Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
THE “GREEN” COAST?
There's no doubt that the Costa Verde is one of Brazil's most beautiful stretches of coast, so it's
not surprising that so many hotel and holiday-home complexes are appearing on the hillsides
and in the picturesque coves. What is incredible, however, is that the coast was
also
chosen as
the location of two constructions with the potential to cause the most environmental
destruction - an oil terminal and a nuclear power plant.
The Petrobrás
oil terminal
is, at least, out of sight, located 25km east of Angra dos Reis,
so you only need contemplate the damage that an oil spill could wreak on this ecologically
fragile stretch of coast when you pass the barrack-like housing complexes for the Petrobrás
workers on the BR-101.
More worrying are the
nuclear power plants
, Angra-1 and Angra-2, some 40km west of
Angra. It's di
cult to imagine a more insane place to put a nuclear reactor. Not only would
there be enormous di
culties should an emergency evacuation be necessary, as the
mountains here plunge directly into the sea, but in addition the plant is in an earthquake fault
zone, in a cove that local Indians call
Itaorna
, the Moving Rock.
The safety record of Angra-1 has been under particular scrutiny, and since 1985 it has been
shut down for unspecified repairs over twenty times. O
cials insist that there have been no
radiation leaks beyond the plant, but environmentalists, who say there may be cracks in the
reactor's primary container system, want the entire complex closed for good. The future,
however, looks certain: it would be humiliating to abandon the project - and there would be
huge problems in decommissioning the plant. In any case, the plants supply about half the
electrical power used in the state of Rio de Janeiro, a figure that is set to increase greatly when
work on a long-delayed third reactor (Angra-3) is completed in 2014.
demise. If there is any treasure today, though, it's the island's
wildlife
: parrots, exotic
hummingbirds, butterflies and monkeys abound in the thick vegetation.
Vila do Abraão
As you approach the low-lying, whitewashed colonial port of
VILA DO ABRAÃO
, the
mountains rise dramatically from the sea, and in the distance there's the curiously
shaped summit of Bico do Papagaio (“Parrot's Beak”), which rises to a height of 980m
and can be reached in about three hours. There's really very little to see in Abraão itself,
but it's a pleasant enough base from which to explore the rest of the island.
Antigo Presídio
The ruins of the
Antigo Presídio
lie a half-hour walk west along the coast from Abraão.
Originally built as a hospital, it was converted to a prison for political prisoners in
1910 and was finally dynamited in the early 1960s. Among the ruins, you'll find the
cafofo
, the containment centre where prisoners who had failed in escape attempts were
immersed in freezing water.
Antigo Aqueduto and around
Just fifteen minutes inland from Abraão, and overgrown with vegetation, stands the
Antigo Aqueduto
that used to channel the island's water supply. There's a fine view of
the aqueduct from the
Pedra Mirante
, a hill near the centre of the island, and, close by,
a waterfall provides the opportunity for a cool bathe on a hot day.
The beaches
Boat tours to the beaches depart from Abraão's jetty around 10.30am, with stops for snorkelling (equipment provided) and at a beach,
where you'll be picked up later in the day to arrive back in Abraão around 4.30pm • Day-trip R$50/person
For the most part, the island's
beaches
- Aventureiro, Lopes Mendes, Canto, Júlia
and Morcegoare to name a few - are still wild and unspoilt. They can be most easily
reached by
boat
and beaches can also be reached on
foot
- there are some lovely quiet
spots within an hour's walk of Abraão.
