NAME: pousada do Paturi

WHERE: Caburé, Maranhão

WEBSITE: www.pousadadopaturi.com.br

IN ENGLISH: no

PRICES ON THE WEBSITE: yes

LOCATION: between the river Preguiças and the Atlantic ocean.

THE BUILDING: two rows of chalets around a central patio and the dining room. The pousada is surrounded by sand in all directions, and during the windy season the staff of the pousada spends the day cleaning the sand from the patio.

THE ROOMS: bare and simple, with an electric fan and a bathroom (no hot water).

PRICES IN JUNE 2006: We paid R$75 the room, it was low season.

BREAKFAST: included in the price. Acceptable, given the extreme conditions and isolation of Caburé.

FOOD: the pousada has a restaurant where abundant food is prepared. Considering the limitations imposed by the lack of fresh vegetables, the restaurant provides an excellent chance to feast on freshly caught fish.

RECEPTION: very friendly. After a few days, we were treated as if we were part of the family.

OUR OPINION: those looking for luxury and comfort should not get anywhere near Caburé. For those after a remote place, far away from the world, where there are no computers, mobile phones or cars (only the pousadas’s 4-wheel drive), Caburé is an unbeatable place. The rooms are very simple and provide just the basics for a quiet rest. The luxury of Caburé is its location and landscapes. Nature at its purest. Paturi, the owner of the pousada, is a remarkable character, whose reputation is known throught the state of Maranhão.

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Time does fly! It’s now a year since we went to Maranhão. I’d like to take the opportunity to leave here an index to the information published since then on São Luís do Maranhão and the Lençóis Maranhenses. It is June, after all, a very special month for the region, as it is now when the festas juninas and the bumba-meu-boi festival take place:

• Destination: São Luís
• Destination: Lençóis Maranhenses
• Destination: Caburé
• Bumba-meu-boi
• video: festas juninas in São Luís
• pictures of the Lençóis Maranhenses
• pictures of the ceramic tiles of São Luís
• pictures of Caburé
• pictures of bumba-meu-boi
• pictures of scarlet ibis in Alcântara
• restaurante da Luzia, Atins

Caburé is an extraordinary place. A few huts on a sandbar trapped between the Atlantic Ocean and the Preguiças river, as seen on the picture above.

Cabure is desolation at its best. If instead of sand we had snow, we would be in the Antarctica. Sun, sand and wind are the only companions of the few inhabitants of the place, who live in humble huts that barely manage to defeat the elements.

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I have been to scores of places in Brazil where I’ve been able to see and photograph wildlife. These are the top 10 places (in no particular order).

1. scarlet ibis in Alcântara, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: high - at the Praia da Baronesa and a nearby wetland. The scarlet ibis go to the shore to feed when the tide is out]
2. dolphins in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: high - on the boat trip around the island or from the Baia dos Golfinhos viewpoint]
3. turtles in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: medium - snorkelling at the Santo Antônio harbour and at the baia do Sueste]
4. fish in Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco [chances of spotting them: high - snorkelling in most of the island beaches and definitely diving]
5. fish in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul [chances of spotting them: high - snorkelling in the Sucuri river and the Rio da Prata]
6. dolphins in Pipa, Rio Grande do Norte [chances of spotting them: medium - at the aptly named Baia dos Golfinhos in the morning]
7. toucans in Foz de Iguazú, Paraná [chances of spotting them: 100% - at the Parque das Aves]
8. monkeys in Vassouras, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: high - there is a forty-odd colony of monkeys living near the huts, ask the locals]
9. scarlet ibis in Caburé, Maranhão [chances of spotting them: medium - near then mangrove in Caburé when the tide is out]
10. macaws in Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul [chances of spotting them: medium - at the Buraco das Araras]

N.B.: in actual fact, the toucans at the Parque das Aves in Foz do Iguaçu are not in the wild, they are kept within giant cages.

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The Lençóis Maranhenses are, in my opinion, one of the most wonderful places in Brazil. The beauty of the region, and the fact that mass tourism hasn’t reached it yet, explain why the Lençóis cause such a profound impact on its visitors. Have a look at the Google Maps link at the bottom of the entry to understand what the Lençóis are about. The Lençóis (in Portuguese, sheets), are a large desert in the state of Maranhão. A desert with a difference: between June and September the dunes share the space with lagoons formed by the accumulation of water fallen during the rainy season.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the wonderful and unique landscape, the sensation of being a remote place untouched by humans

WE LIKE THE LEAST: Barreirinhas, point of entry to the Lençóis, a horrible place; preparations being made for the arrival of mass tourism; the violation of the National Park rules with total impunity; the inexistent tourist infraestructure

HOW TO GET THERE: from São Luís you can get to the Lençóis by plane, van, regular bus, or taxi. There are regular buses leaving São Luís for Barreirinhas on a daily basis. The trip takes four hours. There are also private transfers that will get you there in three hours. Most hotels have details as the vans pick up the passengers from the hotels, early in the morning. It is also possible to reach the Lençóis coming from the east, from Fortaleza – a real adventure!

