Paradise, Found: Ilha Grande, Brazil

After a 4am wake up, short cab to the bus station, 2 hour bus ride and 1:45min ferry ride through the Atlantic Ocean, we had finally arrived at Ilha Grande around 10am, little did we know at the time that we had stumbled onto Paradise Island. We didn't really know too much about Ilha Grande before we arrived there as the lonely planet did not really have much to say about the place, but when Jonny and I were on the plane to Lima the guy sitting beside us suggested that we check in on it, and it was on our route from Rio to Sao Paulo so we thought - why not? It turned out that we had stumbled upon the most picturesque island with the most incredible, pristine, beaches that I have ever been to in my life which are surrounded by these massive mountains that looked like they are coming right out of the ocean. The island itself is about almost 2 hours off the coast of Angra dos Rios and when you arrive you pull into the beach town of Abraao which is the main port and commercial area of the island. The streets are lined with small beach shops, travel agencies, restaurants, hostels and Pousadas - A Pousada is the Brazilian word essentially for a Guest house. 

Pulling into the docks at Abraao Beach

Looking up at the town from the Beach

After getting off the ferry we stopped quickly to pick up an island map before starting out on the 5min or so walk to our Pousada, Bossa Nova, which we had pre-booked. It was a very quaint little spot but unfortunately we were a bit early to check-in. The wonderful girl at the desk let us lock up our bags and use the washroom to get changed so we could head out and explore the little town. After our quick change we headed out to explore and make our plans for the day, with only 2 days on the island we wanted to ensure that we got the chance to explore the best beaches that it has to offer. Although Abraao is a lovely beach and town but it doesn't hold a candle to some of the other beaches that the island boasts - including some that are considered the best in Brazil and top 50 in the world. After stopping in a few tourist offices and negotiating to get the best deals, we booked a 12:30 schooner boat to take us to Lopes Mendes Beach for the afternoon (supposedly the best in Brazil) and a full day island tour on a speed boat for the next day. This gave us just enough time to get back to our Pousada for 12pm check-in to change and pack up for the day


A quick 45min boat ride and we arrived in Poussa, the docking station to get to Lopes Mendes Beach. Besides the silky white sand, transparent water and decent surfing waves, Lopes Mendes is also famous for being incredible secluded. There is no way to get there by boat, you must first arrive in Poussa and then walk a 1.1km through a relatively treacherous, up and down, path through the forest before you final get a peek at the beach. We set up our spot right on the edge of the surf and spent the day tanning, reading, swimming and just plain relaxing on the most incredible beach I have ever been to. We opted to take the very last possible boat back to Abraao which allowed us to take in take in as much of the beach as possible and even catch a glimpse of the sunset as the boat rounded the bay back into the port. 

Sign directing us along the way to Lopes Mendes

Entering the forest for our walk to the beach

Some of the many monkeys we encountered along the way

First glimpse of the beach through the forest

The beautiful sand at Lopes Mendes beach

The amazingly serene beach 

Enjoying the beach, too hard to wipe the smiles off our face

Enjoying the sunset from the boat

After a rest and a change back at the Pousada we headed out to grab dinner. We decided on a little spot with tables set up right on the beach complete with tiki torches, candlelight and even and band playing off to the side. Dinner was long but fabulous, the boys opting for fish (given that we were sitting literally on the edge of the ocean so that was a no-brainer) and Kait and I shared some chicken. After enjoying dinner on the water we headed back to the Pousada to catch some sleep before our full-day boat tour the following day. 


OOO_Talia