Simões

Day Trips

Wake up to the sound of roosters crowing as you stroll through the central square. Admire the 19th-century church façade and colonial architecture. Chat with local artisans selling handmade crafts under shady trees.

Enjoy a traditional cajuína and tapioca crepe at a family-run café near the town hall. Visit the small municipal museum to learn about Simões’s founding and indigenous heritage. Wander down cobblestone alleys lined with colorful houses and murals.

Savor a hearty dinner of carne de sol with macaxeira at a rustic bistro. Watch the sun dip behind the rolling hills while listening to live forró music. End the night with a moonlit walk past the church, illuminated by lanterns.

Set out before dawn to help farmers harvest cassava and plant beans. Feel the earth under your hands and learn traditional planting techniques passed down through generations. Sip fresh coconut water straight from the green shell in the fields.

Share a homemade lunch of vatapá and rice cooked over a wood fire in the farmhouse courtyard. Participate in preparing cheese coalho using the family's secret recipe. Stroll through banana groves and learn about organic farming practices.

Join the farmers for a casual barbecue under the open sky with local guests. Swap stories around a crackling fire as the stars emerge in the Piauí night. Drift to sleep in a hammock listening to the distant call of night birds.

Drive to the Chapada das Mangabeiras reserve at sunrise for panoramic views of the plateau. Hike along well-marked trails past endemic flora such as candeia and mangaba trees. Pause at a viewpoint to photograph the vast savanna stretching to the horizon.

Set up a picnic beside a clear stream fed by natural springs. Cool off with a swim under a series of small waterfalls cascading over red sandstone. Spot butterflies and colorful birds flitting through the sun-dappled forest canopy.

Return to the visitor’s lodge for a regional dinner featuring pequi stew and corn polenta. Relax in a hammock on the veranda as the temperature cools. Share a local folktale with your guide by lantern light.

Depart early to beat the heat and hike into the canyon leading to Saquinho waterfall. Feel mist on your skin as the water plunges into a crystalline pool below. Sit on nearby rocks and breathe in the scent of fresh vegetation.

Enjoy a riverside picnic of maniçoba and fresh fruits bought from a local vendor. Wade through shallow pools and practice cliff jumping from safe ledges. Listen to the rhythmic rush of water echoing off the canyon walls.

Visit a nearby quilombola community for an evening of traditional drums and chants. Sample delicacies like grilled vilão and tapioca sweets around a communal fire. Watch as villagers demonstrate ancient dances under a star-filled sky.

Attend a clay pottery workshop taught by a master ceramist in a local atelier. Shape your own jar and learn the intricate patterns inspired by indigenous art. Dry your piece in the sun-drenched courtyard alongside other creations.

Discover the secrets of weaving with natural fibers in a nearby cooperative. Create your own small basket or mat while chatting with artisans about their family traditions. Visit their shop to support fair-trade purchases of handcrafted goods.

Taste regional sweets such as cocada and arapiraca fudge at an open-air market. Enjoy live recitals of viola caipira played by local musicians. Wander through the stalls lit by lanterns and admire lacework and embroidery.

Explore the bustling municipal fair where vendors sell everything from local cheeses to medicinal herbs. Watch skillful knife-sharpening demonstrations and try samples of spicy pepper sauce. Feel the vibrant energy as merchants call out their daily specials.

Indulge in street-style pastries like pastel filled with carne de sol and cheese. Browse stalls showcasing straw hats and leather goods crafted by Piauí artisans. Take part in a capoeira demonstration performed by local youth.

Celebrate with live forró bands on a raised wooden dance floor. Join friendly locals in a lively quadrilha under colorful pennants. Savor skewers of heart-of-palm and grilled corn from roadside stands.

Embark on a guided boat trip along the Rio Poti at dawn. Observe playful river otters and herons stalking the shallows. Learn about the river’s importance to local agriculture and biodiversity.

Step ashore on a riverbank to sample freshly caught fish grilled over coals. Walk through a gallery forest and identify medicinal plants with your guide. Relax in hammocks tied between palms while listening to the lapping water.

Return to the riverside lodge for a fish stew dinner flavored with local herbs. Join an astronomer for stargazing using a portable telescope. Toast the Milky Way with a glass of lukewarm rapadura punch.

Shop at the morning market to gather ingredients for a cooking class. Inspect fresh manioc, peppers and regional cheeses displayed on wooden tables. Negotiate prices with friendly merchants in playful banter.

Learn to prepare traditional feijão verde and moqueca piauiense under the guidance of a local chef. Season and stir the pot while sharing family cooking anecdotes. Plate your creations and pair them with homemade limeade.

Dine at a small bistro specializing in fusion dishes blending Brazilian and Portuguese flavors. Sample dishes like shrimp acarajé topped with tropical fruit chutney. Sip caipirinhas made with locally distilled cachaça.

Travel to a historic quilombo settlement where descendants of escaped enslaved people live. Learn about their rich cultural heritage and community governance. Participate in a weaving circle using traditional looms.

Share a communal meal of mungunzá and roasted meats in the village square. Hear elders recount stories of resistance and survival in Piauí’s hinterland. Shop for handmade musical instruments like the marimbau.

Join a circle for jongo drumming and call-and-response songs. Dance under the open sky surrounded by the sound of drums and chants. Sleep in a guesthouse hosted by community members.

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast of pão de queijo and fresh fruit at a charming pousada. Lounge by the pool overlooking a garden filled with native orchids. Sip coffee brewed from beans harvested nearby.

Receive a traditional massage with coconut oil and local herbs on the pousada terrace. Wander the grounds and photograph butterflies and hummingbirds drawn to blooming flowers. Recap your journey with a personal journal session in a shaded gazebo.

Partake in a farewell dinner featuring a tasting menu of the region’s best dishes prepared by the pousada chef. Toast your companions with sparkling strawberries mixed into chilled wine. End the night around a fire pit sharing memories of Simões and planning your next adventure.