Ilha Campeche (Campeche Island)

Ilha do Campeche

In this post, I'm going to tell you a little bit about our trip to one of the most beautiful islands off of Brazil. Without doubting it for even a minute, I can say that this is an authentic paradise which combines crystal clear beaches and exotic nature.

Don't get confused between this place and the Campeche neighbourhood which is in the southern area of the island, situated around 14km from the centre of Floripa and around 11km from the famous neighbourhood Lagoa da Conceição which, given its location on the east coast of the island, also has a beautiful 11km long beach with bars and restaurants in abundance. It's frequently visited by surfers, which actually makes it very dangerous for little kids. You also have to be careful when swimming there as the train of waves is very choppy.

Opposite this neighbourhood and in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, close to the coast to some 2km from the Campeche beach, there is a fairly small island called "Ilha do Campeche", which just about measures 1km2, with around 500 metres in width and 1km in length. The most common method of getting there is in fishing boats with which, they organise return journeys for tourists. They are equipped with lifejackets. In the island's northernmost area, there is a beach, albeit not very big, which is a total paradise; from the colours of the island to this backdrop where you can lose yourself amongst the numerous trees.

In general, the beach on the island doesn't have the same wild features as the beach in the island neighbourhood of Campeche. Just like the island, the beach is also really small; some 500 metres of white sand and water that is so calm (well, the rest of the island is surrounded by open seas) that it resembles water in a swimming pool. The water is an incredible colour, just like it looks in the photos, but even better. The water is the same colour of the water that we are shown in photos of the Caribbean - a mix of greens and turquoises which personify paradise.

A Protected Area

It's a totally recommendable place for tourists, not just for its undeniable beauty and quantity of exotic species (flora as well as fauna), but also for its great archaeological culture.

The island is protected and already since 1940, the island has been protected by the Couto de Magallanes Association. Later on, in 2000, it was declared a National Archaeological and Landscape Heritage site by the Instituto de Patrimonio Historico y Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) (in English: The Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage) and it also has, as I said in the previous paragraph, an environmental preservation whose aim is to conserve the exotic species and avoid their extinction. Currently, both authorities manage the preservation of this island, as well as other actions with the monitors on the island which are in charge of noting the number of people going to the island as well as controlling their behaviour once they're there.

Its name probably comes from the abundance of Pau de Campeche on the island. It's a type of tree which grows spontaneously and is very characteristic of Central America. It used to be used to dye fabrics because from its initial "wooden colour" when it's fresh, it turns red on contact with air. So, by subduing the wood to fermentation, it's possible to obtain a reddish colour.

When the island was inhabited, it seems that it was a fisherman's settlement, that started to develop cassava plantations which is what they used as food. Today, given that all the activities have been eradicated on the island, there remain organised walks for tourists who can enjoy all the original vegetation which has come back to repopulate the island.

What's more, on the island, there are 10 archaeological sites, more than 100 petroglyphs (we were able to see some on one of the hiking trails that we went on with a guide) and cave paintings which proved that the island used to be inhabited in prehistoric times.

Thus, currently, only 800 visitors a day are allowed on the island for a maximum of 5 hours (which the tourists should be grateful for as there isn't masses of people which could prevent being able to enjoy the beauty that the landscape has to offer). When the boat arrives, the number of X entrances is noted down (the amount of people that get off the boat) and after 5 hours is up, the same number of people have to return to Florianópolis.

There are no hotels, no sort of accommodation nor the possibility to camp on the island, so it's only open so that tourists can get to know the island, but they're trying to preserve its archaeological importance and its exuberant native nature. Thus, you will only find 2 small, wooden "beach bars" where you can order some sort of fresh drink.

Prices:

• Water - 2 reals (50p or 65¢)
• Beers - 5 reals (£1. 20 or $1. 60USD)
• Caipirinhas - 5 reals (£1. 20 or $1. 60USD)

There is also food available, but I can only remember seeing the option of a fish dish with rice or fries and I can't remember the price, but it wasn't expensive.

Another wooden stall, only some metres from the beach, where they give you information regarding the hikes (trilhas in Portuguese) which are offered on the island.

What to do on Campeche Island

The island doesn't offer a huge amount of activities, but you wouldn't be able to enjoy them too much seeing as you don't have much time on the island. Getting up close with the beauty of Campeche would surprise anyone.

1. One of the possibilities is simply chilling on the beach and enjoying the sun and views on offer. Be careful because the swimming zone is marked off (something that you'll be told when you get off the boat. It'll either be the guy who drives the boat or the "monitor" who meets you on the island that will inform you of the swimming area). It's to avoid accidents with the boats that transit in the shores or with the swimmers who are snorkeling.





