Posts Tagged ilha grande tours

Lose yourself in the pristine beaches and dive sites of Ilha Grande

Brazil’s Ilha Grande is indeed, as its name humbly translates, a Big Island. It’s just, well, so much more than that.

Ilha Grande attractions
Why not tell the world of the vast array of assets that it boasts: impeccable white sand beaches; a dense and vibrant Brazilian jungle; azure and aqua lagoons; world-class dive sites;  an adorable car-less township arced by sharp mountain peaks; and its uninterrupted blessedness.

All visitors to Ilha Grande, a three-hour bus and boat trip from a Rio de Janeiro tour, are afforded a spectacular introduction to island life, as the boat slinks into a bay of clear blue waters, slowly revealing a settlement towered over by mountains and seemingly swallowed by jungle. This is Vila do Abraao, a tiny township that from the shoreline resembles only an adorable collection of  rustic hammock-clad beach houses and remnant colonial buildings that stretch along the foreshore.

There is no indication of the fascinating offerings that lie behind. There’s a village back there that follows no clock or schedule, where excitable barefoot kids churn up the dusty streets, where lighthearted locals gather for hours outside the tiny shops, where ageing locals congregate in dimly lit cafes to laugh and gamble over cards, where distant samba beats echo through the trees.

It’s not surprising that this place has an international flavour to its workforce, those who travelled here as wide-eyed tourists only to forgo their former lives and set up camp under the Brazilian sun, having succumbed to Ilha Grande’s charm. They elicit much envy.

The crystal clear waters of Ilha Grande, Brazil

The crystal clear waters of Ilha Grande, Brazil

There are no ATMs, no cars, no neon lights. Internet facilities are scarce and after three days I’m yet to see a mobile phone.

Theirs is a blissful existence, from the hirsute Laurent, a Frenchman who spends six months of the year looking after the Pousada Naturalia guesthouse to affable Peter, who understandably swapped his dull desk job in freezing Copenhagen to operate a funky lay-about bar and barbecue joint on the sands of Vila do Abraao.

Here, night after night, patrons dip their toes into the soft Brazilian sand and watch the sun fade to nothing, as their fresh fish is barbecued to perfection by this gabby Dane.

Getting around
There are two (affordable) ways to navigate your way around – aboard a grand schooner or hiking over the steep mountains in search of glory. And no glory is like Lopes Mendes glory; a 3km ocean beach so white it hurts your eyes, hemmed in by lush green verdure and inviting blue waters.

This stretch of sand is often quoted among the top 10 beaches in the cosmos. Some say it has no peer. The purists love it because of the lack of infrastructure. There are no hotels, restaurants, or even toilets – nothing but three sandwich and beer vendors.

The naturalists love it because the only way into Lopes Mendes is a sweaty 30-minute hike over a jungle pass, an adventure guaranteed to include howler monkeys. Boats are not allowed to land directly on the sand. Myself? After spending a week crushed by the ebb and flow of 100,000 buffed and brown Brazilians on Copacabana and Ipanema beaches in Rio, I’m digging the utter serenity.

Everywhere your schooner skipper directs his craft around this isle, an empty white sand beach stands to amaze its guests. After naming 22 coves and beaches, locals simply gave up on the rest, such is the glut.

Underwater delights
Even where sand is not present along the shoreline, this island still serves up delicacies. Snorkelling off the back of a speedboat (less affordable) in the Green Lagoon  yet another underwhelming title that understates its true beauty  we share a treasured moment with a trio of turtles, inquisitive, but gracefully keeping a few feet of distance.

If green is not your colour, the Blue Lagoon is a mere kilometre away and sheltered by a privately owned isthmus. It’s a fashionable parade of who’s who in the aqua realm.

The last dive site deserves mention, not for its abundance of marine life, or the aquatic tapestry of colours. It’s a helicopter. In 8m of water at Laja do Matardz. Rotors still intact. Thankfully, pilot nowhere to be seen.

