Hi dear steemians!

Welcome to "Sweet places in Brazil" with this new episode about a place wich is very special to me: Ilha Grande!

Ilha Grande is a special place for me because it is the place that I consider "my favorite" in Brazil.

Really! This is the fourth time I go there and I’m always amazed by the beauty of this island.

Ilha Grande is the largest island in the state of Rio de Janeiro and the fifth largest sea island in Brazil.

As I said it is already the fourth time that I come there and every time I discover new beaches, paths, waterfalls ... I have discovered for the moment only the half of the island by walking (which is already quite a lot of km)!

What I like most about this island is that it is very wild.

There are 4 units of environmental conservation on the Island. All these areas aim to guarantee the protection of the flora and fauna of the great reserve of Atlantic forest existing in the island and the marine life in its surroundings.

The coasts of the island are cut by numerous peninsulas and coves (bags), forming several beaches. The vegetation is lush, formed by Atlantic forest, mangrove and restinga.

Where?

Ilha Grande is part of an archipelago of 187 islands and islets, located in Ilha Grande Bay, west coast of the State of Rio de Janeiro, a region also known as Green Coast.

Its position is: Latitude S: Between 23 ° 05 'and 23 ° 14' - Longitude W: Between 44 ° 05'e and 44 ° 23 '

How to get there?

There are several possibilities to reach Ilha Grande. Everything depends on where you go and from where you want to arrive on the island.

You must know that cars are not allowed on the island. All trips are on foot or by boat.

We took a boat from Angra dos Reis which is a city located in front of the island.
Fast boats leave every hour and cost about $ 15.
The boat left us in Abraão which is the main village of the island.
There are other cheaper boats that make the same journey with the frequency of one or two times a day.

In this post I’ll share with you the walk we did from Abraão (where we were staying) to the beach "Lopes Mendes".

The island has many trails that allow access to almost all beaches.

Image source

The distance from the trail Abraão to Lopes Mendes is about 12 kilometers.
In terms of the time it takes it depends a lot on the physical preparation of each person. Some say it takes an hour and a half, others risk two hours, and there are still those who exaggerate in four.

In any case I like to take my time to enjoy the beauties of nature!

You can see on the map above the trip we made in red.
Before arriving at the beach Lopes Mendes we stopped twice on the beaches of "Palmas" and "Pouso" which are beautiful too! (blue crosses)

I love the hiking trails of Ilha Grande because its cross the Atlantic forest.

It allows us to walk in the shade by limiting the intense heat.
You can admire the riches of the fauna and flora that are very rich on the island.
An amazing tropical atmosphere!

Me on the trail

The Atlantic forest is a major center of endemism and its plant formations are extremely heterogeneous, ranging from open fields in mountainous regions to perennial rainforests in the coastal lowlands. The fauna is home to several endemic species, and many are charismatic, such as the golden lion tamarin and the jaguar.

This tree was covered with pink flowers on the trunk and branches.
I haven’t managed to identify it but it looks like a kind of orchid... Impressive!

I think we walked for almost two hours before reaching the beautiful beach of Palmas.

All the first half of this trail (T10) was exclusively uphill.

Arriving at the highest point, we could admire the plunging view of the ocean and the village of Abraão behind us.

We thought that the descent to the beach was going to be easier... But we didn’t think that the rains had made the trail so muddy!!

It was really funny to slip in the mud by clinging to the branches to not finish the buttocks on the ground (which happened to me more than once) 😂

Palmas beach

We finally arrived at our first stage the beach of Palmas where we bathed and rested on the beach.

This beach is very pleasant and the water is conducive to swimming, calm and warm.
There are also some bars restaurants to off-load.

At the end of the beach the path continues for those who want to join Lopes Mendes...

Pouso beach

The trail continues for another 45 minutes in the forest until reaching the beach of Pouso.

This is the beach on which boats arrive and depart to take tourists to Lopes Mendes by the sea.

Lopes Mendes being facing the open sea, the boats can’t reach it.
The last step to get there is for everyone the same: the 20-minute trail (T11) that joins Pouso to Lopes Mendes!

Lopes Mendes beach

We finally arrived at our final destination.

This beach was chosen as the seventh most beautiful beach of the world by tourists in the TripAdvisor site, that promotes an annual competition.

A very beautiful beach it’s true, which is facing the ocean.
Very large too (2.400 m) lined with “Castanha” (Brazilian trees) and fine sand.

The sea is a lil treacherous because of the strong currents that make holes in the sand, but the beach is shallow, which makes it ideal for both sunbathers and surfers.

The storm was not very far. So we decided not to hang around on the beach...
But it was great to see this sea unleashed with eclairs in the distance.

The return was quieter... by boat!

We had our dose of emotions and effort for the day 😙

I really loved my day!

So many varied landscapes, being able to cross the tropical forest to arrive on a paradiacal beach. That's all I like!
This island is truly magical and I am happy that it’s preserved.

If you like to walk and want to know Lopes Mendes beach I really recommend this ride.
The emotion on arrival is stronger than by boat!

I had the impression to have known a little better this big island and especially to have deserved my swim 😝

Thank you so much for reading me!

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With Love,

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