Ilha de Itamaracá

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The Itamaracá Island is an island on the coast of the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. It is also up in a city – a member of the Metropolitan Region of Recife.
It is separated from the mainland by the Santa Cruz channel.

The withe sands and the hot water, along with the sights that recall the history of our ancestors and the nice weather that hovers over the island make everyone fall in love for the beautiful Itamacará Island, both tourists and local people.

History

The term “Itamaracá” is derived from the Tupi language (Wikipedia
Article)

, to mean “stone that sings” or “resonant rock”.
According to records from the IBGE, the French court of Bayonne cites the occupation of the island by the Portuguese in 1491, already in process of the crimes of the ship, La Pélerino. The first inhabitants were the castaways and there are records of this in the passage of the Portuguese João Coelho of the Cross Gate and Duarte Pacheco Pereira, in 1493 and 1498, respectively.
And, in 1763, King João V bought the island to the Portuguese Crown for 4,000 crossed (currency of that time).
The district was created on 1 May, 1866, by the Provincial Law, number 676.
Currently, the county's seat is located in Pilar, which was elevated to a town in 1831.

Main Beaches

Considered one of the most popular tourist destinations of the state, this beautiful city and island is rich in natural attractions. It usually receives a good number of tourists during the high season, who wish to relax, take a refreshing swim, and recharge their energy. Taking a walk along the city in the evening is also a good option. Among its natural beauty stand out the beaches, and the most famous is the Pilar Beach, one of the busiest in the city. Urbanized, it is ideal for those who want to enjoy a day at the beach without giving up comfort. The visitor can choose between the busiest and other virtually deserted beaches, depending on what you prefer.
Among the main beaches of the island are:
Beach of the Pontal of Jaguaribe, Beach of Quatro Cantos; Baixa Verde Beach, Beach of the Forno of Cal; Beach of the Pedra Furada, Beach of Coroa do Avião, and Beach of River Âmbar, among others.

Activities for the Tourists

Among the activities that are offered to tourists on the island are:

Visit the Coroa do Avião

The Coroa do Avião, or Airplane Crown is a cozy, little island that offers a good structure of stalls for tourists to relax and snack on some seafood. To get to the Crown, take a boat to the beach of Fort Orange.

Visit the Forte Orange

The Fort Orange was built by the Dutch in 1631 at the entrance of the Santa Cruz Channel, south of the island. Still in rammed Earth, it was named in honor of the house of Orange-Nassau, who ruled the Netherlands at the time.
From the Fort, it is possible to obtain a beautiful image of the Airplane Crown.

Catamaran Ride

The catamaran ride can take two different routes.
One of the routes leads to the mangroves of the Canal of Santa Cruz, with a brief landing in the lower Old Town, where there is an old Dutch oven. The other goes to natural pools, one can spend the day snorkeling (only at low tide). Both rides start at Praia do Forte and end in Islet Crown of the Airplane and cost an average of 35 BRL.

How to Get There

The Itamaracá Island is 40 km from Recife and is separated from the mainland by the Jaguaribe River (Wikipedia Article)

.
To get to the island tourists can choose from the following options:

By car - To get to Itamaracá, take the BR-101 - North to the city of Igarassu. Then, take the middle lane. The Itamaracá Island is 45 km from Recife.
By bus - To arrive at the Island of Itamaracá by bus, the only option is the line 968, Island Itamaracá / Igarassu. It is operated by the Itamaracá company, and the path is performed by the Integrated Terminal of Igarassu and costs about 3.35 BRL.

Lodging

There are several accommodation options on Ilhabela Island. Among them are: Pousada Ciranda, Orange Praia Hotel; Pousada Ruínas do Pilar, Brisas Itamaraca; Itamaraca Beach House, Villa Manary; Itamaraca Hostel, Casa Ilha de Itamaraca; Pousada Refugio do Forte, Pousada e Restaurante Capixaba; Chales da Pedra Furada, Pousada Brisas Itamaraca, and Pousada Recanto do Sossego .
The average daily price in most of these hotels is between 100 BRL and 200 BRL.

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Author: Laryssa Balduino. Last updated: Jan 24, 2015