Ilha Grande

Framed by the rugged coastline of Rio de Janeiro State and encompassed by the tropical swells of the Atlantic Ocean, Ilha Grande rises from the sea in a series of verdant ridges clad entirely in dense thickets of primeval rainforest. It was once home to one of Brazil’s most infamous prisons, and before that played host to swashbuckling pirates and leprosy sufferers respectively. This curious and shady past has in turn translated into a welcomingly slow and unobtrusive onset of mass modern tourism, hence keeping the island’s pristine beauty more or less undisturbed.

Indeed, even amidst the tight-knit streets of laid-back Vila do Abraao, the only major settlement here, there are no cars to be found, and locals still gather to tête-à-tête and savour fish stews around the docks in the early evening. However, Ilha Grande’s real draw has to be in its backcountry, which extends through some of the most fascinating protected rainforest in all of Brazil, the soaring peaks of Pico do Papagaio and paradisal beaches like the ones at Lopes Mendes, Parnaioca and Praia do Aventureiro.