Angra dos Reis:

Written by Michael and Cathri van den Berg

1st Jan  to 8^th Jan 2013

We departed shortly after the magnificent fireworks ended to Angra dos Reis south of Rio de Janeiro. The nights were spent sleeping in sheltered natural bays, surrounded by multiple yachts. We continuously found ourselves jumping into the water, when the boat came to a standstill, being one of the few ways to escape the heat.

The vegetation on the islands was tropical and lush, with most of the shoreline comprising of rock, broken by the occasional small beach. 

Shopping was done at the shopping mall Zona Sul

Although renowned for it’s snorkeling, the turbidity of the water was severely influenced by the big rain storms for some days of the trip. Michael’s birthday fell on one of these days resulting in a day of reading and coming to a stand still.

We started Zack’s birthday with a huge breakfast and a visit to a local restaurant on the beach of Is Cedro.

We visited the historical city of Paraty. It is a lovely village, dating back to colonial times, with beautiful architecture and most of the village still in tact.

 The village really comes to life at night, during which we ate dinner at Bartholemeu’s. The restaurant retained the ancient walls and floors, giving it a rustic yet elegant feel. The food can be described as the work of an artist, and Zack ordered a lovely wine from Chile to accompany the meal.

Visiting the islands around Angra, is definitely worth while, and highly recommended when visiting Rio de Janeiro.