Just 6 kilometers in length, this island, unusually shaped like a 5-pointed star, has all the ingredients for a perfect tropical location.  The Ilha dos Frades (Island of the Friars) is a mosaic of white sandy beaches, fresh water lakes, small waterfalls of surprising beauty, hills which offer spectacular views of the bay, and a forest wealth which combines the palm trees traditionally found in this type of setting with trees native to the Brazilian Atlantic coast (including the famous “Pau Brasil” – the tree, they say, which gave the Brazilian state its name). It has been an ecological reserve since 1982...

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