THE SOUTHERN AMERICAN SERIES PT4
ILHA GRANDE, BRAZIL
After the carnage of yesterday’s party boat I had the delight of having a 1 hour bus trip and a 30 minutes sail up to Ilha Grande.
ISLAND LIFE IN BRAZIL IS REAL
Usually these coastal drives are something I look forward to and stare out the window but I spent the entirety of it in the foetal position. Fortunately the bus was empty as most backpackers tend to travel south on this journey so that was a bonus.
WHERE IS ILHA GRANDE?
Ilha Grande cures the hangover from hell
THE BOAT
Again the boat would have been a great experience but I choose the laydown and make sure the combination of the swells and the hangover didn’t tip me over the edge.
20minutes in however I couldn’t help was start to take in my surroundings and things then started to take a turn for the better. Before I knew it I was on the top deck in awe of the island we were approaching and almost game for another day of Caipirinhas.
BIERGARTEN HOSTEL
I checked into Biergarten Hostel which was clean and spacious but had little to offer in respect to social areas. Fortunately I was put into a room with 3 other headers, JoJo, Lachie & Simon so I wouldn’t be worrying too much about meeting other travellers.
Ilha Grande cures the hangover from hell
PIZZA
Lachie already had a few contacts on the island so invited us out to join them for some dinner. Strangely enough this group would be ones I ended up spending Rio and Xmas with, all top people.
Ilha Grande cures the hangover from hell
RELATED READ: MY FIRST AND FAVOURITE BUNGEE
SPEEDBOAT TOUR
As like Morro de Sao Paulo we signed up to a tour of the islands and it was incredible. Fortunately this time I was with others who could speak English! Lachie’s an Aussie with a similar sense of sarcasm and JoJo’s always up for a laugh so I couldn’t complain (shock!).
The islands here are akin to what you would expect from the Caribbean; golden sand. I would actually go as far and say they could be better!
Here you everything. From islands akin to those in the Caribbean, the friendly nature of the Brazilians and the fun that comes with travelling with backpackers. Ilha Grande was shaping up to be a highlight.
RELATED READ: THE BIGGEST CANYON SWING IN THE WORLD
DAY 3
As the first day was so nice, we had to do it twice – sorry! We signed up to do another trip today and were joined by a new roommate, Simon from the U.S. It was pretty much more of the same; sailing around islands, swimming, drinking and having a laugh!
Fortunately on the way back to the mainland I was a little more level headed and was able to enjoy the views from the boat. Though there might be one or two hangovers still to come!
RATINGS….
- PEOPLE – 8.5/10
- BACKPACKING – 8.5/10
- WEATHER – 9/10
- THINGS TO DO – 7/10
- VALUE – 8/10. Cheaper than most but no longer what it used to be
SUMMED UP….
- HIGHLIGHT – The boat trips
- LOWLIGHT – The hangover
- MVP – The group
- VISIT AGAIN – Absolutely
- RATING – 9/10
FINAL THOUGHTS
The islands of Brazil could even rival those of Thailand and the Philippines, something I did not expect!
NEXT UP
Off to Rio for a week which will include Xmas and some of the best moments of my travels! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
76/229
This post is part of The Southern American Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
