Ilha Grande Weekend Getaway
Last weekend Brazil celebrate Labor Day on May 1st which gave me yet another 4 day weekend. :) This time I decided to have some "me" time so I took myself north to the island called Ilha Grande (Big Island) near Rio. By 3:30 pm, I was in a taxi leaving school. By 5 pm I was on the airplane, and by 7pm I was landing in Rio...not a bad way to start my vacation :) From there I stayed overnight in a hostel between the airport and the bus station near the neighborhood Santa Teresa.
Funny story about that...I asked the woman at reception to call and order a taxi for me for 6am the next morning. She laughed and said she would try, but I shouldn't expect one because first of all it's 6 am...no one wants to get up that early...and secondly...the hostel is on a hill and so no one will probably want to drive up the hill that early to get me. Back home, that would never be acceptable, but this is Brazil. haha. So the next morning, the taxi company calls to say that there were no available taxis to come get me. Surprise, surprise! Luckily, I have the easy taxi app on my phone and within 5 minutes I was in a taxi on my way to the bus station.
After a 3 hour bus ride south from Rio to Angra dos Reis and a 45 minute boat ride from Angra dos Reis to Ilha Grande, I finally arrived at paradise.
The island does not allow vehicles, but the town I stayed in Abraão had all your common comforts...electricity, restaurants, stores, hostels, etc. It is a small town and most people live in Angra dos Reis and come over on the boat to work each day. This island was a perfect mix for me. I had the comfort of restaurants and a hostel with warm showers and a soft bed, but had the freedom to hike across the island and simply be surrounded by nature.
Day 1:
After dropping my things off at the hostel, I had lunch to fuel up for an hour hike to see a waterfall.
About halfway into my hike, I became very tired and was wishing I was lying in a hammock somewhere taking a nap, since I did not sleep well the night before, but then I came to a clearing on the trail and saw this beautiful view.
Realizing it was worth it, I continued on my trek to the waterfall.
Day 2:
After getting a good 9 hours of sleep, I woke up the next morning energized and ready to see the famous Lopes Mendes Beach. By 9 am I was on my journey to the other side of the island. At first I was a little nervous to be hiking over the mountain alone, but I soon realized there were many others on the trail with me doing the same thing. It was a long and tiring 2 hour and 40 minute hike.
I hiked up the mountain then down and reached the first small beach.
After walking along the beach, the next trail started and I hiked up and down the mountain again reaching another beach. Again, I walked along the beach.
This was now the last leg of the journey....
30 more minutes up the mountain and I finally arrived at Lopes Mendes. (Lopes Mendes is ranked as one of the top 10 beaches in Brazil as well as one of the top beaches in the world - Yes, I have been checking these lists because let's be honest, the beach is my favorite place to be!)
It was absolutely beautiful with the mountains and rocks in the background, the clear water, and the white sand that was as soft as flour. Pictures do not do justice to how beautiful it really was.
During the hike to Lopes Mendes, I befriended a girl from Austria and as we relaxed on the beach we decided we were NOT hiking all the way back. Luckily we could walk 30 minutes back to the previous beach where there were boats going back to Abraão. (Lopes is on the ocean side of the island and so boats are not able to dock there.)
I wanted to stay on the beach relaxing, reading my book, napping, and watching the surfers as long as possible!
We took the small taxi boat back to Abraão and I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous to be in such a small boat packed with people,without life vests, going out into the open water! But we made it back safely!
After hiking and lying on the beach all day, we were starving! So we settled down at a restaurant, ate some delicious seafood and pasta and watched the sunset out over the water with a beer in hand!
Later that night we met up in the town square to listen to some live music, have some beers, and dance a little forro in the streets.
Day 3:
Up early again....Although a little sore from hiking yesterday, I decided to go out hiking again to see another beautiful beach called Dois Rios (Two Rivers). This hike was a little shorter and an easier trail than the previous hike. It was one hour up the mountain and one hour down on a wider smoother trail. There was no option of taking a boat though and so I had to walk both ways. The small town of Dois Rios seemed very deserted and I learned only researches and scientists now live in the abandoned houses that were once home to guards that worked at the prison there.
