River Parnaíba Delta

The River Parnaíba, separating the states of Piauí and Maranhão, runs for almost 1,500 kilometres before flowing into the Atlantic. It forms the only open-sea delta in the entire American continent and is one of the three largest in the world. Like the fingers of an outstretched palm, the river divides into five channels forming more than seventy islands and an infinite number of lakes, a maze of narrow channels and ecological sanctuaries. Wonders of this magnitude are only to be seen in two other places in the world, the Mekong Delta in Vietnam (Asia) and the Nile Delta in Egypt (Africa).

The beauty of the Parnaíba Delta is enhanced by flocks of herons, toucans, yellow-crawed alligators, monkeys, wild horses, lion monkeys, foxes and deer. This rich fauna may be seen by taking a trip in one of the wooden boats called "gaiolas" that sail around the delta. One of the largest islands is Caju, an ecological sanctuary where a rare combination of ecosystems provides a haven for animals in extinction and migratory birds. As well as abundant vegetation with cashew trees and mango forests, the island has twenty five kilometres of semiwild beaches, salt-water channels, dunes and crystal clear fresh-water lakes formed by rain water.