sustained walking across soft sand slopes and navigating between the remote Baixa Grande and Queimada dos Britos oases. The primary challenge is the combination of high thermal stress, intense solar reflection from the white sand, and the physical load of soft-substrate movement.

Following the historic path used by the Army of the Andes in 1817, this 6-day trans-Andean expedition traverses the central cordillera from Mendoza, Argentina, to the Cajón del Maipo in Chile. The route crosses two significant high-altitude barriers—Portillo Argentino (4,330m) and Paso Piuquenes (4,030m). Hikers move through a high desert landscape of volcanic rock, vast glacial valleys, and the powerful Tunuyán River. The terrain consists primarily of rocky mountain paths, loose scree on the steeper pass approaches, and high-altitude plateaus where exposure to wind and sun is constant.