The beach itself was not quite as beautiful as Lopes Mendes, but it was much less crowded. And so the reward for hiking 2 hours over the mountain was the feeling of having your own private island beach with soft white sand and clear water. :)
There is still so much to see on the island and one day I would love to go back, but I was so happy to have made the decision to come to this beautiful island.
Funny story about that...I asked the woman at reception to call and order a taxi for me for 6am the next morning. She laughed and said she would try, but I shouldn't expect one because first of all it's 6 am...no one wants to get up that early...and secondly...the hostel is on a hill and so no one will probably want to drive up the hill that early to get me. Back home, that would never be acceptable, but this is Brazil. haha. So the next morning, the taxi company calls to say that there were no available taxis to come get me. Surprise, surprise! Luckily, I have the easy taxi app on my phone and within 5 minutes I was in a taxi on my way to the bus station.
After a 3 hour bus ride south from Rio to Angra dos Reis and a 45 minute boat ride from Angra dos Reis to Ilha Grande, I finally arrived at paradise.
The island does not allow vehicles, but the town I stayed in Abraão had all your common comforts...electricity, restaurants, stores, hostels, etc. It is a small town and most people live in Angra dos Reis and come over on the boat to work each day. This island was a perfect mix for me. I had the comfort of restaurants and a hostel with warm showers and a soft bed, but had the freedom to hike across the island and simply be surrounded by nature.
Day 1:
After dropping my things off at the hostel, I had lunch to fuel up for an hour hike to see a waterfall.
Realizing it was worth it, I continued on my trek to the waterfall.
With a few minutes left of daylight after my hike back to town, I parked myself on the closest beach to enjoy the view. :)
Day 2:
After getting a good 9 hours of sleep, I woke up the next morning energized and ready to see the famous Lopes Mendes Beach. By 9 am I was on my journey to the other side of the island. At first I was a little nervous to be hiking over the mountain alone, but I soon realized there were many others on the trail with me doing the same thing. It was a long and tiring 2 hour and 40 minute hike.
I hiked up the mountain then down and reached the first small beach.
After walking along the beach, the next trail started and I hiked up and down the mountain again reaching another beach. Again, I walked along the beach.
This was now the last leg of the journey....
It was absolutely beautiful with the mountains and rocks in the background, the clear water, and the white sand that was as soft as flour. Pictures do not do justice to how beautiful it really was.
I wanted to stay on the beach relaxing, reading my book, napping, and watching the surfers as long as possible!
We took the small taxi boat back to Abraão and I'm not going to lie, I was a little bit nervous to be in such a small boat packed with people,without life vests, going out into the open water! But we made it back safely!
After hiking and lying on the beach all day, we were starving! So we settled down at a restaurant, ate some delicious seafood and pasta and watched the sunset out over the water with a beer in hand!
Later that night we met up in the town square to listen to some live music, have some beers, and dance a little forro in the streets.
Day 3:
Up early again....Although a little sore from hiking yesterday, I decided to go out hiking again to see another beautiful beach called Dois Rios (Two Rivers). This hike was a little shorter and an easier trail than the previous hike. It was one hour up the mountain and one hour down on a wider smoother trail. There was no option of taking a boat though and so I had to walk both ways. The small town of Dois Rios seemed very deserted and I learned only researches and scientists now live in the abandoned houses that were once home to guards that worked at the prison there.
The beach itself was not quite as beautiful as Lopes Mendes, but it was much less crowded. And so the reward for hiking 2 hours over the mountain was the feeling of having your own private island beach with soft white sand and clear water. :)
Spotted some banana trees while on my hike to Dois Rios.
Finally...time to relax!
There is still so much to see on the island and one day I would love to go back, but I was so happy to have made the decision to come to this beautiful island.
Comments
Post a Comment