Ilha do Caju and São Louis

Ceara coast On the flight from Recife to Parnaiba we flew VFR at low altitude along the beautiful north coast of Brazil.

We spent Christmas at 'Ilha do Caju' [Cashew Nut Island], a 10'000 ha natural reserve owned by Ingrid Clark, who also runs the only pousada on her island.

When we arrived in Parnaiba, we were met at the airport by Ingrid Clark's boyfriend and excellent chef Mario Sanchez. This little 'put-put' motor boat took us on a 3.5 hour journey through the beautiful Parnaiba delta to the island, where horses were waiting to take us the last bit to the pousada.

Our boat from Parnaiba to Ilha do Caju
Our boat from Parnaiba to Ilha do Caju By this time Armand had completely recovered from the long flight across the South Atlantic.

The owner of 'Ilha do Caju' Ingrid Clark and her boyfriend Mario Sanchez treated the three of us and six other tourists as if we were part of the family.

Our Christmas dinner was an unforgettable gastronomical experience.

Ingrid Clark is very much in favor of conserving the island and its wildlife in its natural state.

Eco tourism on a 30 km long private island with only 9 tourists is a sort of paradise difficult to find anywhere in the world.

 

São Luis is a nice, recently refurbished old colonial town, with an absolutely charming atmosphere complete with galleries, a couple of theaters and plenty of restaurants and bars.

We stayed in a very nice old colonial hotel 'Pousada do Frances' and enjoyed a great night out sitting on a square watching the local 'gatinhas' dance around the tables to a live samba group.

saoluis5.jpg (24892 bytes)

plane_prev_home_next2.gif (3065 bytes)

© Flemming PEDERSEN, Armand F. PEREIRA and John F. MILES 1997

This Page Last Updated: 24 November 2000