Smirking islanders will quickly tell you it was a classic life insurance con, executed by a businessman up to his eyeballs in debt, who staged his own death by parking his chopper on the ocean floor.

Nice try buddy. If you really wanted to escape the hazards of city living and flee to Ilha Grande to live an anonymous lifestyle in tropical jungle or hulled up in a deserted beach bungalow, just catch the ferry.

Nobody here would care.

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The Quieter side of the Party Capital

Whether you’re sunning yourself next to the beautiful people on Ipanema Beach, admiring the spine-tingling views from Sugarloaf Mountain or dancing samba in the ocean of colour on your Rio Carnival Tour, it’s hard to deny that Rio de Janeiro deserves its moniker, the Cidade Maravilhosa (Marvellous City).

Unbeknown to many tourists, however, Brazil’s most exciting metropolis is also the capital of Rio de Janeiro state, a region dotted with quaint colonial towns, classy beach resorts and gorgeous tropical islands.

When the big, bustling city gets too much, look no further than these laid-back gems, which are all within easy reach while you are on your Rio stopover tour and are sure to further your appreciation of this stunning part of the world.

Buzios

Until the mid-1960s, Buzios was just a simple fishing village on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Then Brigitte Bardot breezed into town with her Brazilian boyfriend and things were never the same.

The relaxing town of Buzios

The relaxing town of Buzios

The French actress told her friends about Buzios, who told their friends, and it’s now Brazil’s most glamorous seaside resort, a kind of Latin American Saint Tropez.

Affluent Cariocas (Rio city folk) have second homes here and flood in for weekends and public holidays, filling many of the peninsula’s 20-plus beaches, up-market seafood restaurants and trendy clubs such as Pacha and Privilege.

Of course Bardot is everywhere as she even has her own promenade names after her. The walkway leads to the charming old village of Praia dos Ossos (Bones), which is sprinkled with cute little cottages, humble pousadas (guesthouses) and family-run shops and diners.

It’s close to the peaceful, secluded Azeda and Azedinha coves, where I spend the best part of two days snorkelling in the calm, warm, crystal clear waters, slouching in a deck-chair, reading books and drinking mango juice freshly squeezed by cheerful vendors trading out of old fishing boats. It’s a world away from the often-frantic vibe of Copacabana but definetly worth a visit to Buzios.

Ilha Grande

With no ATMs or cars, Ilha Grande (the Big Island) is the perfect place to get away from it all – although you don’t have to endure Robinson Crusoe-like living conditions to enjoy it.

The main port, Abraao, backs on to a village with all the necessities – hotels, hostels, restaurants, cafes and tour agencies. But away from there I found numerous blissfully peaceful and photogenic spots.

Ilha Grande offers plenty of fabulous beaches, plus enough adventures to satisfy your inner wanderlust.

Ihla Grande

Ihla Grande

A network of trails hugs both the coastline and delves into the mountainous interior, matted with lush Atlantic rainforest. Hiding in the undergrowth are hummingbirds, monkeys, toucans and sloths – as well as waterfalls and mangroves.

You can enjoy a three-hour trek to the spectacularly desolate Lopes Mendes beach, a long arching curve of sand that squeaked as I walked on it and where I waded into the sea to ride warm, gentle waves back to shore.

Some of the island’s treats are only reachable by boat, including a couple of lagoons blessed with vivid green and blue tones.

Despite its beauty, Ilha Grande has a dark history. It was used as a penal colony for much of the 20th century and in the distant past it was a slave trafficking centre and pirate hub.

Myriad myths and legends are attached to the island, the most famous of which concerns a shipwrecked pirate named Jorge Grego.

Though there are several variations to the story, the most popular states that in a jealous rage, he killed his daughter and her lover and spent the rest of his life solemnly roaming Ilha Grande before burying his treasure.

Some people still look for this loot on their Ilha Grande tour, others just prefer to relax.

Chimu Adventures offers many tours Brazil. All of our tours are fully customisable, check out our website for details.

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