Estrela da Ilha – Eco Lodge is located on Camiranga Beach, on Ilha Grande, District of Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro State (Google Maps click here).

Angra’s bay is formed of over 350 islands and Ilha Grande is famous for being the largest (with its 110 square miles) and for its 106 beaches, 56 waterfalls, caves and rivers. Brazilian government protects it as an Ecological Reservation area. Ilha Grande is also home of the Atlantic rainforest, and hides one of the richest ecosystems of the planet.

Currently the Brazilian Atlantic forests are almost completely wiped out. There only remains 5% of preserved areas from their original size at the time of the European discovery of Brazil. The greatest areas of no depletion are found in the Southeast regions where steep hills are difficult to access.

The vegetation of the Atlantic Forest is quite robust with trees that elevate over the canopy reaching up to 130 feet. The forest has great diversity of vegetation containing numerous ferns, orchids, and different varieties of palm trees including the Assai Palm. The Assai Palm averages 80 feet height and it is from their trunks that palm hearts are extracted for culinary consumption. The Forest is also rich in numerous mushrooms, moss carpets, and bromelias. The Atlantic Forest is also home to a great variety of fish that reside within fresh water streams. Invertebrates are also extremely abundant.

There are still large belts of the forest. These areas have been protected by the Reserve of the Forest Biosphere. These are the last refuges of the richest ecosystem in the world. Ilha Grande is a protected area and is an excellent place to enjoy this endangered ecosystem.

Ilha Grande shelters a lot of rich fauna, which is representative of the region. There is an abundance of bird species including parrots and saracuras. Ilha Grande is home to many different varieties of monkeys (like the howler monkey), iguanas, snakes, and invertebrates.