Last updated on December 19, 2023.

On Ilha Grande, a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the most popular and cheapest activities is to take a boat to Lopes Mendes Beach (Praia Lopes Mendes). It’s considered the most beautiful beach on the island – a 3km stretch of white sand beach with strong waves.

 

Boat Ride

It’s R$50 (as of June 2023) to take a normal boat from Vila do Abraão to Pouso Beach (Praia do Pouso). It took 45 minutes and passed parts of the island that were pure tropical rain forest. It also went past Palms Beach (Praia das Palmas).

Boat to Praia Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Boat to Pouso Beach
Ilha Grande, Brazil
Ilha Grande
Praia das Palmas on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Palms Beach

 

Hike

From Pouso Beach, it was a 20 minute walk through the rain forest to Lopes Mendes. The walk can be difficult for some because there is a lot of uphill. It’s officially marked as T11 on the trail map of Ilha Grande.

Praia do Pouso on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Pouso Beach
The trail to Praia Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, Brazil
The trail to Lopes Mendes

 

Lopes Mendes Beach

Once at the beach, there are a few vendors selling sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. I dug into the sand and listened to the surf.

Praia Lopes Mendes, Ilha Grande, Brazil
Lopes Mendes Beach
Praia Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Lopes Mendes Beach

While the beach is not suitable for swimming, there were a lot of surfers out in the water. I could also get a clear view of the small uninhabited island of Jorge Grego (Ilha do Jorge Grego) just offshore. Legend has it that many years ago, a Greek ship sank near the island and only three people survived, the captain named Georgios, his daughter, and his most trusted sailor. They lived on the island for a long time, but when Georgios found out about a romance between his daughter and the sailor, he killed them in a fit of rage, went to a cliff, and dove into the sea.

Praia Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Looking down the beach
Ilha Jorge Grego from Praia Lopes Mendes on Ilha Grande, Brazil
Jorge Grego Island

 

End of the Tour

I stayed on the beach for a few hours, hiked back to Pouso Beach, had a fresh açaí from a vendor at the beach, and jumped on the boat to return to Abraão. It was a nice, relaxing day.

Açaí on Praia do Pouso, Ilha Grande, Brazil
Açaí

 

Hiking to Lopes Mendes

It’s also possible to hike to Lopes Mendes from Vila do Abraão. It takes a couple hours. I hiked to Pouso Beach one day but didn’t go as far as Lopes Mendes Beach.

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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