WHEN IN RIO - YOU MUST VISIT ILHA GRANDE

Coming to Rio with time you have many things to do. And visiting places which are not so touristy makes your trip soooo much more special. And there are wonderful places not so far from Rio that you can easily go, and it is easier when you know someone who knows about these little secrets.

I would say that Ilha Grande is not a secret...IT IS A REVELATION!!!! :)

In my personal opinion, the island is a dream come true!!! If I think about a place to rest, I immediately think about ILHA GRANDE!!! More than my personal relaxing spot...IT IS MY "EXOTIC OFFICE", If my guests needs a unique and genuine place to visit and when they have more time...you can be sure that you will visit ILHA GRANDE!!!

Marcone also agrees and you can see him in Dois Rios Beach. He works with me and he is my fantastic friend. Also when we have free time, no doubt, we go directly to Ilha Grande, and fun is guaranteed!!!!

If you are into hiking..all over the island...and this island has the size of Manhatan, Ilha Grande has several paths and trails through the Forests where you come across with breathtaking beaches, lush green waterfalls and fabulous lookouts..And you will see a lot of wild life..colorful birds, funny screaming monkeys and believe me some lovely skunks...and they not stink that easily, hahahaha :)

The beaches....if you think that coming to Rio you will just enjoy Copacabana...well, you are a little mistaken...At the island you will see beaches that they are still the same since the day when Brazil was discovered...virgin beaches...with turquoise waters which sometimes gets blue or green!!!

You can explore the whole island walking and hiking...first because there is no car is the island...there are also boats that take you everywhere you want to go.

So when I tell you that ILHA GRANDE is one of my favourite places in Brazil, you can be sure that you will love the island!!! There I can find the pleasure I always look for when I choose a place to stay. I strongly recommend the island to my guests and I always take them there...This is the place where I have lots of great contacts and also a place that I know alot about it!!!

But you also have to know the ways to reach the island...Going to ILHA GRANDE is piece of cake!!!

You can reach Ilha Grande, you can use two cities in the south of Rio de Janeiro. One is called Mangaratiba and the other one is called Angra dos Reis.

Mangaratiba has less option of boats crossing from the Continent to the Island, but it is the nearer point to Ilha Grande.

It takes one hour and half to get to Mangaratiba and then more one hour and a half crossing the Ferry. You can use the ferry and good schooner boats for the crissing. You have time schedules from morning to the evening but the options are not as great as in Angra dos Reis.

In Angra dos Reis, a little more distant from Rio, it takes 3 hours to get there..the city is bigger, I like the little downtown, you can buy curious stuff there, and from the pier there are several options. I like going to Angra because I am sure there will always be a way to cross to the island, you can use the official ferry boat, schooner boats and also a very fast and modern catamaran, that takes 40 minutes to cross!!!

So you can find many ways to reach "HEAVENS"!!! And of course from Ilha Grande you have lots of options to go back to the Continent.

The prices are very reasonable, you will not pay more than 10 american dollarsto cross...You can also have the possibility to get a private speed boat just for you, but it costs a fortune, but it is worthy to say...it costs around 100 american dollars and maybe 150, but at least you know that there is a way to cross fastly if you need it!!!

If you want to know more about Ilha Grande, I can give you details about how and when you can reach the island!

You can write me an email at donrafainrio@yahoo.es