Dois Rios

Dois Rios has a beautiful beach with two rivers running through it. Not a lot of people come here as the access is far more difficult than to the beach of Lopes Mendes. This is where the infamous prison Cândido Mendes used to be. The buildings still stand, but the interior is all demolished. There is a dirt/brick road that leads here from Abraão. About 30 families live here permanently today, people that used to work at the prison. But the place is administrated today by Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro wich has taken over the place for research purposes. It has a local bar where they also serve food. Walking takes about 2 hours and a half from Abraão. We saw this lost young howling monkey going there yesterday - quite a rare sight as they are very shy creatures.

Photos - Café Sotéro

Cafe Sotéro MENU

MENU

Gratinated Mussels
Gratinated in a creamy sauce with fresh herbs

Fish Soup
Norwegian-style, creamed fish-soup with carrot, leek, onion and white fish

Lasagne (also vegetarian)
Homemade, rich lasagne bolognese, served with a mixed green salad

Quesadilla (also vegetarian)
Fried, filled tortillas with chicken, bacon, peppers, onion and lots of cheese, served with a small salad and garlic sauce

Kebab
Pitabread filled with marinated filet mignon, served with an Arabic-style salad and garlic sauce

Homemade Hamburger (also vegetarian soyameat burger)
Big burger served with cheese, bacon on a soft potato-bread with lettuce, tomato and thousand island-dressing, and plenty of french fries

Curry "Sotéro" (also vegetarian)
With chicken and peppers, zucchini, aubergine and onion, served with rice

Greek Salad
Cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, green peppers, black olives, queijo minas, oregano and vinagrette, served with bread

Chicken salad with bacon
Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pepper, fried chicken and bacon
served with bread and a garlic sauce

Salad with fried cheese
Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, pepper, fried pieces of crispy queijo coalho, served with bread

Ciabatta with chicken and salami
Champignon, red onion, palm-hearts and chicken fried in spiced butter, served with salami on a crispy ciabatta with garlic sauce

Ciabatta with mozzarella
Crispy ciabatta bread served with tomatoes, mozzarella and homemade pesto

Platter of Cold Cuts
Provolone, salami, ham, queijo minas, pork fillet and black olives

Bolinhos de Bacalau
12 pieces - classic Brazilian fingerfood

Sotéro Café & Travel Centre

Sotéro Café & Travel Centre opened in October 2004. It lies in the heart of Abraão, just behind the white church by the square, on 1st floor (2nd floor in Portuguese). It offers an international environment with a Brazilian atmosphere......(?) Here you can eat "colourful" food that no one else on the island offers. Sotéro has a variety of meat and vegetarian dishes and uses plenty of vegetables as a golden rule (Those who have been backpacking in Brazil will know why I say that). Later on I will post the menu, so you can have a look for yourself. Our drinks are also international, and we have a special fame for our series of frozen cocktails. There is a broad selection of international wines and of course we serve excellent coffee and homemade cakes. Sotero has a good book-swap service, and you can use internet for free. We play good music and arrange Sotéro Dance every now and then, preferably on Wednesdays. Opening hours are from 17:00 - 02:00, and we accept all credit cards. WELCOME .

Where is Ilha Grande?

How to get there

From Rio de Janeiro: Ferry connection from the mainland to the island can be taken from Mangaratiba or Angra dos Reis. From Rio you can take a bus from the Novo Rio Rodoviária (bus station)to both ports. Busses leave frequently, approx. every hour. The trip with the bus company ~Costa Verde~takes approx. 2 hours and 40 minutes to Angra dos Reis, and about 2 hours to Mangaratiba, and has toilet on board.
Getting off at the Angra dos Reis bus station, the easiest is to take a taxi to Cais da Lapa, where the ferry and nearly all other boats to Abraão, Ilha Grande go from. It’s about 3 km from the bus station, so on a hot summer day it can be a bit too much to walk with a suitcase or a heavy backpack.
From Sáo Paulo: It takes approx. 7 hours with bus.
From Belo Horizonte: Takes approx. 10 hours with bus

Ferry from Angra dos Reis: The Ferry from Angra dos Reis to Abraão on the island, leaves once every day. On weekdays it leaves punctualy at 15:30 and Saturday and Sunday it leaves 13:30. In addition to the regular ferry-service there are other boats that leave from Angra dos Reis 13:20, 14:30 and 16:30 (the latter from another cays called Cais do Turismo) on weekdays. We repeat: On weekends the ferry leaves at 13.30, and there are normally no other additional boats. The trip takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Ferry from Mangaratiba: If you are in Rio you can only catch the ferry from Mangaratiba if you are an early bird. The ferry leaves 08:00 every day, on Friday night there is also an extra ferry at 22:00.
This trip also takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes

The Atlantic side of Ilha Grande

Caxadaço beach
Lopes Mendes
St. Antonio

Sotéro Café & Travel Centre - PHOTOS

Caxadaço Beach, Ilha Grande

Ilha Grande - Caxadaço, one of in all 106 beautiful beaches.

Brasil, meu Brasil brasileiro....

Apart from the fact that it is bloody hot here, there is nothing hotter - in 2006 - than Brazil. Mini bikinis, retro bossa nova beats, Carnaval, Havaianas and Caipirinhas. The hammock extended from a coconut tree to another, factor 50, island jumping and a portuguese-course in Rio de Janeiro. Bring books like "Lord of the Flies", "The Beach", "Papillon" or Lp's "on a shoestring". Ilha Grande (Big Island) is automatically included in the itinerary due to it's strategical location between Rio and São Paulo.
It is paradise on earth on a single island. More than a hundred beaches. You can go exploring the Atlantic Rainforest and discover your little private paradise-beach. No cars. Tropical paradise. Traveling that makes you forget stress, trafficjams, pollution, crime and the cold. You will fall in love with the island and it’s sensual landscapes.

If you are planning a trip to Brazil this year. Our hottest tip is: Ilha Grande.