CAREFUL WITH: the merciless sun. You can’t go anywhere in the Lençóis if you don’t smear your skin first with tons of sunblock. Take plenty of water as well, you will find absolutely nothing for miles on end.

FAVOURITE PLACES: Caburé, the Pequenos Lençóis (small Lençóis), Luzia’s restaurant in canto de Atins, the Preguiças river, the Porto Preguiças Resort

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• the best time of the year to visit the Lençóis goes from June to September, when the rainy season has just ended and the lagoons are brimming with water. The rest of the year the lagoons are half empty, and some of them dry up completely. The rainy season goes from January to May. It can rain non-stop for several hours and even days.
• get away from Barreirinhas as soon as possible, and go down the river Preguiças for a pleasant stay in Caburé or Atins. Barreirinhas is only needed for two trips: the one that takes you to the southeastern part of the Lençóis, and the flyover on a small airplane over the Lençóis.
• there are several pousadas in Caburé offerring pretty basic accommodation. The pousadas have electricity generators, as the power lines haven’t reached there yet.
• there is some really affordable accommodation in Atins. In the Canto de Atins, even cheaper accommodation, right next to the Lençóis.
• when walking along the dunes, and to avoid rapid exhaustion, try to walk along the ridges, avoiding continuous ups and downs
• try to spend at least four nights in the region, it is wonderful enough to deserve that bit of your time

LINKS: Parque dos Lençóis Maranhenses, Tourism Portal by the government of the Maranhão state

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in the Lençóis Maranhenses (Barreirinhas) for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Lençóis Maranhenses

PHOTOS: Lençóis Maranhenses

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

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Caburé, in the state of Maranhão, is an exceptional and remote place. One of those magic places that have become harder to find. Almost completely unknown. For the authors of the Rough Guide to Brazil, for instance, Caburé doesn’t exist. Getting to Caburé is an adventure. Once there, you can forget any thoughts of comfort and luxury. In spite of all that, the atmosphere of the place, the magic, the vibe, is unique. Caburé would not even qualify as a small village. It’s just five pousadas and a few fishermen huts in a bar of sand between the Atlantic Ocean and the Preguiças river.

WE LIKE THE MOST: the remoteness of the place, the peace and quiet, the silence, beautiful nature all around

WE LIKE THE LEAST: not easy to get to Caburé, and once there, you have to play by the rules of the place: no electricity after 10pm, not a single shop where you can buy things like water (water can be obtained from the bars in the pousadas), the constant whipping of the sand

HOW TO GET THERE: there are no roads leading to Caburé. The easiest way to get to the little village is to board on Barreirinhas on a boat going down the river Preguiças. There is a regular boat that will take you to Caburé in 5 hours. It is really cheap, and its timetable changes according to the tides. Alternatively, there are voadeiras, speedboats, which reach Caburé in just under one hour. Otherwise, there are four-wheel drives going to Caburé through the dunes.

CAREFUL WITH: the merciless sun and the merciless sand; there are no shops in Caburé, you won’t be able to buy aspirins or sunblock; the electricity supply comes from generators that are switched off at night

FAVORITE PLACES: the river at sunset, the immensity of the beach on the side of the ocean, the mangrove swamp, the Pequenos Lençóis, the Mandacarú lighthouse

PIECE OF ADVICE:

• as explained above, there are no shops in Caburé, you need to take with you all your emergency supplies
• in Caburé you can negotiate with a local boatman to take you both to Mandacarú and to Atins
• a great trip from Caburé leaves up the Preguiças river; jump out of the boat where the Pequenos Lençóis start, and meet your boatman further up the river a couple of hours later at Vassouras. You will have entirely for yourselves one of the most spectacular landscapes in Brazil.
• the best time of the year to go to Caburé coincides with the best time to visit the Lençóis Maranhenses, from June to September. The lagoons are brimming with water and the scenery is spectacular. During the rest of the year, there is a relentless strong wind blowing the entire time, and sand becomes a major problem – the pousadas in Caburé work 12 hours a day removing sand from inside their locations
• walking along the beach towards the end of the sand bar, you will reach a mangrove swamp where, during the low tide, you will be able to spot scarlet ibis feeding

LINKS: There are no specific sites on Caburé on the internet.

WEATHER FORECAST: The weather in Barreirinhas for the next 10 days

GOOGLE MAPS: Caburé

PHOTOS: Lençóis Maranhenses

[Don’t forget to check out the list of other destinations already covered in this blog, here]

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RELATED POSTS:
Lençóis Maranhenses

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