Lencois Maranhenses National Park

Pousada Rancho Das Dunas

Q: How much does it cost to stay at Pousada Rancho Das Dunas?

Stays at Pousada Rancho Das Dunas start from around US$80 per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.

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Pousada Rancho Das Dunas

About Pousada Rancho Das Dunas

A dune-top retreat where your breakfast views stretch across endless white sand seas.

Tucked away in Santo Amaro do Maranhão, on the very edge of the Lençóis Maranhenses dunes, Pousada Rancho das Dunas is the kind of place that makes you slow down (and smile). Think hammocks strung in shady corners, a pool that’s pure bliss after hours in the blazing sun, and dinners under lantern light with regional flavours on your plate. But it’s the setting that steals the show: a deck with views straight onto the shifting dunes that turn into shimmering gold at sunset. The lagoons of Santo Amaro are within easy reach, but you may just want to linger awhile here, too...

Lencois Maranhenses National Park , Brazil

From $80 per person/per night

City

11 Rooms

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Property details

The property

Rancho das Dunas has a refreshing pool set in tropical gardens, a much-needed antidote to Maranhão’s fierce midday heat. The restaurant is unfussy but delicious, showcasing interesting regional ingredients, while a cosy lounge, hammock-filled nooks, and a little boutique brimming with local crafts keep things charmingly low-key. The pièce de résistance, however, is the elevated deck, where you can spend hours watching light change across the magnificent dune landscape.

The rooms

Scattered among the grounds are 20 rustic chalets, each with air-conditioning, a minibar and shaded terraces screened with mosquito nets, some with pretty views of the gardens and some, to the dunes beyond. Interiors are cool and simple with stone floors, high thatched ceilings and a touch of handcrafted charm. Ensuite bathrooms are surprisingly generous, with tiled showers, hot water on tap and crisp linens.

Activities

This is prime dune-and-lagoon territory and Rancho das Dunas puts you right in the heart of it. Lagoa das Andorinhas, Lagoa Betânia and the Circuito Lagoa das Emendadas are all close by, with deeper, more remote lagoons waiting if you’re keen for an adventure. The pousada’s tour desk can organise guided hikes, 4x4 adventures, kayaking, paddle-boarding and even kite-surfing for wind-seekers. Photographers will be in heaven, but equally, you could just swing in a hammock and let the desert do the dazzling.

Why we love it

The viewing deck offers show-stopping panoramas, where rolling dunes stretch endlessly into the horizon, perfect for sunrise meditations… or, more realistically, sunset caipirinhas!

Insiders Tip

Book a massage with Isa. Her treatments are world and class and a real treat after long days hiking through the dunes.

Something to think about

The pousada is remote and that’s part of its magic. But it also means that ATMs and card facilities can be unreliable so bring cash with you.

Plan your stay

How to book Pousada Rancho Das Dunas

How do I book Pousada Rancho Das Dunas?

Pousada Rancho Das Dunas can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made Brazil trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended Brazil trips featuring Pousada Rancho Das Dunas or get advice and suggestions from one of our Brazil specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.

How much does it cost to stay at Pousada Rancho Das Dunas?

Stays at Pousada Rancho Das Dunas start from around $80 per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.

Brazil

Lencois Maranhenses National Park

Wind-swept dunes watch over shimmering, freshwater lagoons in this fantasmagorical setting.