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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 2024) 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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
