Day 5
The Rio Preguiças, from Atins to Caburé
Morning
Down the Rio Preguiças
From Barreirinhas, the river runs through mangrove and buriti palms to the ocean, lined with dunes that advance into the water. The trip downriver by voadeira, a fast flat-bottomed boat, takes the morning with its stops.
Vassouras and its viewpoint
First stop on the bank, at the foot of a dune you climb for the view over the river's meander and the palm groves. Sellers of cashew nuts and juice wait there for the boats.
Mandacaru and the Preguiças lighthouse
A fishing village overlooked by a 35-metre lighthouse, climbed by a spiral staircase of 150 steps. From the top, the view takes in at a single glance the river, the mangrove, the dune field and the ocean: it is the best spot for understanding the geography of the park.
Afternoon
Caburé
A spit of sand a few hundred metres wide, with the river mouth on one side and the Atlantic on the other: calm water on the left, waves on the right, and a few barracas in between. It is the lunch stop of the river trip, grilled fish and coconut water.
Atins and the Pequenos Lençóis
A former fishing village at the mouth of the Preguiças, now a base for kitesurfing and charming pousadas, with no paved streets. From there, a 4x4 takes you to the Pequenos Lençóis, a secondary dune field closer to the sea, where the lagoons are smaller but the light is often better.
Good to know
the river trip : The trip down the Preguiças is done by voadeira with an agency from Barreirinhas, leaving in the morning from the quay. Bring cash for the stops: the climb up the Mandacaru lighthouse and the drinks at Vassouras and Caburé are paid on the spot.
