Located in the Brazilian state of Maranhao, the national park Lençóis Maranhenses is inundated with rainstorms from January to June of every year. The rainwater that collects between the sand dunes paints a stunning panorama coated in hundreds of crystal transparent lagoons.
However unlike most deserts on the earth, for a couple of months every year, seasonal rains transform this windswept terrain into a mysterious landscape of flat, shimmering pools curled towards the contours of sun-bleached hills.
As much as 150 centimetres of rainfall leave behind masses of those shallow, freshwater lagoons – all but a few of them will progressively disappear again – throughout a vast area extending for greater than 1,500 sq. kilometres.
Some of the pools — which come in varying shades of green, blue, and black – can be several ft deep. Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Bonita are two of the biggest lagoons in the park.
