With no cars and only a few residents, Brazil’s Ilha do Cardoso offers a genuine escape from the modern world.

The island is without paved roads or vehicles. Children travel to school by boat, and electricity is powered by solar panels, with the generator shutting off every night at 10:30 PM.

Ilha do Cardoso is a protected region in Brazil where only those born on the island are permitted to live—unless they marry a local resident.

The island’s small population of just 480 people survives through fishing, spread across a few humble villages.

Ilha do Cardoso lies at the southernmost point of São Paulo state, over 170 miles southwest of the bustling city of São Paulo, home to more than 12 million people.

Life moves at a much slower pace on the rugged Ilha do Cardoso.

Spanning 33,000 acres, the island’s mangroves, beaches, marshes, and diverse wildlife are all protected as part of a state park.

Reaching Ilha do Cardoso for a night’s stay requires effort. Visitors must first travel to Cananéia, the southernmost city in São Paulo state, then take a ferry to cross the Mar Pequeno waters.

Reaching Marujá, the village at the island’s southern tip, takes about three hours from Cananéia.

The island’s residents cherish their isolation and prefer to remain somewhat disconnected from the outside world.

The community is close-knit. Visitors mingle with locals at one of the island’s few restaurants or at the bar in the family-run inns, known locally as pousadas.

German photographer Ralf Henze has visited the island many times, drawn by its 'simple life and happy people.'

'They could easily move to the mainland, but this lifestyle is about owning less, not feeding an ego, and rejecting materialism,' Henze says.

A place all to yourself

While anyone is welcome to visit, it’s essential to book in advance, as accommodation options are limited.

From Cananéia, visitors can take a boat to Pereirinha, a beach just six kilometers from the city, where they may encounter dolphins, schools of fish, and other marine life along the way.

Just a short stroll from the beach, the Núcleo Perequê serves as the headquarters for the state park. Opened in 2010, this modest building features an impressive whale skeleton and offers guided tours of the mangroves, along with private boat rentals.

A trail meanders through nearly a kilometer of dense forest, where twisted tree roots dip in and out of the light blue saltwater, eventually leading back to Pereirinha beach.

At the beach, you'll find Quiosque Raiz Caiçara, a family-run restaurant in a small shack serving fish, salad, and rice. The cabin also rents out umbrellas and occasionally hosts pig roasts for special gatherings.

A visitor cap set by the Ilha do Cardoso state park ensures the sand dunes are never overcrowded, maintaining a tranquil atmosphere.

Birdwatching enthusiasts will be thrilled by the island’s diverse birdlife. Endemic species such as the red-tailed parrot, black-headed berryeater, black-backed tanager, and restinga tyrannulet can be spotted here, many of which are endangered in Brazil.

For a truly immersive experience, make your way to Marujá, a village located at the southern tip of the island, about 37 kilometers from Cananéia by boat. You can inquire about boat rentals at the mainland port or the Núcleo Perequê visitor center.

This landscape, reminiscent of Jurassic Park, is where you'll find the guesthouses and where most of the island’s residents live.

The village is home to the Caiçara people, traditional coastal inhabitants of southern Brazil who are descendants of indigenous people, Europeans, and Africans.

A narrow canal winds its way to the village, which is dotted with colorful, modest houses, offering a peaceful soundtrack of island life.

'I love being disconnected from modern life,' says Henze, who lives in Campinas, São Paulo. 'And here, that’s exactly what you get. The tranquility helps you unwind from the stresses of everyday life – but don’t come if you need reliable internet!' (It’s spotty at best).

Delightfully removed from the rush of modern life

The villagers sustain themselves on the fish they catch and the crops they cultivate, such as corn, rice, sugarcane, bananas, beans, and cassava.

They practice coivara, a sustainable farming method where a patch of forest is cleared and planted for three years, then left fallow for up to ten years to regenerate before being used again.

Anything that cannot be grown or caught on the island requires a trip to Cananéia. This traditional lifestyle, typical of the Caiçara people, is increasingly at risk due to real estate development and shrinking fish populations.

Eco-tourism plays a key role in the local economy, so joining one of the tours led by locals is highly recommended.

A 24-kilometer hike near Laje Beach on the island's southern coast takes you to a hidden natural swimming pool, while a boat ride brings you to a breathtaking cascading waterfall. For those seeking nocturnal adventure, there's the chance to observe alligators and glowing phytoplankton, or you can explore a sambaqui—a shell mound—offering a glimpse into the Tupi language, spoken by Brazil's early fisher-gatherer communities.

These vast shell mounds, made purely from shells, are one of the few remaining traces of the sambaquieiros, the ancient shell mound people who once inhabited Brazil before European colonization.

Just five minutes from the pousadas in Marujá lies a long, sandy beach perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and—if you're lucky—dolphin sightings. Alternatively, rent a bike and ride along the winding paths that cross the dunes.

When night falls, a whole new spectacle awaits: powerful thunderstorms often roll in over the Atlantic Ocean and the island’s mountainous terrain, providing a stunning show.

The Brazilian government is considering privatizing the management of several parks, a move that critics warn could accelerate the deforestation of the fragile Atlantic Forest ecosystem. It might be wise to visit sooner rather than later.

Ilha do Cardoso isn’t for everyone, but it offers a rare glimpse into a way of life that might soon disappear, giving visitors the opportunity to truly disconnect from the relentless pace of modern society.

Planning your visit

The ferry service from Cananéia to Ilha do Cardoso no longer stops at the island, so visitors must either hire a private boat from the mainland or catch one of the boats already making the crossing.

You can either ask your pousada to recommend a local captain for the journey, or, as Rodrigo from Pousada Villa Verde advises, 'Ask around at the port for Alex—he's usually the one making the trips.'