Coastal rainforest of Brazil's Costa Verde with Mt Pico do Papagaio, Ilha Grande, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Ilha Grande & Vila do Abraão

The fabulous island retreat of Ilha Grande owes its pristine condition to its unusual history. For centuries, the island’s unsavory reputation – first as a pirate's lair, then as a leper colony and penitentiary – kept developers at bay. Consequently, beautiful tropical beaches and virgin Atlantic rainforest (now protected as state parkland) abound, and the island still has only a handful of settlements.


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