Idyllic Ilha Grande
Ilha Grande, located off the coast between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, is one of Brazil’s most beautiful islands. Covered in lush Atlantic forest and ringed with pristine beaches and crystal clear seas, this tropical paradise is a popular destination for locals and travellers alike. And after a week of being rained on in the colonial town of Paraty, it’s an understatement to say we were very excited.
Even the ever depressing weather forecast couldn’t get us down, well perhaps just a little.
Not just a tropical getaway, Ilha Grande has a colourful history of being a leper colony, housing some of Brazil’s most dangerous criminals as an island prison, and Ilha Grande bay has one of the worlds highest concentrations of shipwrecks, many alleged to be pirate ships. Nowadays however, the main allure to the island is its idyllic beaches, rainforest hikes, snorkelling, scuba diving and abundance of delicious seafood.
Doir Rios Hike
On an Island without cars or proper roads, there are only 2 ways to reach a secluded beach such as Dois Rios, take a boat taxi or hike. We of course opted to hike, and it was hard! Over an hour of relentless uphill hiking under the baking sun, before another hour long decent down towards the beach. But our efforts were well rewarded when we reached an almost entirely empty beach, and dove straight into the refreshing sea.
As the clouds started to roll in, we enjoyed a short yet fruitless wander around the small ‘town’, in search of any restaurant or cafe. Admitting defeat, hungry and frustratingly sandy, we started the 4.4mile return to Abraão, to the distant rumble of thunder.
The Beaches
On an island of over 100 unspoilt, white sand beaches, I’m ashamed to say we managed to see but 4. Though 4 beaches in 5 days, when it rained everyday for most of the day isn’t bad going. Don’t be fooled by our selective photos, it honestly did rain about 70% of our time on Ilha Grande. As beautiful as a sunset overlooking the Abraão bay or sunrise from Parrot Peak surely would have been, we actually rather enjoyed watching the ominous clouds rolling in, obscuring the horizon of each beach we visited. It almost became a game, how long could we push it, and how quickly could we pack away once it started to rain.
Treacherous Trek to Cachoeira da Feiticeira Waterfall
Following a day stuck inside due to the non-stop rain, we decided to do another hike. This time to the island ‘s largest waterfall, Cachoeira da Feiticeira, and then onto Feiticeira beach. We’d done our research, AllTrails considered the route to be difficult, yet other bloggers referred to the route as a ‘walk’ rather than a hike. Erring on the side of caution, we went ready for a trek, hiking boots, hiking leggings, extra snacks etc and boy are we glad we did.
Had it not rained for a good 24hours prior, I imagine this would be quite a nice jungle hike. As it was however, what once must have been a solid reliable path, had in some parts, become a treacherous, orange mud slip n slide. Even the wooden staircases were coated in a lethal layer of mud. We barely even noticed the continuous elevation of the path, as all our concentration was focused on our footing. Yet a few scares and no falls later we made it!
Having met only one other couple hiking the trail to the waterfall, we were surprised with how many we met going up on our return journey, especially with the forecasted rain. Yet most of these interactions proceeded as follows: ‘are we nearly there yet’…’does it get any easier’. Fair to say, we returned cautiously, yet smugly victorious.
Feeling at one with Nature
One of the highlights of our stay on Ilha Grande was our accommodation. It wasn’t a tree house, up amongst the monkeys and humming birds as Florianopolis had been, yet just a short walk from the tourist hubbub, we found an oasis of calm. Situated next to a babbling river, with an outside kitchen and a veranda overlooking their beautiful garden, our hostel had a true island vibe.
Next stop Copacabana, Rio part 2!
