News The Rio 2016 Olympic Torch Relay is making its way through northeastern Brazil at the best time of the year for seeing one of the region's most spectacular natural sights: the National Park of the Lençóis Maranhenses From May to September, the vast dunescape of this park fills up with rainwater, forming countless lagoons of dazzling green and blue water The park attracts thousands of migrating birds during these months, as well as exotic fish, turtles – and ever increasing numbers of tourists and travellers from Brazil and beyond   On Monday (13 June) the Torch Relay entered the park and visited the Blue Lagoon, one of the most celebrated attractions of this immense desert-like landscape Olympic Torch Relay's journey across Brazil's diverse cultural landscape Local guide Jony Silva carried the Olympic Torch into the dunes (Photo: Rio 2016) One of the first torchbearers was photographer, guide and environmental monitor Jony Silva "For me the three highlights of the park are the charm of the people who live here, the awe-inspiring natural beauty of the landscape, and the species who adapt to live in the dunes," he said   The best of Bahia: 10 reasons to follow the Olympic Torch to the Brazilian northeast Over the course of Monday, a total of 15 torchbearers participated in the relay against a surreal backdrop of shifting sands, blue skies and clear oases of green, blue and even black water José Costa, a local indoor football enthusiast, took the torch for an exhilarating ride through the dunes on the back of a special all-terrain quadricycle Isak Costa, a 16-year-old amateur athlete, took a more traditional approach, running with the torch along the side of the River Preguiças 1 month of the Olympic Torch Relay: top seven videos The torch enjoyed a radical race through the dunes on the back of a buggy (Rio 2016) "The Olympic Games are not only about winning, they are about sharing with other people," the youngster said "Today I am sharing this moment with my family, friends and the whole world For me, this is the real Olympic spirit: love and sharing with other people " Olympic Torch Relay: from steam train to zipline, it's been quite a ride Costa made a point of sharing his moment with his family and friends (Photo: Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello) The relay also paid a memorable visit to the lighthouse of Mandacaru, which began operating back in 1940 At the end of the 160 steps that lead to the top of the structure, local fisherman Catarino Nunes received the torch and held it aloft, burning brightly like a lantern from the lighthouse in this traditional fishing village From the top of the lighthouse there are amazing views over the national park and the ocean (Photo: Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello) In Atins, one of Brazil's most popular destinations for kite surfers, young Samuel Ferreira ran along the beach with the torch, cheered on by locals and visitors Here the Olympic flame was transferred into a special lantern for a breathtaking helicopter flight over the dunes and to the town of Barreirinhas, the main tourist centre for visiting the park On Tuesday, the relay is spending its last day in the Brazilian northeast before heading north into the region around the mighty River Amazon The Olympic flame flew over this unique, glittering landscape as the sun began to set (Photo: Rio2016/Andre Luiz Mello)