Brazil: Lençóis Maranhenses and Manaus are unmissable destinations in 2023, says NYT

The Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, in Maranhão, and the city of Manaus, in Amazonas, are two of the most interesting destinations in the year 2023, pointed out the American newspaper The New York Times, one of the most prestigious publications in the country.

While the first won the 11th position in the ranking of 52 places, the second took the 41st place. The Times highlighted as the biggest attraction of Lençóis its ethereal quality, which gives the traveler the impression of passing through another world.

“It’s a horizon of dazzling white dunes rolling towards the sun and down to green and blue lagoons from another planet, covered by rainwater”, describes the publication, which also guarantees that the visit is perfect for “forgetting the cell phone signal and the pitfalls of urban comfort”.

Despite warning that the park is quite hot, the newspaper recommends walking through the dunes and cooling off in the natural pools, in addition to riding on the back of the region’s animals and risking a helicopter over its immensity.

“It’s an antidote to the claustrophobic feeling of the Covid-19 era — a vast, endless ‘lunar’ haven where you can roam free and wild,” it recommends.

Manaus, on the other hand, was much celebrated for its gastronomy.

“Michelin-starred restaurants in São Paulo use ingredients from the Amazon to appear exotic, but in Manaus you can have hot tacacá gourds in front of the Teatro Amazonas”, points out the newspaper, which also mentions a visit to the restaurant of indigenous origin Biatüwi, which preserves ancestral techniques.

“There is also [the work] of chef Felipe Schaedler, who has helped endangered Yanomami communities to market their native mushrooms and runs two of his own restaurants: Banzeiro and Moquém do Banzeiro. Distancing himself from traditional preparations, Mr. Schaedler reimagines ingredients such as flavored ants with lemongrass and tambaqui ribs in a modern format,” notes the Times.

Finally, the newspaper cited as delicious options visits to Caxiri restaurants, in a colonial building in Largo de São Sebastião, and to Fitz Carraldo, inside the boutique hotel Villa Amazonia.

The winning destination of the year was London, in the United Kingdom, which according to the newspaper became mandatory thanks to the coronation of King Charles 3rd. See the other destinations selected by the Times:

THE TEN MOST UNMISSABLE DESTINATIONS OF 2023

1st: London, United Kingdom

2nd: Morioka, Japan

3rd: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, USA

4th: Kilmartin Glen, Scotland

5th: Auckland, New Zealand

6th: Palm Springs, USA

7th: Kangaroo Island, Australia

8th: Vjosa River Valley, Albania

9th: Acra, Ghana

10th: Tromsø, Norway

And the rest of the list:

11th: Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil
12th: Bhutan, Asia
13th: Kerala, India
14th: Greenville, USA
15th: Tucson, USA
16th: Martinique, France
17th: Namib Desert, Africa
18th: Alaska Railroad, USA
19th: Fukuoka, Japan
20th: Flores, Indonesia
21st: Guadalajara, Mexico
22nd: Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria
23rd: Kashetti, USA
24th: Nimes, France
25th: Ha Giang, Vietnam
26th: Salalah, Oman
27th: Cuba, Central America
28th: Odense, Denmark
29th: Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia
30th: Boquete, Panama
31st: Tarragona, Spain
32nd: Charleston, USA
33rd: Cayos Cochinos, Honduras
34th: Burgundy Beer Trail, France
35th: Istanbul, Turkey
36th: Taipei, Taiwan
37th: El Poblado, Colombia
38th: Lausanne, Switzerland
39th: Methana, Greece
40th: Louisville, United States
41st: Manaus, Brazil
42nd: Vilnius, Lithuania
43rd: Macon, USA
44th: Madrid, Spain
45th: Grand Junction, USA
46th: La Guajira, Colombia
47th: Bergamo and Brescia, Italy
48th: American Prairie, USA
49th: Eastern Townships, Canada
50th: New Haven, USA
51st: Black Hills, USA
52nd: Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

With information from UOL