Ilha Grande

From Rio, we took a 3 hour drive down to a Anga Dos Reis harbour 'The bay of Kings' to catch a boat to Illha Grande. We drove through vast rain forest and past small traditional sea side towns, both with spectacular views. From the port, we took a slow hour and a half boat journey, to the remote island of Illha Grande.

Parrot Peak (the highest point on the island)

The population is only 3000 people, on this small, but densely rain forested island. It is still very rural and traditional, as mainstream tourism haven't found it yet, and fairly basic, as no one on the island is able to travel by car, just boats and bicycles.

Main highstreet

It was exactly what we hoped for, and had a strong local community feel to it. We took a short walk along the beach to find our hotel, which is absolutely amazing.We all stayed in little singular cabins, dotted around the forest. Our room is a bit further away from everyone elses, so we get a plethora of wildlife right at our door. The cabins have an en suite, and a very luxurious feel to them, complete with an outdoor balcony with our own hammock.

The walk to our cabin

Once again we headed out to dinner, a place on Guila's recommendation, called 'Cafe Del Mar' which is a barbeque place on the beach. The restaurant was uncomplicatedly basic, but really pretty. The tables were nestled in the sand, and the sea just a stones throw away. Candle lit lanterns hung in the tree covering the seating area, and you could hear some faint reggae music playing in the back ground. It was like something from a film, and was really idyllic.




Soon a large table by the barbeque was filled up with a selection of fish and meats. The barbequer was actually German, so Thomas and Tina has a good time talking to him. Tom decided, as we were by the sea he'd try the freshly caught baracuda, and Steph went for two skewers of meat, one chicken, one beef. All of this came with a side of rice, vegetables and salad. The food was delicious, and cooked to perfection, and finished off nicely with a large bottle of Brahma beer we both indulged in.

OOOOOOO 'Bicuuudaaaa'

As the group had decided to go on a trek the next day, we thought we'd all turn in for the busy day ahead. We walked bare foot in the waves along the beach, and Guila spotted a large crab sitting on the shore. Being a nature lover, and all round fish boy, Tom decided to pick it up for a good photo opportunity. Little did he know, these large crabs have quite a firm grip, and this one managed to grab his middle finger, (semi luckily!!) with it's crushing claw. He yelped quite a lot, as the group looked on and laughed. We quickly came to realise he actually was in a lot of pain, and Guila had to run to his rescue and try and prize the crab off, with no luck. The grip on it was so strong, and at one point, he thought he'd lose the end of his finger, if not break it. The pressure was likened to slamming it in a door, but constantly, and it kept getting harder and harder. So much so that it broke the skin, and left quite a lot of blood. After finally letting go, on it's own terms, it scuttled back into the sea, as tom scuttled into a corner, embarrassed by being beaten in an arm wrestle with a crab. Maybe he'll think twice about picking up South American nature from now on!

crabby customer (he looks smalll but his body was about the size of a clenched fist)

It really hurt.

 The next morning was Mother's day, so we went to the communal breakfast area to Facetime our mothers. After another cakey breakfast, we got our walking boots on, and got started on our 2 and a half hour trek through the jungle to the must-see beach, Lopez Mendes.

For once, the sun was actually beaming down, and we knew we were in for a challenging trek, with a majority of the first bit going uphill, skipping through large roots pushing through the ground. It was tough, but good training for the Macchu Picchu trek we will be doing later on.

Our group from left to right: Sun, Thomas, Guilla (our guide) Melisa, Steph and Susan

As the sun was so hot, we were all wet with sweat, desperate to jump into the sea of beaches we passed. Along the way, Guila saw a stand selling snacks. We got a yogurt and berry iced frube looking thing which was really refreshing.

When we actully got to the beach itself, we were so relived and ready to jump in the sea. The waves were huge and the force of the current was slightly scary as it was dragging us out to sea. We stayed in the shallower parts, and refreshed ourselves. Once again, the clouds started to gather so the weather was cooler at the beach, although we still managed to get quite pink! The sand was white, and the grains so small and soft, it squeaked when you walked on it!

After a good relax, we had to walk a little way to the next beach to catch a boat back (fortunately no more sweaty hiking!) on the way, we saw loads of little marmoset monkies, so we gave them a few nuts in order to get some good pictures. Suddenly we were surrounded by little monkey families, and they would eat the nuts straight out of our hand. They were so cute but they are really loud! Tom also reckons he saw a black howler monkey briefly on a branch over head as well as lots of other fauna. 

Guila is like a local celebrity everywhere we go, so she saw some friends on the beach who gave us a boat ride back. From the boats, you can really see the scale and beauty of the island, and we all sat in silence staring at the island. It was a little extra treat we wern't expecting.

That evening, again we went to another amazing restaurant on Guilia's recommendation, where she said the fish was really tasty. Tom had the fish skewers, which was a fish called Congo Negro!? He said it was possibly the best fish he'd ever eaten, and Steph was so angry she didn't get it!



The next day was an early start to head back to mainland and to the town of Paraty. We were sad to be leaving Illha Grande, as we would have loved to explore its cobbled streets and postcard views a bit more, but we now want to return at some point! Illha Grande really was a paradise island and lived up to everything we read and heard about it.