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São Luís on a Shoestring: Backpacker’s No‑Frills Diary

@Vincent Dale2/6/2026blog
São Luís on a Shoestring: Backpacker’s No‑Frills Diary

so i landed in São Luís late night, the bus stop buzzing with the faint hum of a cheap speaker blasting samba. i’m already half‑asleep, the city’s humidity clinging to my skin like a second shirt.
the first thing i noticed was the massive wooden spires of the Porto do Sertão market, the smell of caranguejo and coffee wafting through the air. at the market you can grab a caipirinha for 2 BRL while a street guitarist strums a roaring samba tune.
if you ever get bored, the towns of São José de Ribamar, Paço do Lumiar, and Raposa are just a short drive away - they’re basically tiny siblings of the island, perfect for a quick detour if you need a change of scenery.

the weather on this day is... i just looked at the forecast and it’s sweltering hot with a chance of a sudden thunderstorm. the sun hasn’t even broken the horizon yet, but i can already feel the sweat pooling on my back. the sea level pressure is 1010 hPa - not a huge pressure drop, but still enough to keep the air sticky. i heard locals call it the heat of a furnace, but with a breeze that pretends to be polite, and i can’t argue with that.
i’ve been hunting cheap coffee ever since i stepped off the bus. the Café do Almirante on Rua João Pessoa is a tiny corner that sells a strong café com paçoca for 1,50 BRL - basically a coffee and cookie combo that fuels me for the whole day. i also tried the pão de queijo from the Rua do Rosário bakery, which is surprisingly good for just 0,70 BRL. the Pastelaria Central on Praça dos Alemães sells a pastel de camarão for 0,90 BRL and the caipirinha for 2 BRL. someone told me that the Penélope hostel gets rave reviews on Yelp for its rooftop view, but the Wi‑Fi is as flaky as a stray dog’s tail. the host’s weekly DJ set on the rooftop is supposedly the only thing that saves the signal. i checked the TripAdvisor threads and they’re half‑laughing, half‑complaining about the same issue - classic for budget hostels in Brazil.
photography - i’m not a pro, but i carry a small mirrorless and a 35‑mm lens because the golden hour over the dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses is a whole other level. the sand dunes catch the low‑angle light like a giant solar panel, making even the smallest grain look golden. i snapped a few shots of the river beside the trees during daytime, the rocks near a hidden lagoon, and a man in black shorts jumping on the beach at sunset. those pictures are already uploaded to my Instagram, but i also bookmarked a handful of Unsplash feeds. if you want a deeper look at the park, check out the Turismo Maranhão website for guided tours that actually take you through the sand‑in‑water scenes.
the city’s layout feels like a tangled net of canals and narrow streets. the APA das Reentrancias Maranhenses and Bacanga State Park are tucked into the island’s western edge, where mangroves hug the waterways. i ran into a group of locals playing capoeira on a cobblestone square and decided to join for ten minutes - it was exhausting but gave me a good sense of the rhythm of life here. the public squares often echo with axé rhythm groups, and if you’re lucky you’ll catch a spontaneous performance by a local tatu band. if you’re a dancer on tour and need a quick warm‑up, the city’s public squares double as impromptu stages, especially on Sundays when the market’s a little quieter.
some things to watch out for: the tap water isn’t safe for drinking straight from the faucet, so i’ve been buying bottled water at the Glicí corner store. also, traffic can be a bit chaotic at rush hour - the buses love to cut corners and the motorcycles just weave in and out like a swarm of wasps. i heard a rumor that the police issue a lot of fines for illegal parking, but that seems to be a myth; most locals just park wherever they can get away with it.
here’s a quick look at some of the stuff that kept me busy (and broke a few bones trying to carry my backpack):
- *Lençóis Maranhenses National Park - dunes that rise above crystal‑clear lagoons, perfect for sunrise photo ops.
- Bacanga State Park - a small, tree‑filled oasis just a few blocks from the port, great for a quiet lunch.
- Jansen Lagoon - a mud‑dy, lagoon‑filled space that locals say is the perfect spot for a lazy afternoon dip. i’m still figuring out if i’ll brave the mud.
- Rangedor - a beach with a beach‑front promenade that has free Wi‑Fi (rare in Brazil!). i spent an hour scrolling through travel blogs while the waves lapped.
i’m planning to take the bus to São José de Ribamar tomorrow, just to see if the ferry ride is as cheap as everyone says. maybe i’ll find a cheaper coffee joint there. the bus costs only 3 BRL and takes about 45 minutes across the shallow channels. for now, i’m stuck in a hostel with a broken AC unit that spits out a hot‑cold‑hot‑cold cycle every five minutes, but the shared kitchen still has a decent pan for making rice and beans.
overall, São Luís is messy, loud, and surprisingly cheap. if you can tolerate the heat, the humidity, and the occasional chaotic traffic, you’ll find a city that’s still unpolished enough to feel like you’re stepping into a hidden gem. i’d recommend using the map below to navigate the winding streets - you’ll thank me when you’re trying to find that hidden café that sells the only decent café da manhã* in town.

for the full list of attractions and practical tips, check out the Maranhão tourism board and the TripAdvisor threads for São Luís. also read the HostelWorld reviews if you’re looking for the cheapest digs.

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About the author: Vincent Dale

I write about things that matter—or at least things that matter to me.

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