Blogs from Ilha Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, South America - page 2

es lacht die sonne schon des morgens und in diesem sinne werden gleich die wanderschuhe geschnürt um den schönsten der 106! insel eigenen strände, den praia lopes mendes, zu ergehen. gute sechs kilometer durch feucht schwülen dschungel und über glitschige wege gibt es zu überwinden. es ist nicht wirklich anstrengend und trotzdem kommen wir bald ins schwitzen. fast alleine wandern wir hier, es ist sehr idyllisch einsam mit hohen, saftig grünen bäumen, lianen, flüssen. vereinzelt zeigen sich kleine äffchen und flauschige eichkäzchen, im hintergrund rauscht das meer. wir gehen viel bergauf, viel bergab, über zwei gedehnte strände und dann endlich, nach gut zwei (und ein bissi) stunden, erreichen wir den vielgelobten lopes mendes. und: es war jeden schlammigen schritt wert! die lage ist atemberaubend! zwischen hohen bergen und großen steinen liegt pulvriger sand und dank des ... read more

I spent the last week at Ilha Grande, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen (North Queensland coast line aside). Ilha Grande (meaning 'big island' in Portuguese) is actually a littleisland off the coast of Brazil, south of Rio. It has stunning white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and is filled with dense jungle vegetation. It is home to monkeys (which we heard but did not see) and lots of birds and fish I have never seen before. It's largely undeveloped and consists of villages full of knock-up restaurants, small trinket shops and hostels. I did not see any buildings over three stories or cars and most people just get around by foot, bike, boat or paddle board. We stayed in a beautiful little pousada (a little BnB guest house) right on the ... read more

After a 3 hour drive from Rio De Janeiro we arrived at a small píer and got our boat over to the island of Ilha Grande. The weather was really bad and had been chucking it down all morning, so we took shelter in the middle of the boat. The rain was pouring over the sides of the boat everytime it rocked, resulting in a lovely natural waterfall (basically we all just got soaked). I was still only in my shorts and t-shirt on the boat so i was absolutely freezing and uncomfortable for the whole journey but after about an hour we finally reached the island. Even in the terrible weather it was easy to see why so many people had talked of this place as paradise. We checked into the Che Lagarto hostel and ... read more

After the craziness of Carnaval and rushing around seeing the sights of Rio, it was time for some relaxation on Ilha Grande, an island off the coast of Rio. Ilha Grande really is a place to get away from it all. As the whole island and the waters around it are protected for conservation, there are no cars allowed on the island and you can only reach the island by boat. As a result it is perhaps unsurprising that the island is full of hippies, jocks, British gap year students, and Aussie backpackers. A paradise away from the harsh realities of real life - Brazil's version of The Beach. The first thing I notice as we leave the pier and walk through the dirt roads of Vila do Abraao, the main village on ... read more

So after are very boozy, busy and mental week in Rio we were really looking forward to just chilling out for five days in Ilha Grande and that's exactly what we did. Ilha Grande is Brazils third largest island and is beautiful. As soon as we stepped off the boat onto the pier we knew we were in for a heavenly time. Green palm trees, clear blue water and white sand. There were no cars on the island, no banks/ATM's and not much noise either, apart from the birds. Yes pleassssssse! We went to the tourist office to call our Poussada to let them know we had arrived and they told us to wait and they'd be there shortly to help carry our bags. About 5 minutes later a little Brazillian man arrived, who never spoke ... read more