Ilha Grande, Brazil: a piece of paradise

I'm an island lover and when the opportunity to meet a new one occurs, I do not miss it, especially if it is one of those that are almost in their primitive state, ideal for escaping for a while from the routine of "civilization".

While visiting the state of Rio de Janeiro, after getting to know the city, I wanted to explore the outskirts a little and I found the existence of Ilha Grande (Big Island), located in front of the west coast, an area called Costa Verde for its slopes and mountains covered with Atlantic Forest that overlook the sea.

To get there I went to the city of Angra dos Reis, boats leave for Ilha Grande from its port. The clock was a little after three in the afternoon when I asked at the box office what time the next trip left, I was lucky! the last one left at four. I bought my ticket and while the time was up I went to the Tourist Information Center near there to see if there was a map of the place, and yes, they gave me one for free. I like having my map to guide me and plan itineraries, although I don't always comply with them hehehe.

The small catamaran I boarded was full, as the sun went down the sea breeze became a little cold and I did not have a sweater on hand, luckily the trip is not very long, less than an hour.

Photo: Angra dos Reis Port

The arrival point is Vila do Abraâo, the only urban nucleus of the island with about 3 thousand inhabitants, where the inns, restaurants, some shops, cybercafés and touristic agencies are.

Cars are prohibited here, the only ones that circulate are the toilet truck, the fire truck and the police vehicle. Apart from some main streets that are cobbled, the rest of the roads are dirt.

Photo: On the right, the little hill you see is the Pico do Papagaio (982 meters), which can be climbed via a steep path

Main street of the village of Abraâo

Photo: Cultural center

Ilha Grande has a singular past, originally it was inhabited by the Tamoios and Tupinambás indigenous people, who opened the trails that are used until today. After colonization and until the 18th century, it was a hideout for English, Dutch and French pirates, who used it to stock up on water, fruit and firewood. Later it was the slave traders who took refuge there, until the end of the 19th century the Brazilian army began to patrol its waters.

However, the low urban development and the almost intact nature that it preserves until today is due to the isolation in which it remained for a long time. In 1871 it was built near the town of Abraâo the Lazareto, a place to quarantine the sick who came from abroad, which later was a colony for lepers until 1913 and then in 1932 it was renovated and converted into a prison that worked until 1954, when the government decided to demolish it and transfer the prisoners to the southern part of the island, in Dois Ríos, to another prison that had been operating there since 1903, the Cândido Mendes Prison, also known as La Caldera del Diablo (The Devil's Boiler, where they were both held common criminals as political prisoners), which was closed and demolished in 1994.

For these reasons Ilha Grande had a bad reputation and nobody gambled on its tourist development until after it ceased to be an island-prison, which seems excellent to me because thanks to that it is currently a great option for travelers seeking nature in its wild state. Since 1971 it was protected when it was declared a State Park.

In its 192 km² it has some 102 beaches, 16 trails through which you can get to several of them and many activities to do: diving, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing ... As I was only going to stay two days, I decided to do a hike first and then a boat tour.

Photo: View of the village of Abraâo

The excursion that I chose to do the first day was to Lopes Mendes beach, 6.1 km from the town. I love hiking and was eager to immerse myself in the Atlantic Forest. I took my bag with water and various things to eat and went to where the road began, very close to the inn where I was staying. I don't know why I didn't wear sports shoes, I went with the beach sandals, fortunately although the route has some ups and downs, it did not go so badly with these shoes, at the end of the trail I walked barefoot.

Photo: On the path to Lopes Mendes beach

In the three hours that the walk lasted, I had the privilege of contemplating beautiful views of the island and its beaches, the smell of the jungle, the sound of the birds and even a snake of an intense green color crossed me, I was scared a little but then I was more observant and careful because who could help me there? Although I bumped into other hikers, most of the time I was alone on the trail, by the way very well marked.

On the route you also pass by other beaches: Palmas, Mangues and Pouso, very beautiful and with calm waters.

Photo: Coffee and sugar cane plantations existed on the beach of Palmas at the end of the 19th century, which were later abandoned and the vegetation of the place recovered

Just a few meters from Lopes Mendes, the anteroom is a path with dense sand and a tunnel of vegetation. Going through this, the beautiful beach unfolds in the open sea, paradisiacal, which seems endless.

The atmosphere was lively, there were about 50 people around. There is no type of service on this beach, nor is camping allowed. As the waters are a little rough, there were not many people bathing, most were relaxed in the shade of the vegetation, walking or sunbathing.

I was planning to return to the town along the same path, but they told me that there was a boat that made the trip, thank goodness, because it was already past four in the afternoon and in the jungle it gets dark early, and I without a flashlight and in sandals ...

When I got to the town, I went through a tour agency to sign up for a boat tour so that I could get to know much of the Ilha Grande coast in one day. I got a good option and the next day we would leave early.

Photo: Abraâo beach

On the boat we were about 15 people, mostly Brazilians, there was also a French and an Italian. My basic Portuguese was useful for me to speak smoothly with them.

The itinerary looked good and the day was clear. We were going to go around the island with time to bathe in each place.

Among the sites we visited are: Lagoa Verde, Aripeba, the wreck of a helicopter that was clearly visible from the ship, Lagoa Azul, Saco do Céu, Praia do Amor, Feiticeira and others that I don't remember the names, pure beauty!

The next day I took the ferry back to the mainland, one more adventure awaited me in another town on the Costa Verde of the state of Rio de Janeiro.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

All photos were taken by me with a Sony Cyber Shot 7.2 mp digital camera