A "desert" of white dunes and blue lagoons, a river delta meeting the ocean, a village with sandy streets: now is the perfect time to discover north-east Brazil.
There is a Brazil that people long for because it is iconic: the vibrant Rio de Janeiro, with its Copacabana beach, the Sugarloaf Mountain and the Cristo Redentore blessing the city; then there is a Brazil that cannot be imagined, one that reveals itself little by little as you travel up the coast toward the north east, like a melody that changes rhythm without losing its soul — leaving in our hearts that fascinating feeling of saudade.
From Rio, the Cidade Maravilhosa, nestled between the ocean and the mountains that changes its face with every shift in the light, travelling up the country through rivers and fishing villages reveals ever more astonishing landscapes: from the Lençóis Maranhenses — pristine white sand dunes that look like sheets spread out between small, crystal-clear lagoons — all the way to Jericoacoara, a corner of Brazil suspended in time, where the streets are still made of sand and the days follow the rhythm of the tides.
The Made in Brasile tour by Turisanda1924 is a 12-day, 10-night journey that crosses extreme landscapes unique in the world, fragile ecosystems and remote territories.
From Italy, you land in Rio de Janeiro: the first days of the trip are devoted to visiting the Unesco World Heritage city. From the Urca neighbourhood, a cable car takes you to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain for a first panoramic stop, with views sweeping across the Guanabara Bay and its islands, the Rio-Niterói bridge and the Corcovado. Reaching the top of the rocky peak then rewards you with a 360° panorama over Copacabana, the Santa Cruz fortress and the beaches of Niterói.
It is from the Cosme Velho neighbourhood that the rack railway departs, winding through the Tijuca rainforest — the largest urban forest in the world — to reach the summit of Corcovado and the statue of the Cristo Redentore, one of the seven wonders of the modern world: the symbol of the city at 710 metres above sea level, visible from every point in Rio with its total height of 38 metres and its arms stretching 28 metres wide.
From Rio de Janeiro, the journey continues to the north-east coast with a flight to São Luís and a four-hour minibus transfer to reach the highlight of the trip: the Parco dei Lençóis Maranhenses, so vast it could contain the entire city of São Paulo. Here unfolds a landscape unique in the world, made up of dunes of the finest white sand that look, as the park's name suggests, like sheets spread out in the wind. It is a "desert" traversed, however, by the rainy season — the time when green and blue freshwater lagoons form between the dunes, among them the most celebrated Lagoa Azul, giving rise to a spectacle without equal. The exploration of the park will take place at sunset, with the stretches of water reflecting the warm colours of the tropical sky.
The natural boundary of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is the Preguicas river, which will be travelled from its mouth to the delta, passing through the characteristic villages of Vassouras, Mandacaru and Caburè and the labyrinths formed by igarapes, small waterways and canals. From here the itinerary continues through ever wider and more complex scenery until reaching the Parnaíba delta, where land and water multiply into a boundless labyrinth. It is one of the few oceanic deltas on the American continent, a wild and extraordinary area rich in biodiversity, amid tangles of mangroves and scarlet ibises that colour the sky as they return to their nests.
The journey then heads towards Jericoacoara: here passengers board a ferry to Ilha do amor, from where the route begins through dunes and deserted beaches as far as Lagoa da Torta at Tatajuba for a dip in the famous lagoon. The last day is devoted to relaxing among the beaches and sandy lanes of Jericoacoara while awaiting the sunset, when the sun plunges into the ocean in one of Brazil's most breathtaking spectacles.
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