An Oasis in the Desert
After sunrise we wake up to a blissful panorama. The island is covered in green, its lush vegetation reaching from the top of its landmark Morro do Pico all the way to the golden beaches. Birds – boobies, magnificent frigate birds and others – surround the boat. “Dolphins are swimming underneath the boat!” Ivar rejoices. “This is paradise!” Floris sums up our feelings. Over breakfast we let the beauty of the island sink in. We kayak to the shore and spot a turtle close to the beach. It dives even before we try to approach it, but the sight of it makes us smile.
We walk up to a wooden house overlooking the beach and anchorage and find Marcos. He is in charge of clearing us in. Floris’s Portuguese lessons come in handy, as Marcos speaks no English. We understand that the fees for anchoring and visiting the island are very steep, so decide to limit our stay to two days. While we fill in various forms, Marcos makes some calls. Fifteen minutes later, his small office is filled with six more people. Immigration officials and park rangers inspect our passports and have us fill in more forms. It’s seems a bit over the top, but we are happy that we can arrange it all in one place. Marcos even offers to lend us money for the bus to town, so we can get local currency from the ATM.
Instead of waiting for the bus, we decide to walk and enjoy the scenery. Four-by-four beach buggies pass us, the preferred means of transport of the Brazilian tourists, it seems. On top of the hill we reach a town and find supermarkets and an ATM. After getting our hands on some Reais, our hike continues to the edge of the national park. We don’t have a permit to enter it, but suspect that the area outside it has enough to offer. The first lookout confirms this. Two unspoiled golden beaches on either side of a rock we climb take our breath away. Seldom have we seen such idyllic yet deserted beaches. We quickly make our way down and hit the waves on the Praia do Americano. It’s turbulent, as the swell is quite considerable, but we enjoy it like children. The many palm trees carrying loads of coconuts complete our picture of paradise. “This place feels like an oasis in the middle of a blue desert,” Ivar summarizes what we both think.
Via the coastline we hike back to the village and stock up on fresh produce. Just as we come out of the supermarket, we can jump on a bus back to the port. Rain starts falling as we pay Marcos the anchorage fees and environmental taxes, but we decide to paddle back to Luci instead of waiting for it to pass. “It must rain here quite a lot, that’s why it’s so green here,” Ivar reasons. He is proven right the next morning, when we wake up to the sound of rain. Our tropical paradise is showing a different, less picturesque side. Nevertheless, we jump in for our morning swim, only to be greeted by a pod of small dolphins! While we float motionless, they pass by us, not the least concerned by our presence. Only one of them swims a circle around us before joining the group again. The encounter is magical. It’s a wonderful feeling to share the ocean with such magnificent creatures. While we dry off on the boat, some of them jump out of the water, performing high-speed pirouettes in the air. This trademark behavior has earned them their name, spinner dolphins.
In-between showers we hike to a beach that looks ideal for snorkeling. Yet heavy showers thwart our plans, so we seek shelter in a beach restaurant. We enjoy a tasty lunch while waiting for it to get dry again. When it finally does, it’s time to head to the kayak. We almost make it back dry and treat ourselves to a coconut drink. In the shelter of the beach umbrellas we meet two Brazilians and exchange phone numbers. Will we see Lucas and Victor again in Rio, their hometown?