Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

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Coastal rainforest of Brazil's Costa Verde with Mt Pico do Papagaio, Ilha Grande, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Overview

The fabulous island retreat of Ilha Grande owes its pristine condition to its unusual history. For centuries, the island’s unsavory reputation – first as a pirate's lair, then as a leper colony and penitentiary – kept developers at bay. Consequently, beautiful tropical beaches and virgin Atlantic rainforest (now protected as state parkland) abound, and the island still has only a handful of settlements.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Praia Lopes Mendes

Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

Facing the Atlantic, this seemingly endless beach with good surfing waves (shortboard/longboard rentals available on-site) is considered by some the most…

Dois Rios

Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

From Abraão, a signposted 6km dirt road leads to this picturesque beach where two separate rivers flow into the open Atlantic. Dois Rios served as the…

Museu do Cárcere

Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

Dois Rios served as the site of the Colônia Penal Cândido Mendes, Ilha Grande’s last functioning prison, which held political prisoners during the…

Igreja de São Sebastião

Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

Just in from the boat docks and picturesquely framed by the parrot-shaped form of Pico do Papagaio, Abraão's village church is an Ilha Grande icon, right…