Anchieta Island—Brazil
Yes! Paradise was found.
Bud’s soft, crooning voice claimed that the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and that the water was a perfect temperature as we approached our anchorage in Anchieta Island. We were skeptical—the comfort of our beds seemed more enticing than getting up in the early hours. Begrudgingly, we made our way to breakfast with our eyes at half mast.
Over cups of coffee we peered out the portholes and behold—his description was accurate. Nay, it was understated. Blue skies, crystal clear waters and a tropical rainforest framed a picturesque beach called Praia do Presidio. We gobbled down breakfast and rushed to our cabins to prepare ourselves to explore this small piece of heaven.
Anchieta Island was declared a state park in 1977, but its history dates back nearly a century. We zipped in with Zodiacs and beyond the dock we could see the former prison. Built as a correctional facility in 1907, the Colonia Correcional do Porto das Palmas became a political prison from 1930 to 1945 and finally held common prisoners captive until 1955.
It is hard to believe that someone would not volunteer to be incarcerated on this island paradise, but life in the prison was not easy. At one point, over 400 prisoners were crowded into eight barely adequate cells and in 1952 it was the stage for one of the bloodiest rebellions in Brazilian history. Shortly thereafter, in 1955, the prison closed its doors.
The park offered several trails and some of us chose to take advantage of them. Others could not resist the tantalizing water and headed straight to the beach. The sand glittered and the water sparkled and many of us spent the morning with only our heads above water.
The hike offered beautiful views as we strolled the trails above the beaches eventually plunging ourselves into the beautiful secondary forest. Many interesting things were found: a parade of leaf cutter ants astonished us with their strength and marmosets leaped about the trees at close range. The diverse botany was also impressive as we learned about vanilla and marveled over an enormous fig tree.
It was too soon that the last Zodiac pulled off the dock of Anchieta Island and many commented that if the prison was ever resurrected that they would gladly volunteer as guards.
During lunch we picked up Julio, a local pilot, who was necessary to navigate the channel between the main land and Ilha Bela (Beautiful Island). The island is a place where many wealthy Brazilians have their summer homes and we understood why. We crowded into the Bridge and its wings to observe the narrow passage and were surprised to see gigantic oil tankers unloading their petroleum. The oil is delivered by pipelines to nearby Santos, the largest port in South America. Brown boobies and terns swirled about the strong wind and the wind-surfers and kite boarders delighted us with their aerial acrobatics.
After so many activity laden days in Brazil, an afternoon at sea was a welcome change of pace. The seas were calm and the weather was glorious, making the outside decks immensely popular for sunning, reading, and observation.
In the evening we gathered on deck to watch a bedazzling sunset and sip caipirinhas, the Brazilian national drink. After night fell, bathed in the full moon, we dined on the pool deck to the sound of the melodic accordion played by Ziggy.
Yes! Paradise was found.
Bud’s soft, crooning voice claimed that the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and that the water was a perfect temperature as we approached our anchorage in Anchieta Island. We were skeptical—the comfort of our beds seemed more enticing than getting up in the early hours. Begrudgingly, we made our way to breakfast with our eyes at half mast.
Over cups of coffee we peered out the portholes and behold—his description was accurate. Nay, it was understated. Blue skies, crystal clear waters and a tropical rainforest framed a picturesque beach called Praia do Presidio. We gobbled down breakfast and rushed to our cabins to prepare ourselves to explore this small piece of heaven.
Anchieta Island was declared a state park in 1977, but its history dates back nearly a century. We zipped in with Zodiacs and beyond the dock we could see the former prison. Built as a correctional facility in 1907, the Colonia Correcional do Porto das Palmas became a political prison from 1930 to 1945 and finally held common prisoners captive until 1955.
It is hard to believe that someone would not volunteer to be incarcerated on this island paradise, but life in the prison was not easy. At one point, over 400 prisoners were crowded into eight barely adequate cells and in 1952 it was the stage for one of the bloodiest rebellions in Brazilian history. Shortly thereafter, in 1955, the prison closed its doors.
The park offered several trails and some of us chose to take advantage of them. Others could not resist the tantalizing water and headed straight to the beach. The sand glittered and the water sparkled and many of us spent the morning with only our heads above water.
The hike offered beautiful views as we strolled the trails above the beaches eventually plunging ourselves into the beautiful secondary forest. Many interesting things were found: a parade of leaf cutter ants astonished us with their strength and marmosets leaped about the trees at close range. The diverse botany was also impressive as we learned about vanilla and marveled over an enormous fig tree.
It was too soon that the last Zodiac pulled off the dock of Anchieta Island and many commented that if the prison was ever resurrected that they would gladly volunteer as guards.
During lunch we picked up Julio, a local pilot, who was necessary to navigate the channel between the main land and Ilha Bela (Beautiful Island). The island is a place where many wealthy Brazilians have their summer homes and we understood why. We crowded into the Bridge and its wings to observe the narrow passage and were surprised to see gigantic oil tankers unloading their petroleum. The oil is delivered by pipelines to nearby Santos, the largest port in South America. Brown boobies and terns swirled about the strong wind and the wind-surfers and kite boarders delighted us with their aerial acrobatics.
After so many activity laden days in Brazil, an afternoon at sea was a welcome change of pace. The seas were calm and the weather was glorious, making the outside decks immensely popular for sunning, reading, and observation.
In the evening we gathered on deck to watch a bedazzling sunset and sip caipirinhas, the Brazilian national drink. After night fell, bathed in the full moon, we dined on the pool deck to the sound of the melodic accordion played by Ziggy.
