Little islets lay scattered all around Isla Grande, like handsome debris from a prehistoric collision. The island served as a weekend getaway for weary city folks from Rio and São Paulo who would trade their concrete jungle for a jungle jungle, and as a base for expats and backpackers.

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The common interest of the syndicate was of a beachy nature and the island’s sand star, Lopes Mendes, was said to be a stunning specimen. But no bay on Ilha Grande was ugly per se. They were accessible by boat or on foot from the island’s only settlement, the village of Vila do Abraão, where all trails bumped heads.

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