The Parnaíba delta is an ecological and tourist paradise and a region of superlatives. The Rio Parnaíba, with 1,485 km the second longest river in northeastern Brazil, forms the only marine delta in America and the third largest in the world (after the Nile and the Mekong) over an area of ​​2,700 km2. On its way to the Atlantic, the river splits into five large arms: Igaraçu, Canárias, Caju, Melancieira and Tutóia. The river’s course is lost in a labyrinth of over 70 islands, countless tributaries and mangrove swamps.

Tropical rainforests, dunes and lagoons are home to exceptionally rich flora and fauna: caimans, deer, capuchins and howler monkeys, four-eyed fish jumping over the water, and countless bird species, including the red ibis, are just some of the inhabitants of this unique ecosystem. There is a very special richness in crabs, Piauí is one of the largest cancer suppliers in the world. On a boat trip through the delta you can see people rising chest-deep in the water and digging for nimble crustaceans in the muddy shores of mangroves.

Optional and possible only from May to October:

The journey continues in the elegant speedboat to Ilha do Caju, the real highlight. At around 5:00 pm we finally reach the small Ilha dos Guarás, where flocks of red ibises alight on the treetops in countless swarming flights at sunset. A total of around 3000 birds land on the island in a good half hour. It is a unique sight as the trees gradually turn bright red and some guests hardly want to break away from this magical place, whose silence is broken only by the ripple of the water.