The bedsheets of Maranhao

The dunes here are blindingly white. They resemble clotheslines of freshly laundered linens or a shade of a summer’s afternoon clouds. They take pale to a new level and are definitely wearing an SPF 30 or higher. The “bedsheets of Maranhao” or Lancois Maranheses National Park is located in the far northeast of Brazil. The dramatic landscape has been an Insta-favorite for a decade and from July to September the slumbering dunes come alive with visitors looking to sand board on the slopes and swim in the warm, turquoise lagoons. The park can only be entered by Jeep, and to avoid a “lost tourist in the dunes...my bad” letter to a rescue squad, all visitors must hire a guide to lead them over the mosaic landscape. Needless to say, the hassle of research disappears after you cross the eclipse of the first sand dune. Wind catching your hair, blue waters and bikinis in front of you, and a Jeep ride without the hassle of driving. The water is clear and sand is soft, the sunscreen never lasts long enough. But it’s all worth it especially if you remembered to pack enough cold Dados to savor during your ride out. Don’t worry if wet swimsuits, car seats and sand chaff your newly acquired, red shade of skin- a sunburn today means a well-earned suntan tomorrow.