The world dreams of escaping to Rio de Janeiro, but what about Rio natives themselves? Ask the boys and girls of Ipanema (or many other Brazilians), and you'll find that Ilha Santa Catarina, an island just off Brazil's southern coast, tops most lists.
Brazilians speak of Ilha Santa Catarina with wistfulness, as if the few hundred yards that separate it from the mainland are a world away from their busy lives. Yet they need sacrifice little for their journey, because in just over 400 square kilometers, the island packs in nearly all that is good about Brazil — with a few bonuses thrown in.
Famously picky about their beaches, Brazilians reserve high praise for many of Santa Catarina's 42 strands, which range from cliff-hugging prayer rugs to miles-long arcs of sand. A spine of mountains, luxuriant with the flora and fauna of the Mata Atlântica (Atlantic rain forest), runs the length of the island. Near the island's center, the peaks drop precipitously to the stunning, saltwater Lagoa da Conceição — a Swiss lake transported to warmer climes.
Just to the north of the lagoon begins a miles-long forest of rare, protected pines, while to the east sand dunes — some of them hundreds of feet high — create an almost lunar landscape. And on the western shores, whitewashed fishing villages seem to have been imported wholesale from the Azores Islands.
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