In this blog, well be giving a sneak peek into our shoot with Maria Luiza in Rio De Janeiro, in “Ilha da Gigoia” a community that is considered to be Rio’s version of the Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland area located in Mato Grosso do Sul. Check out our photo diary titled "Ilha da Gigoia" to see the full photo shoot.
To get around this beautiful area and to cross over to the main islands, you must call a taxi boat. In this system of lagoons and beaches, youll find large mangrove trees, alligators, turtles, and rare birds that come together to bring life to this beautiful ecosystem. Residents live in homes nestled in the mangrove trees, with boat docks as their patio to make their daily commute. When visiting Rio, Ilha da Gigoia is a hidden gem that you must visit to get a taste of Brazilian swamp life in the big city. To call a taxi boat from the main entry point, it ranges between 3-5 reais or .60¢ to 1$ to get to and fro.
If youre looking for a great bar to stop at while visiting, we recommend the Bar Caiçara, an eclectic bar with waterfront views that serves beer, cocktails, bar food, along with specialty northeastern Brazilian cuisine at lunch time. Bar Caiçara often has live music on the weekends and is always a fun time.
If you seek a high end dining experience, we recommend Laguna, @restaurantelaguna on instagram, for a luxury seafood dining setting. This restaurant is also waterfront, and as a part of the experience, you can ride up to the restaurant in a boat and get taken straight to your table. The sunset view from Laguna is amazing, especially at sunset when the orange hues reflect off of lagoons to create a breathtaking view. We personally recommend the Moqueca, a brazilian fish stew made with specialty ingredients sourced in the northermost region of Brasil, Bahia.
For our photo shoot, we rented a unique home along a side lagoon and worked together to execute our idea. We wanted to highlight this area and the natural beauty of it while blending our model in with the scenery, Luiza, in with the scenery. This photo shoot was so fun and we got some beautiful images to remember our time on the Island. We will definitely return the next time we are in Rio... <3