This island
sits only a few hours from Rio and is truly a playground for the adventure
seeker. Isle Grande contains an endless myriad of hiking trails
stretching nearly fifteen miles, which will lead to hidden white secluded
beaches, great snorkeling and diving locations, lush primary jungle
and hidden waterfalls. Isle Grande contains the necessary
tools for the traveler to access hiking trails, the best beaches in
Brazil and famous snorkeling locations. It is an easy island to
get to and great for relaxation and recovery.
The docking point of Uraboas, with
Parrot Peak in the background.
Looking over the main port of Isle
Grande.
The island is hilly and lush.
The traveler will find ease in locating affordable accommodations, guides
and help. Get to this island and make your plans from there.
Plan to spend as much time as a vacation allows here, it can easily
consume five days of the trip.
Bamboo tress grow in this grove
and when the wind blows upon them, squeak enough to make strange noises.
The magnificent rain forest, with it's
intricate trail system can take one to the other side of Isle Grande,
which is rarely explored.
The biggest waterfall on the island.
The Lazereto Prison was used as
a political prison during the turn of the 20th Century.
Isle Grande has an interesting history
that often raises the eyebrows of its visitors. It put chills
down our spine. It was evident that there were eerie vibes in
the air here. Think of Isle Grande as Alcatraz, or any prison
island one is familiar with. It was started in the 1800's as a
quarantine location for travelers and other visitors, early during the
turn of the century, is was changed into a political prison and reform.
In 1957, it was done away with. This prison was second to the
main prison on the other side of the island, which was just recently
abolished. Today, the island is a safe and quite vacation paradise
frequented by locals from Rio de Janeiro.
The Prison on Lopes Mendez was the
maximum security prison of Brazil. Similar to that of Alcatraz off the
coast of San Francisco California. Up until 1993, the prison was full
functioning. It too, is a nice hike offering four hours roundtrip over
the top of the island.
The most common bird of Isle Grande.
An abstract picture of growing
vegetation on a boulder in the jungle.
The plant and vegetation life is
lush and plentiful which offers photogenic shots of these island flowers
after a light rain.
Isle Grande holds more than 27 beaches,
34 great coves for snorkeling and diving and an endless myriad of trail
systems. It will capture you for at least a week and some stay much
longer. Surfing is good on several of the beaches with some waves two
meters high.
*Feature
written and photographed by Phillips, October 2001. Feature added to
October 2003. Distance of hiking trails provided by guides on
the island.
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