When hear about Brazil, most people around the world automatically think about Rio de Janeiro, its numerous attractions, its golden beaches, and of course, the Carnival, which is the most popular on the planet.
On the one side, for a country is good to have so famous cities on its territory.
In this case, however, Rio attracts too much attention, and many other places, which are actually just amazing, remain less famous and just don’t receive the attention they deserve.
Here we would like to show you 10 places you should definitely consider for your next vacation.
They are all located in the Northeast Region of Brazil and reveal one less popular but really adorable side of the country.
1. Lençóis Maranhenses, Maranhão
The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park is located in the northern part of the state of Maranhão, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.
It covers an area of 1550 sq.km. and is a place of unique natural beauty.
It is really very contrasting compared to the rest of Brazil because this is one of the most forested and green countries on the planet, and in the same time, the National Park rather looks like a sandy desert.
Most of its territory is occupied by huge sandy dunes and is practically devoid of vegetation.
At the same time, the area receives abundant precipitations over the year.
For this reason many people call Lençóis Maranhenses “the rainiest desert on the planet”.
There is one more thing that makes this place so unique.
The sandy dunes are diversified by freshwater lagoons, which are sometimes home to small populations of fish.
They usually come here during the high-water season of the local rivers.
2. Fernando de Noronha Island, Rio Grande do Norte
Fernando de Noronha is one of the most beautiful and important places to visit in the Northeast Region of Brazil.
Since 2001, together with the other islands of the archipelago with the same name, Fernando de Noronha is under the auspices of UNESCO.
It is located approximately 358 km northeast of the state of Rio Grande do Norte although actually as a municipality it belongs to the state of Pernambuco.
The island is known for its fabulous golden sandy beaches, which are often compared to the beaches of Hawaii and are considered among the most beautiful in South America.
Its warm and full of life tropical waters attract divers from around the world.
However, the number of visitors is limited to about 500 per day!
The island enjoys perfect weather and temperatures between 28 and 30°C during the day and night temperatures of around 24°C.
3. The old town of São Luís, Maranhão
São Luís was founded in 1612 by French seafarers. Over the centuries the city has been influenced by people from different parts of the world but mostly by French, Spanish, Dutch, and of course by Portuguese.
All of them have left their own cultural imprints over the face of the city.
The old historic centre of São Luís, the capital of the state of Maranhão, is considered one of the most beautiful in the Americas, together with places such as Havana in Cuba or Cartagena in Colombia.
Because of its architectural treasure, today this place is a real museum under the open sky.
Since 1997, the city is under the auspices of UNESCO.
They often compare the city of São Luís with the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, and the similarity between them is really obvious in many aspects.
4. The beaches of Morro de São Paulo, Bahia
Morro de São Paulo is a small town located on the northern tip of the island of Tinharé, in the central coastal part of the state of Bahia.
The town is really charming but not its old spirit is what makes this place so special.
Actually, the town is famous all across Brazil for its legendary beautiful seven beaches.
They are just incredible and are covered by the finest golden sand.
The coastal water is azure and shallow, which makes Morro de São Paulo the perfect place for a nice summer vacation.
In addition, the summer season here never ends so you can enjoy equally good weather in January and in July.
The beaches are separated from each other by coastal rocks, forming several larger or smaller adorable beaches.
The seawater temperature is around 25 – 28°C throughout the year.
The average temperature during the day is 26 – 30°C so the perfect weather is guaranteed.
5. The old town of Olinda, Pernambuco
The old town of Olinda in the state of Pernambuco is the best preserved colonial city on the territory of Brazil, and since 1982, it is under the auspices of UNESCO.
It an exceptionally charming place, with very well preserved architecture and numerous building from 16 century.
Although this is not the oldest city in the country, there is no other place Brazil to offer such an authentic historical atmosphere from the earliest days of Brazil.
Nowadays, most of the tourist usually visit the South and the Southeast of Brazil, and sadly, many people haven’t even heard about this treasure.
However, for a real traveler, who wants to feel the real taste of Brazil outside the banal tourist routs, the old town of Olinda is a must!
The only you should think about in advance is the temperature.
Here, even in July (the coldest month), the average temperature during the day is over 27°C in the shade!
6. The beach village of Canoa Quebrada, Ceará
Canoa Quebrada is a small and very quiet tourist village on the coast of the state of Ceará, in the Northeast Region of Brazil.
It is located approximately 125 km southeast of the downtown of the famous Brazilian metropolis of Fortaleza.
This place is a well known destination for outdoor activities.
Its popularity comes mostly from the fact that it is a great kitesurfing destination.
Actually, Canoa Quebrada is considered one of the kitesurf capitals in the world, so if you are into this water sport, this place is a must for you!
Except as a kitesurf hot spot, Canoa Quebrada is also famous for its sandy dunes.
The stripe of fine golden sand is nearly 5 km wide at some places, so it is too wide to be called simply a beach.
It rather looks like a smaller model of the Sahara desert.
If you want to explore the area, the best way to do it is by buggy.
7. Chapada das Mesas National Park, Maranhão
Chapada das Mesas National Park is one of the most beautiful wild places to visit not only in Brazil but in the world.
This small piece of the heaven is located in a picturesque remote area in the southwestern parts of the state of Maranhão and covers a territory of around 159,952 hectares.
This is one of the places in the country that really worth a visit.
Here you will find an amazing combination of some of the most beautiful waterfalls in the country such as São Romão Waterfall and Prata Waterfall, wild savannah, deepwater rivers surrounded by dense tropical vegetation, wonderful canyons and rock formations with strange shapes as well as a great variety of species of wild animals.
The site was declared a national park in 2005.
The closest city to the national park is Carolina, which is located at one of the meanders of the Tocantins River and has a population of less than 24,000 people.
8. Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia, Bahia
If you visit the Northeast Region of Brazil, you definitely have to pay some special attention to one of the old capitals of the country – Salvador.
The old town of the city is known for its rich colonial-style architecture. Since 1985, the historic centre of the city is under the auspices of UNESCO.
From 1549 to 1763, as we already said, Salvador de Bahia (the official name of the city) was the capital of Brazil, and this explains its rich historical spirit, which could be compared only to some of the oldest cities in old Europe.
The place is known under the name Pelourinho, and it is a really great place to buy some souvenirs, to visit some small old fashioned coffee or restaurant, or just to walk around the paved streets enjoying the colorful building.
9. Chapada Diamantina National Park. Bahia
If you want to visit a mysterious and picturesque place in Brazil but you still haven’t decided where to go, Chapada Diamantina National Park is the place for you.
It offers amazing landscapes, including forested plateaus, deep valleys and green canyons.
The area is home of a great variety of species of wild animals.
It covers an area of around 152,142 hectares in the central parts of the state of Bahia and is located more than 400 km west of Salvador de Bahia.
The national park is well known also for its caves.
The most famous of all is the Blue Well – a deep flooded cave, which is considered the most beautiful in South America.
10. Porto de Galinhas, Pernambuco
Porto de Galinhas is located on the coast of the state of Pernambuco, approximately 30 km south of the city of Recife. The place is one of the top tourist destinations of Brazil.
It attracts tourists with its fabulous beaches, shallow turquoise waters, and year round great weather with temperatures between 27°C in July and 30°C in January.
It is one of the most important places to consider if you are planning a vacation in Brazil.
This place is known as an important yachting hot spot.
Snorkeling is another activity you can practice here.
It won’t be difficult even if you have no any experience because the reefs are just a few steps of the golden sandy beach.
In addition, the level of services in the local hotels and restaurants in this popular tourist destination is known as one of the highest in Brazil and South America as a whole.
