Island Idyll: Ilha Grande
Praia Lopez Mendes on Ilha Grande
We became accustomed to island life on Florianopolis, so we set our sights on another paradise island just off the coast of Brazil as our next destination - Ilha Grande. The only problem being just over 1000km of road and sea separated us from those beach caipirinhas.
The sensible side of our brains took over and we didn’t attempt the journey in one go, instead stopping for a few nights in Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo. São Paulo is a pretty divisive place. It’s not the prettiest city, but the huge amount of people there means there are good bars, restaurants and culture to be enjoyed. The chasm between the richest and poorest is clearly evident, as it is in most urban centres across the world. We only stopped a few nights so I didn’t feel qualified to write a whole blog post on it. The parts we saw were nice, but the sheer scale of the city is overwhelming. I imagine it is the kind of place you’d fall in love with if you had a longer stay - weeks and months rather than days.
We had thought it would be a pretty straightforward journey from such a huge transit hub to Angra dos Reís - the closest port from which boats to Ilha Grande departed. But turns out, it really wasn’t. Multiple laps of the bus station and a fumbled Portuguese conversation taught us that there was only one bus company that travelled the route, and their only departure each day at 11am wouldn’t get us to the port in time for the ferry to the island. Resigned to our fate, we booked the bus and a hostel beside the port. Thirty hours after leaving São Paulo - and four days after leaving Florianopolis - we finally stepped onto the pier at Villa do Abraao, the largest village on Ilha Grande.
Island Life
Known for its lush rainforests, postcard-worthy beaches, and crystal-clear waters, the island was just the tranquil escape we were looking for. Ilha Grande is largely undeveloped, with no cars or motor vehicles allowed.
Locals push carts or produce around in huge wheelbarrows, boats zip around the coast, and plastic tables and chairs spill out of beachfront bars onto the sand… perfect for a caipirinha or three.
The main draw is, of course, the beaches. We spent our five days hiking different trails through the rainforest to relax on the beaches around the island. Our first day was spent at Praia de Abraaozinho, only about 20 minutes walk from Vila do Abraao. We expected it to be busy due to its proximity to the village, but this beach turned out to be one of our favourites. Clearly marked swimming zones kept the motor boats far enough away that we could enjoy the water, there were lots of shady areas to relax and the lack of people on the beach in the morning gave us plenty of space to spread out.
As it got busier in the afternoon we migrated to a beach bar for some drinks, and we even had a short stop at Praia da Crema on the way home. There, we sat in a beach bar whilst watching a group of ridiculously beautiful men and women play headers and volleys… does it get any more ‘Brazil’ that that?! We finished the day with our first moqueca since crossing the border. The Brazilian fish stew is a dish we often make at home, but to have authentic version on Brazilian soil was another level of delicious!
Day two was slightly more overcast so we stayed close by the village at Praia Gallego. Weirdly, not many tourists walk this way out of the village, so it had more of a local feeling (coupled with the grey-ness of the day, I’m sure). We found a cute beach swing to play on and spent a few hours working on the base tan before heading back to the village.
The clouds persisted in the morning of Day three, but had cleared up by the time we had hiked an hour through the jungle to Praia Palmas.
This is actually the first section of a longer, two and a half hour hike to Praia Lopez Mendes, but we had heard because it is not the end point, many people miss out Praia Palmas and keep walking. And it is true. The whole day there were only two other couples who stopped on the beach for a short while, most others walked straight past it. It is a beautiful beach, with a few small shops/bars selling drinks, trees for shade and calm waters for swimming. In terms of having a beach totally to ourselves, this was the best day.
On our final full day the sun returned in full force and we set out towards Lopez Mendes - reputedly the nicest beach on the island and second-best in Brazil (after Fernando do Noronha, which is top of my list if I ever make it back to Brazil for a third time!). Rather than retracing our steps from the day before, we got a shuttle boat around the island to Praia Pouso, from where it was a 25 minute walk to Lopez Mendes.
I have to admit, it is a stunning beach. It definitely had the best sand on the island - fine and white, like walking on sugar. There is some shade provided by the jungle where we set up camp, and a few sellers make the journey round to provide drinks and small snacks. The only drawback is that the waves are very aggressive - they are huge. Great for surfers, not ideal for swimmers. Most of the beach is flagged as dangerous for swimming, and there are a few lifeguards patrolling one small area where everyone gathers to play in the waves awhile. It’s fun but intense!
We headed back to Pouso about 20 minutes before our boat back to Abraao to enjoy a drink on a floating bar (because… how often do you get to do that!) and, whilst there, we wished we had spent an hour or so enjoying that beach. Much like Palmas, it is beautiful, and because the majority of people are walking on to Lopez Mendes, it was almost empty.
I always say I’m not really into ‘beachy’ places, but the truth is I didn’t feel ready to leave the island. Somewhere amongst the rainforest walks, golden sands and serene sunsets, Ihla Grande turned me into a beachy girl, after all.
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