In the northern reaches of Brazil, the unique and fragile landscapes of the Lencois reward the adventurous.
Her name, he told me, was borderline biblical: Maria dos Milagres, or Maria of Miracles.
By the time I met Souza, Id been plotting a visit for several years.
The ever-shifting dunes.Credit:Marta Tucci
Others traced the origins of the nearly 400-square-mile ecosystem as far back as the last Ice Age.
The Lencois and the surrounding region seemed as extraterrestrial and uninhabitable as Saturn.
Until recently, tourism tended to be as hardscrabble as you might imagine.
From left: Guide Cassio José França Souza and a friend rest by a lagoon; the Baixa Grande oasis, in Brazil’s Lençóis Maranhenses National Park.Marta Tucci
In 2023, Lencois Maranhenses National Park recorded more than 250,000 visitors, a 150 percent increase over 2020.
Turning around, still grinning, I saw or was I imagining it?
Arriving at the Lencois still takes time, effort, and planning.
From left: Swimming in a lagoon in the heart of the Lençóis; descending a dune.Marta Tucci
I asked what he planned to do when boats could no longer get to his restaurant.
We dont worry about those things around here, he said, with a laugh and a shrug.
Today, its hardly on the tourist radar at all.
From left: A beach bungalow at Baía das Caraúbas, in Camocim; a veranda at Oiá, overlooking a prairie that borders the dunes of Santa Amaro.Marta Tucci
Finally, after three days of near-constant transit, we arrived at La Ferme de Georges, in Atins.
Its hard work, he said, but I get to live in a way that brings me joy.
Their presence made for a refreshing break from the usual barricade that luxury hotels erect between locals and guests.
From left: A signpost in the town of Barra Grande; kitesurfer Joãa Bosco in Barra Grande.Marta Tucci
By next year, La Ferme intends to build the Peixinhos a permanent space alongside the beach house.
Tourism may have changed Atins, but at the hotel, the feeling of a village persisted.
Though people continue to live in the park, authorities tellingly call the area the Primitive Zone.
From left: Tire tracks near the village of Santo Amaro; Raimundo Garcia dos Santos (left) and Maria da Silva Lira, who run a homestay in the Lençóis.Marta Tucci
It opened in May 2023.
It looked like the edge of the earth.
It was the best meal I ate all week.
From left: A room at La Ferme de Georges; a hammock at Oiá.Marta Tucci
Life in Travosa is very precarious, she went on.
We dont have basic infrastructure for health or education.
If we could open things to tourism, all of that might change.
From left: Yogurt and granola served inside a coconut with a side of papaya at the Oiá hotel, in Santo Amaro do Maranhão; low tide in Travosa, on the fringes of the national park.Marta Tucci
She paused for a moment.
Weve been here longer than the park.
Wed like to create new opportunities.
From left: Grilled fish stew, clams in coconut milk, and kale salad at Toca du Guaajá restaurant, in the village of Travosa; the restaurant at La Ferme de Georges, a hotel in Atins.Marta Tucci
In Travosa, though, it still represents hope.
Shortly after, she met Souza while washing clothes on the banks of the Rio Alegre.
(Halfway through he asked if we were close and I told him Yes!
From left: The view from Maria da Silva Lira’s home inside Lençóis Maranhenses National Park; a guest room at Oiá, a hotel in Santo Amaro.Marta Tucci
she recalled with a huge laugh.
We kept that game going for the next six hours!)
Souza remembers that first trip fondly.
With the oasis behind us, we walked east into the wind.
A glimmer of sand smudged the distant dunes into a lavender sky.
For me, it was proof that humanity can thrive, even in the least likely of places.
