Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Praia da Parnaioca
The hike from Abraão across the island to
Praia da Parnaioca
takes about five hours.
By the coconut-fringed
praia
is an old fishing village abandoned by its inhabitants for
fear of escaped prisoners from a second prison that was built on the island. It closed in
April 1994, but not before earning the island something of a dangerous reputation, as
escapes were not infrequent. Today, the only dangers come from
borachudos
, almost
invisible but vicious gnats that bite without your hearing them or, until later, feeling
them. A tiny fishing community has slowly been established here, and if you need to
stay over you should have little trouble finding a room to rent and something to eat.
Many of the other beaches have a
barraca
or two selling snacks and cold drinks, but
you should bring supplies with you.
1
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION
ILHA GRANDE
By ferry
CCR Barcas (
W
grupoccr.com.br/barcas) run
ferries to Ilha Grande's Vila do Abraão from Mangaratiba
(daily 8am and also Friday 10pm, returning daily
5.30pm; 80min; R$4.50) and Angra dos Reis (Mon-Fri
3.30pm, Sat & Sun 1.30pm, returning daily 10am;
R$4.50); Costa Verde buses from Rio connect with these,
but you need to take their 5am bus to connect with the
8am ferry at Mangaratiba. Costa Verde also connect with
ferries from Conceição de Jacarei (40min), and they sell
through tickets.
By private boat
Private boats also do the crossing to the
island, especially from Angra (R$25; 90min). If you have a
car, you'll have to leave it on the mainland, but can get
advice at the ferry terminals on where to find a secure
parking spot.
Services
Be sure to come with plenty of cash: there are no
ATMs or exchange facilities and not all
pousadas
and
restaurants accept credit cards.
ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation is mostly around Vila do Abraão, and when you arrive you'll probably be approached by youths
intent on taking you to a room in a
private house
(around R$50 per person) - a good option if you're on a tight
budget.
Pousadas
in Abraão are mostly quite simple (though they tend to be more expensive than places of similar
quality on the mainland), while those elsewhere on the island tend to be more exclusive and have greater levels of
comfort. Reservations in the
high season
, especially at weekends, are absolutely essential; in the off-season prices
are halved.
Água Viva
Rua da Praia, Abraão
T
21 2688 4716,
W
aguaviva.ilhagrande.com.br.
Located near the jetty
amid a busy strip of shops and restaurants, the rooms are
well equipped and impeccably
clean,
but the general
atmosphere is rather impersonal.
R$250
Holandês
Off Rua da Assembleia
T
24 3361 5034,
W
holandeshostel.com.br.
Popular, friendly and well
looked-after youth hostel near the Assembléia de Jesus
church. The garden is lovely, and even the dorms have a
loving touch about them. It
's a lit
tle bit of
a climb
from the
beach, but worth it. Dorms
R$65
; doubles
R$180
★
offering generous seafood meals,
caipirinhas
and a
wholesome bre
akfast is
erved in as beautiful a setting as you
could imagine.
R$180
Manaca
Praia do Abraão 333
T
24 3361 5404,
W
ilhagrandemanaca.com.br.
Right on the beach, with a
variety of good rooms, those upstairs and with a sea view
costing slightly mor
e than t
he ones downstairs around the
banana tree garden.
R$230
★
Naturália
Abraão, just off the beach
T
24 3361
9583,
W
pousadanaturalia.net.
Set back slightly uphill
from the beach, all the guest rooms have breathtaking sea
views from their balconies. Breakfast is always a treat, and
the friendly mana
ger is us
ually on hand to offer advice on
hikes or boat trips.
R$260
Lagamar
Praia Grande de Araçatiba
T
24 9978
4569,
W
pousadalagamar.com.br.
The nicest of several
charming little
pousadas
in this quiet fishing hamlet,
EATING AND DRINKING
Café do Mar
Praia do Abraão
T
21 3361 9446.
A great
little bar and beach restaurant serving up the day's catch in
various formats, notably with coconut or mango sauce
(R$32). For those in need of a wake-up, they do a nice
espresso too, but they're best known for their thrice-weekly
barbecues (Mon, Wed & Sat 7.30pm).
10am-midnight;
closed Fri.
Rei dos Caldos
Rua Santana, Abraão
T
24 3361 5511.
A good fish restaurant that specializes, as its name
suggests, in soups - in starter size (R$8-9) or meal size
(R$6-18) - giant crab (
siri
) being the house speciality. To
follow, if you still have room, fish in passion fruit sauce
goes down a treat at R$70 between two.
Noon-10pm;
closed Wed.
