Ilha do Mel 23 to 25 March 2010

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The Ilha do Mel is situated at the mouth of the Paranaguá bay. What is special about it is that it is a preserved island, with most of it territory an ecological preserve. The inhabitants live in two 'villages', Nova Brasilia and Encantadas.

There are neither roads nor cars on the island. To go from Brasilia to Encantadas one can walk by the beach (but only at low tide) or by boat.

The number of people allowed on the island is limited to 5,000. In high season visitors need to book in advance to make sure they are allowed to travel. An electronic board announces the number of free places at the embarkation point where a kind of immigration office is making sure the rules are applied.

It takes half an hour to reach Brasilia from Pontal do Sul on the continent or 1,5 hours from Paranaguá.

It is an extraordinary place where you walk after dark with a torch as there are only paths with no 'street' lights. Although in summer plenty of young people visit the place where some beaches offer excellent surfing opportunities and as a consequence there is always a party going on at night, it is also a very quiet place where the word rest finds its full meaning.

Contrary to what some believe it is not the island of honey. Yes mel means honey in Portuguese, but we were told that the real name comes from the German word Mehl which means flour. In ancient maps, made by German sailors it was mentioned as such as there was a mill on the island where sailors could buy flour. At least this is what the pousada owner told us....

We very much enjoyed being there for 3 days. Our pousada was embedded in the lush vegetation of the island and we felt like explorers in the wilderness.
Our preferred beach was the Praia do Farol with its quiet and warm water ideal for swimming.

We also enjoyed the company of the owners of the pousada and of fellow tourists.
It was an ideal place to end (at least for now) our Brazilian tourist trips.

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Photos

015 Isthmus
The shore of the island is unstable. There is a real risk of it being divided in two distinct islands. The large bay seen here on the right of the picture did not exist 10 years ago. Land and what was built on it like the local school were claimed by the sea.

020 Fortaleza
This fort was built by the Portuguese in 1769 when Portugal was at war with Spain.

061 praia de Boia and the obstacle
The rocks on the far right can only we passed by at low tide.

Comments

[Silvana]

OMG!!!
I can't believe your world trip finished!!!! I'm sad that I couldn't meet you... I really miss you, guys... Love

[Bibiana]

Island of peace
Hello! Nice to read your review about the island. I love the place as well and the pousada where you stayed is really lovely. If you plan to come to the island, there is a site with plenty of information about it: www.ilhadomel-travel.com.br Cheers!