High dunes
Over the old village.
Elizabeth Merlo — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hugo Rogério — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alessandro Diniz Coutinho — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Almir Rosa Junior — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alessandro Diniz Coutinho — CC BY-SA 3.0
Itaúnas State Park lies in the far north of Espírito Santo, in Conceição da Barra municipality. Created on 8 November 1991 over about 3,481 hectares, it protects the lower Itaúnas river and a strip of marshes, dunes and beaches running to the Bahia border. On the beaches of Itaúnas and Riacho Doce, 25 km long, the dunes rise to 30 metres. Under these dunes lies the old village of Itaúnas: after a strip of forest was cleared between the 1950s and 1970s, the sand advanced on the village of some 300 houses, a school and a post office, until it covered everything from the mid-1970s, and the villagers rebuilt on the other side of the river. Entry is free and the visitor centre opens daily 8:00-17:00, with walking trails and swimming in the river and the sea. The new village is known for forró music and dance, and its national festival each July can draw a hundred thousand visitors.
Over the old village.
Swim and paddle.
Every July.
Itaúnas, Conceição da Barra, Espírito Santo
Yes; after the forest around it was cleared, the dunes covered the old village from the mid-1970s, and it was rebuilt across the river.