Ilha Grande Off The Beaten Path

Ilha Grande has many trails that you can walk for hours, and the result will be always an amazing beach and mostly of times that beach will bethere just for you, specially if you choose to visit the island away from busy weekends or high season.

Not so far from the main village Abraão, there is a path which cross some hills and after 3 horus walking you reach another very nice village called DOIS RIOS, the trail is quite famous because it leads you to the ruins of an old prison.

AND THE BEACH THERE IS SIMPLY GORGEOUS, if you are lucky, that paradise will be there just for you and your friends!

Dois Rio has a river which ends in the sea, and the water is simply sparkling..you can take the salt of your body swimming in the cool waters of this river...privacy, freedom and natural beauty all there waiting for you!!!

DOIS RIOS IS A REAL MUST IN ILHA GRANDE!

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Itaguaçu is one of the best beaches in Ilha Grande, in my opinion....located 15 minutes from Praia Vermelha on trail, it´s small, but great to spend the day. There are no vendors, no bungalows selling food, barely any visitors, except for an old house that works as a small simple hotel.
The water is from turquoise to green and the shore is surrounded by huge rocks.

Stress......what´s that?

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Gruta do Acaia (Acaia´s cave) is different from everything else in the island...
The cave itself is the strangiest rock formation...the "ceiling" is a huge rock, that is carefully positioned for its final border to end meters inside the water...For this reason, there are 2 ways of reaching the cave, one from an open passage in dryland, and other, from the sea, by diving into a flat rock passage. The cave is completely dark, there´s no other light coming from it, except for the light transmitted from the water...this causes the neon, blue luminous effect the water has inside.
But even better, is to stick your face into the neon blue water, and check out with the snorkel equipment what the water hides...you can see the flat rock passage dripping itself into the ocean, and loathes, tons of fish on the middle...
But of course, for every exquisite paradise, there´s something wrong to it, that just makes it more kept out from human influence...there are many things you should consider:
1. Difficult access: from dryland, reached by boat or trail (2-3 hours from Praia Vermelha, with a never ending ascent on the beggining, lots of ups and downs...), the entrance to the cave is narrow and dark, so you have to crawl some meters before reaching a point you can stand on your feet. From underwater, if it´s okay for you to dive into the flat rock passage to get into the cave, with the tide pushing you back and forth...it´s advisable to come well prepared, with good equipment and to have expertise.
2.Dangerous: there are stories of death on the water entrance, i don´t know about the conditions involved, but certainly it´s not a good idea if the tide is too strong, or if the weather is bad, and if you are alone. The entrance to the cave from dryland is not advisable in a bad weather as well, as the owner of the land told us (because then the tide is stronger and the water can occupy most of the cave).
3. Preparation: you must be prepared to enter the cave...that means taking lamps, coming in groups, gathering information...

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Lagoa Verde (=green laggon) is one of the great places for snorkelling in the island. It´s a bay, split by half with a string of sand, with perfectly clear waters. It can be accessed on boat (and many agencies make this trip, together with the blue laggon or Acaia cave) or walking, by trail from Araçatiba (3 hours of moderate difficulty.....). There´s a floating little bar.....and nothing else.

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Praia vermelha (=reb beach) is another option to stay in, also acessible on boat, or by trail, from Araçatiba. From there, you can get to the beach Provetá, Itaguaçu and Gruta do Acaiá (Acaia´s cave). There are restaurants, phones, guesthouses, many locals rent houses for groups of tourists....

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This beach is located 10 minutes away from the beach of Araçatiba, on a easy trail. It´s a little beach with emmerald waters, barely any waves....an ideal place to spend the day relaxing. There´s an old port, not very used in the middle of the beach...good to plunge in =)
The hills between the beach are a good point for snorkelling...

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There´s no doubt the greatest part of tourists concentrate themselves in the village of Abraão and the beaches near it, on the north side. But just like the name says, the island is huge, and there are many other beaches and places to stay besides Abraão...
Araçatiba is located in the west, less frequented side of the island, still facing the bay, so therefore, very accessible on standard boats...the village is much simpler than Abraão, there aren´t many options for nightlife, but there are local restaurants and many guesthouses or how we say in portuguese. "pousadas", telephone...as well as camping sites. The smaller beach close to Araçatiba, called Araçatibinha, is a great place to spend the day in peace and quiet....
Most of the locals live from tourism, or fishing.....many of them own boats, so it´s not difficult to get a boat to take you to other places in the bay, including other islands. This is ideal for those traveling in groups....you can close a boat for you and then split the price....you can leave the time you want...One of the places to arrange that is inside the local market in Araçatiba.

Lagoa azul (=blue lagoon) is a bay with transparent waters.....there is no beach, the only access is by boat...you can arrange it with the agencies...they organize many trips that ends at Blue Lagoon but visit other places as well, such other islands from Angra, or other beaches in Ilha Grande like Bananal, Santana, Lagoa Verde...
It´s usually a tourist spot for snorkelling and swimming, the visibility of the water is very good, there are loads of fish near the reefs....but don´t expect a beach....it´s a snorkel point....there´s only one tiny piece of sand.....=)