Atins lies opposite the mouth of the Rio Preguiças and has become an important destination for kitesurfers. In addition to water sports, cycling tours and horseback riding are among the possible activities on land. There are also routes with different landscape highlights: one route starting from Atins, whose main attraction is where the Rio Negro meets the sea, and the first section of the Travessia dos Lençóis. You can organize these topics by interest when planning your trip: water sports, activities on land, a route or a long-distance hike.
Water Sports and Activities on Land
In Atins, windsurfing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and surfing are also possible alongside kitesurfing. Kitesurfing is particularly prominent: Atins has become an important destination for this sport. The other activities mentioned broaden the range of water sports and give travelers different options for choosing their focus. Cycling tours and horseback riding add two land-based options to the water activities. This lets you first shape your trip around whether water sports should be the main focus or whether you would also like to include an activity on land.
Routes with Different Highlights
A route starting from Atins has the point where the Rio Negro meets the sea as its main attraction. Some lagoons can also be visited along the same route, including Lagoa Verde. The two elements play different roles: the confluence is the central attraction, while the lagoons offer possible additional stops. If you are looking for a clearly defined landscape highlight when planning your trip, you can think of the route as combining this main attraction with additional lagoon destinations.
The Travessia dos Lençóis offers a different perspective on route planning. It is a long-distance hike, and its first section runs from Praia do Atins to Canto. The start and end of a specific section are named here, distinguishing this stage from the route whose main attraction is where the Rio Negro meets the sea. When choosing between the two options, it comes down to whether you are more interested in a scenic route with possible lagoon visits or in the beginning of a named long-distance hike.
Rio Negro and the Rainy Season
At the mouth of the Rio Negro, outcrops of fossil mangroves form small waterfalls during the rainy season. This means Atins offers two distinct landscape features: the confluence is the main highlight of the route, while the waterfalls are shaped by the outcrops and the rainy season.
The river names also provide different points of reference. Atins lies opposite the mouth of the Rio Preguiças; the route and waterfall features relate to the Rio Negro. The Rio Preguiças helps locate the town, while the Rio Negro defines the route’s landscape and the seasonal waterfall feature. This makes it possible to distinguish the town’s location, the route idea and the rainy-season feature.
Discover more destinations: Praia, Santa Helena, São Bento, Bacabal, Carolina, Fortuna, Escalvado, Araioses.
See the regional travel overview: Maranhão.
