Ilha Grande

On the Sunday before New Year we went to Ilha Grande, an island 3 hours south of Rio. I had to be out of my flat for 6 days and it was too expensive to stay in the city so we decided to take it easy for a bit and hopefully save a bit of money while we were at it. Ilha Grande (193 km²) is a protected island with no cars allowed and no banks. There's a small village, Abraao where the boats come in and most people stay, but that aside, the island is pretty much deserted and covered in virgin Atlantic rainforest. The Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch all came across the island in the 16th century and the Tamoto natives remained and mixed with the explorers over the next 2 centuries. Because of this, many islanders today have native indian features, but blue eyes and blonde hair. The Portuguese eventually secured the island for themselves and it played a major role in slave trafficking and exporting and importing of valuable goods. This caught the attention of pirates and for a while, the island was a no-go-zone for European colonials. These days tourism is the most valuable commodity although the island is protected as a national park. The most treasured part of Ilha Grande is Praia Lopez Mendes, gernerally thought of as the best beach in Brazil and often considered the best in the world.


We set off from Rio in a minibus for Mangaratiba port, where the boat would take us to Abraao, with a group of 5 dutch travellers. There is one major road east from Rio, linking it to Sao Paulo and all coastal towns on the way, and this was the route we took. I had heard about this road before - a TV programme about its regular hijackings and shootings had been on BBC before I left home. Almost inevitably, when we came to traffic, we saw this first hand. As we passed a black volkswagen saloon in the next lane, the driver looked over at our obvious gringo-waggon and pointed a hand-gun at us through the window. I only caught a quick glimpse of it and it didn't really register until I saw the others in the bus panic. The dutch guys were a bit worried about it and for the next half hour they were constantly looking back at the slow moving line of vehicles, trying to keep track of the black car. This was a strange experience, but not unusual - guns are everywhere in Brazil. From cops and shop security guards to traficantes (dealers) and 13 year old children, firearms are the essential accesories and most valued work tools for a lot of people here.



We took the boat to Abraao and had a little look around the town. It has a pretty harbour and small square. The architecture is not especially beautiful or old, but the locals have done their best to disguise this fact by painting the buildings in various bright colours. Strangely this works and accompanied by its palm trees and green mountains, the town has a distinctly Caribbean feel to it. We stayed at Hostel Holandes and camped in the garden in excellent tents. For the first day and a half we took in the surroundings and explored the area, looking at the old prison ruins and sampling the restaurants. On Monday We took a 3 hour walk from Abraao to Lopez Mendes. The 15 trails on the island are original Indian paths, maintained today for the tourists and it was on one of these that we set off in the morning. The walk took us along the coast for about 20 minutes until it cut inland and up a steep hill. Lopez Mendes is on the southern side of a peninsular so following the coast all around the head would have taken far too long. This meant we had to go over the hill and through the forest. The path was clear, but hard work. Exposed tree roots and rocks became makeshift steps as we struggled up. The trail continued for about another hour uphill until we reached the top and suddenly a break in the vegetation. Had I had any breath left at this point, it would have been take away by the view. From here we could see the town below and several small coves and beaches, mostly with private yaughts moored off them. We took a quick breather and some pictures and moved on. The trail now snaked off ahead, back into the forest and into a steep descent. This part of the walk was almost as arduous as the first as we slipped and fell down the hillside. We were lucky not to get any rain as the trek would have been impossible in the mud. We walked on for another hour or so, stopping at streams to drink water and passing several beaches before eventually, the sound of waves came into earshot and we knew we were close. The path opened out into a grassy field and then Lopez Mendes. On first sight the beach isn't as impressive as you imagine. The waves weren't huge as we had been told and the beach itself was busy. You only really get a true idea of its beauty from the sea where you can see its setting. Whereas Copacabana is framed by high-rise buildings and favelas, Lopes Mendes has two dominating mountains and decending green carpet of vegitation behind it and although we had just walked through it, from a distance it looked like something out of an adventure movie. The whole walk and the views of the island from up high had got my imagination working, picturing tree houses, hunting and fishing with spears and exploring the forest like something out of Lord of the Flies. We spent the afternoon swimming and sun-bathing before taking the boat back to town where we found a great little fish restaurant. A good day.



Ilha Grande really impressed me and I'm sure I'll go back and spend more time there in future. We spent the next day lazing around in town before heading back to Rio for the New Year party. Feliz Reveillon!