Brazil
Ilha Grande
A car-free tropical island where former prison ruins dissolve into the Atlantic Forest.
The ferry cuts its engine and the village of Abraão emerges: coloured fishing boats, a church, Atlantic Forest pressing right down to the waterline. No cars. No roads beyond the trails. The only sounds are boat motors, birdsong, and the occasional clatter of a domino game on a waterfront table.
Ilha Grande is a car-free island off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, once home to a leper colony and later a high-security prison — both now in photogenic ruin beneath the forest canopy. The island protects one of the best-preserved stretches of Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil, with over 150 kilometres of trails connecting more than 100 beaches. Lopes Mendes, consistently rated among the finest beaches in the world, is reached only by trail or boat. The surrounding waters are part of a marine reserve, and the snorkelling at Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde reveals reef fish, sea turtles, and coral formations. Vila do Abraão serves as the main settlement, offering pousadas, restaurants, and dive operators — all at the scale of a fishing village, not a resort.
Solo
The trail network is a solo hiker's paradise — days of walking between beaches with only the forest for company. Abraão's backpacker culture makes it easy to find trail companions or a table to share at dinner.
Couple
Island time strips away the noise. Couples find their rhythm between beach-hopping by boat, snorkelling in lagoons too clear to feel real, and candlelit dinners at Abraão's waterfront — all without a car horn or notification ping to break the spell.
Family
The car-free environment means children roam safely, and the boat trips to snorkelling spots double as wildlife-watching excursions. The prison ruins add a dash of history that keeps older children engaged between beach days.
Friends
A group house in Abraão, daily boat trips to empty beaches, and evenings of caipirinha and grilled fish on the waterfront. Ilha Grande delivers the island trip that requires no luxury resort — just good company and clear water.
- The island still has no cars — all movement between the town and beaches is on foot or by boat.
- The ruins of the Cândido Mendes prison, which held political prisoners during the military dictatorship, are visible on the hill above Abraão.
- Ninety-five percent of the island is within a state park — the Atlantic Forest is intact enough that howler monkeys are heard from the village.
- Over a hundred and two beaches, most reachable only by trail or boat — several have been officially named and most have no facilities.
Peixe grelhado and caipirinha at Abraão village restaurants as the fishing boats come in.
Self-caught sea urchin cracked open on the rocks at Lopes Mendes beach.
Feijoada carioca on Saturdays at Vila do Abraão's waterfront botecos.
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