Barreirinhas to Atins Boat Transfer: Everything You Need to Know

Boat transfer easiest way to get from Barreirinhas to Atins, which is the most hyped of the 3 base cities at Lençóis Maranhenses.

Here we share all the details you need to know to book the trip, along with pictures and lessons learned from the experience.

TL;DR? Here’s the key information about the Barreirinhas to Atins boat transfer
⏰ Duration: ~90 minutes, available 2 times a day
💵 Price: ~R$80 per person
🚤 Recommended vendor: Satur Turismo

Barreirinhas to Atins transfer logistics & prices

Booking the boat transfer

During my latest trip to Atins (August 2024), I used Satur Turismo for the Barreirinhas <> Atins route.

To book a seat on the boat, just to contact your chosen through WhatsApp and pre-pay the full price. Unfortunately, tourism in Atins is not fully developed yet and booking the transfer through an automated online portal is not yet an option!

The transfer I had with Satur Turismo included hotel pickup/dropoff in Atins, did not impose any luggage limitations (some people were bringing full kite surf gear in the boat), and were relatively punctual.

Boat operators in Atins typically have a flexible cancelation policy. The price of the ticket is completely refunded if canceled at least 48 hours before departure.

Though their policy states that no changes or cancellations are allowed within 48 hours of the route, I talked to them calmly 24 hours before my scheduled trip and was able to change my ticket!

Barreirinhas to Atins boat transfers run every day except on Saturdays.

Boat transfer pricing & options

Local boat transfer operators typically offer two transfer options:

1. Direct transfer (~90 minutes)

For ~R$80 per person (as of August 2024) you can go directly from Barreirinhas to Atins (and vice versa) in a journey that lasts ~90 minutes.

Upon arriving in Atins, the tour operator picks you up on the riverside to take you to your stay.

This is the option I selected for both of my transfers.

Direct boat transfer schedule (as of August 2024):
✅ Barreirinhas to Atins available Sunday through Friday at: 12:30 PM and 4:00 PM (as of August 2024)
✅ Atins to Barreirinhas available Sunday through Friday at: 7:00 AM and 2:00 PM (as of August 2024)

2. Scenic tour ( ~5 hours; not always available)

For ~R$110 per person (as of August 2024) you can go from Barreirinhas to Atins on a scenic route that stops in some of touristic spots: Vassouras, Mandacaru, and Caburé. This option is only available from Barreirinhas to Atins once a day (the one offered by Satur Atins goes from 9 AM to 2 PM).

Upon arriving in Atins, the tour operator picks you up on the riverside to take you to your stay

⚠️ Be aware! Atins is completely unpaved, and moving through the soft sand can be a big challenge. If you think Atins is too rustic for you, no problem! You can get pretty much the same Lençóis Maranhenses experiences for lower prices other base towns, where accessibility is less of an issue.

My experience taking the direct boat transfer from Barreirinhas to Atins

Overall, my experience getting from São Luís to Atins was seamless and took about 6 hours in total!

Waiting for the boat in Barreirinhas: The pier is right in front of a restaurant named O Bambu. To wait comfortably for the transfer, I ordered appetizers to go and grabbed an outdoor seat.

Boarding the boat in Barreirinhas: Before passengers enter the boat, we hand in the luggage for the staff to place under the seats. Once all the luggage is stored, the passengers come in.

If you’re tall, be warned that depending on the amount and size of luggage on the boat, your leg space might be seriously compromised!

Enjoying the boat ride to Atins: The views of Rio Preguiças and the Manguezal are incredible. We did not have to worry about extreme movement or water splashes. The boat is open on the sides and it moves quite fast and generates a lot of wind, so we recommend anyone with long hair to tie it.

Arriving in Atins: The rustic vibe of Atins becomes obvious as soon as we arrive: there is no pier, and we are expected to walk through a shallow part of the river carrying luggage. Because we had so many pieces of luggage, it took one of us 3 trips, but it worked out! Because it is needed to walk in the river, we recommend you to wear slippers and short pants to avoid getting your clothing wet.

Waiting for the hotel transfer in Atins: We were instructed to wait for the Satur-provided transfer in a shaded area near where the boat dropped us off.

We were confused by seeing many other transfers picking up other passengers, until we realized that most of them were hotel-branded transfers. It took a good 15 minutes for the Satur transfer to arrive, but when it did we quickly boarded the seats on the back of a truck and told driver know where we’d like to be dropped off!

The wrapup: Barreirinhas to Atins Boat Transfer

The Barreirinhas to Atins boat route very common and can be easily done by people without mobility limitations! Tickets can be booked online with tour agencies like Satur Turismo, and the route only takes 90 minutes costs ~R$80.