Ilha
Grande, RJ, Brazil
Ilha
Grande, or Big Island if translated literally, is located in
the Rio de Janeiro state and access is made by a ferryboat that
departures from the cities of Mangaratiba or Angra dos Reis.
The island occupies an area of 193 km² and it has 106 beaches.
Access to the beaches is made by boat or by walking on trails,
some of these trails located on the island's many hills, may
take up to 4 hours.
The
trail to to top of the Pico de Papagaio (Parrot Peak) takes about
4 hours, but the view from the top is wonderful. It's also used
for those who practice hang-gliding, however, they must carry
all equipment as it cannot be accessed by car. While walking
on these trails, we can see some waterfalls, lakes and much of
the beautiful fauna and flora of the island.
The
pictures below were taken by me at Ilha Grande, in November 1999. |
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This
is the Abrãao beach, the main beach of the island. A few
shops and restaurants are located on the street along the beach
shore. |
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There
are no cars on the island and transportation is made by boat,
bike or on foot. |
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This
is the ferry boat that takes people to the island. |
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This
picture was taken when we were on a boat ride around some beaches
of Ilha Grande, near a place called Blue Lagoon. The weather
was changing when I took this picture. It rained a little almost
40 minutes later, but we had enough time for a swim in the Blue
Lagoon first. |
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This
is the place called Blue Lagoon. |
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Another
view of the Blue Lagoon. The picture that you will see below
was taken in the small area on the right of the boats that are
seen on this picture on the right. |
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Can
you see the fish around us ? They come really close and we can
clearly see them in the beautiful clear green waters. Unfortunately,
the picture doesn't show it very well and all the beauty of this
place. |
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A
better view of the fish. |
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This
is Lopes Mendes. It is a very large and beautiful beach. It can
only be accessed through a trail on a hill, or by boat. |
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This
is Lopes Mendes again. |
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I
forgot the name of this one. It's a very small but beautiful
beach. We stopped there for lunch. |
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Another
picture of the same beach. |
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