Also, towards the right hand side of the beach (just in front of where you get off the boat) you can access a small cove, although the walk there is a little rocky, so if you're not wearing trainers or a pair of closed shoes, then it's not recommendable.



2. Another one of the activities which I already mentioned earlier, is snorkelling. You have the option to rent some goggles from the boat which takes you to the island for a price of 15 reals (£3. 70 or $4. 70USD), or alternatively, once you get to the island you can also hire a little boat which takes you to an area which is a little cut off, to go snorkelling (which incidentally seems more interesting, right? More so than just snorkelling in the shores) and it costs around 35 reals per person (£8. 60 or $11USD), that is if I remember correctly - we didn't go snorkelling, so I'm just talking about it from memory of what they told us when we got off the boat). Undoubtedly, it must be incredible, especially when you take into account that the waters are tremendously clear and you can see to the depths and the characteristic wildlife of the island perfectly which makes you want to practise snorkelling even more. Of course, from my point of view, it would be more worthwhile to go with the boat option as it takes you to waters which are a little deeper, whereas in the shores you can't see as much, although that doesn't mean that it's not cool to see small schools of tiny fish swimming around below you.



3. Another activity which is no less interesting, is to go on some sort of walk or stroll. On this island only, you can go with a guide which is very useful because he makes stops along the way at some of the most important points (like some of the petroglyphs that we saw) and he tells you the history and legends of the island as well as helping you get to know more about the most exotic species of vegetation.

The walks are short and bearable - they don't require much physical effort; you can even go on the walk in flip-flops.

When we went, they offered us 2 walks: one cost 5 reals and the other one cost 10 reals. As we had no idea of the differences between the two and the girls at the stall recommended either one of them, we chose the cheaper one.

It was a kind of walk which lasted about 30 minutes through the interior of the island, until arriving at the highest point. There are various stops along the way which the guide told us some things about. Just as we started the walk, we found a petroglyph and he was telling us about the historical importance of this island. After continuing to walk between the vegetation on the truly beautiful pathways, we eventually arrived at the end of our walk - the highest point of the island. From there, there is an stone esplanade which is like a lookout point from where you can enjoy a panoramic of the majority of the island and even some of the beaches in Florianópolis.

At the top, we found a monolith which was about 9 metres in height. If I hadn't noticed it, the guide gave it enough importance and told us a story about how it had got there and how it had stayed upright in a vertical position for so many years.

How to get to Campeche Island

To get to Campeche Island, you can only go in fisherman's boats or also in little dinghys from the locality of Campeche. On occasions, the sea can be quite rough so you have to be careful and wear your life jackets. When we went, the boat was going up and down so much and we were sitting on the edge so we ended up completely soaking wet.

You have three options from which to depart:

• Campeche Beach: 5 or 10 minutes - (48) 9922-4800.
• Armação do Sul Beach: 40 minutes - (48) 8416-6487.
• Barra da Lagoa: 1h 30 minutes - (48) 8481-9930 or 8487-4521.

I have left the contact numbers next to each one of the ports, although I'll warn you (from my experience), not to be surprised if they don't answer.

The prices vary between 50 and 70 reals (£12. 20 and £17. 10/$15. 75USD and $22USD) for a return journey. There is no official price, so it's the fishermen who will tell you how much you have to pay and when you go in a group, you can always negotiate the price a little. It's certain that the port you're leaving from will influence the price; for example, leaving from Barra will be more expensive than leaving from Armação.

We chose to leave from Armação, a small fishing village, since the link with Lagoa was the best of them all. Furthermore, there are some bars and terraces available there, so we stopped to have an ice cream on our way back.

To get to these ports, you only need to take an urban bus which will take you to one of the three localities (depending on where you're leaving from, you'll have to get some information about the connections. We left as a small group from the bus station in Lagoa da Conceição to Armação in a single bus).

There are no official times, it varies with how in demand the trips are. In high season there will be more trips and in low season, there will be less. When you get to the port, you might have to wait a little if you are only a small group whether as if you are a big group (like us), the boat might just leave with only your group on board.

The day that we decided to visit the island, we went just after eating and it gave us time to be able to see nightfall from Campeche. Such a beautiful sunset.

I hope that this article has encouraged you to go to Campeche Island. If you are in Florianópolis and you go back home without visiting the island... you will not be forgiven! For the price of the trip, it really is worth going and enjoying the paradise and tranquility which the island offers, as well as enjoying a solitary atmosphere with just your group of friends, especially when the number of visitors is limited and so are the visiting hours.