The Presidente Getúlio Vargas Bridge connects Ilha de Itamaracá to the mainland; the Santa Cruz Channel separates the island from the mainland. Connection and separation exist side by side here—two useful points of reference for planning your trip. When looking for a hotel on the island, you can first consider whether you are especially interested in historic sites, nature and species conservation, or local cuisine.
Historic Sites and Their Stories
In Vila Velha, the settlement’s history dates back to the 16th century. The historic Vila de Nossa Senhora da Conceição later became known as Vila Velha. A chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Conceição, under the care of the priest Francisco Garcia, was already there in 1526. Around 1536, Duarte Coelho, the first donatário of the Captaincy of Pernambuco, landed in what was then Vila de Nossa Senhora da Conceição. The chapel and the landing belong to different moments in the history of the place.
Forte Orange, too, tells the story of several historical periods. The Dutch built the fort in 1631 at the southern entrance to the Santa Cruz Channel. It was intended to protect access for the loading and unloading of ships serving the ports of Igarassu and Vila da Conceição. After the Dutch defeat, Portuguese authorities restored the fort in 1696 and replaced the Flemish symbols with the coats of arms of the Kingdom of Portugal. Its construction and restoration can therefore be viewed as two clearly distinct periods: first the Dutch fort, then the Portuguese alterations.
An archaeological investigation by the Laboratório de Arqueologia at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco identified the barracks, kitchen, powder magazines, and chapel of the original Forte Orange in 1971. These findings add the spaces and facilities of the first fort to its construction history. Together, the fort’s dating, the changes to its symbols, and the structures identified archaeologically offer different ways to explore the site’s history.
Engenho São João is located on the PE-35 and was the birthplace of the abolitionist João Alfredo Corrêa de Oliveira. The historic site includes the Moita, which preserves Brazil’s first steam mill. Its condition is also part of its history: part of the roof has collapsed, and the Moita is abandoned. The island’s historical evidence is therefore varied—from a fort with documented construction phases to an abandoned mill at a historic engenho.
Landscape and Species Conservation
The Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Mata de Santa Cruz is located in the northern part of Ilha de Itamaracá. The protected area preserves a remnant of Atlantic Forest vegetation, serves as a refuge for flora and fauna, and protects the estuarine zone of the Santa Cruz Channel. Vegetation, habitats, and the estuarine zone connected to the channel are therefore all at the heart of this protected area.
The ICMBio base for aquatic mammals on the island offers another perspective on species conservation. It was established in 1990 to receive and rehabilitate dependent young West Indian manatees that had been found weakened or stranded. The base is considered one of the first rehabilitation facilities of its kind in Brazil. It has a rehabilitation area for West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus) and facilities for visits. Check what visiting options are currently available before you go.
Vila Velha and Local Cuisine
Vila Velha connects local history with a culinary note: in August 2024, recipes based on shellfish were part of the town’s tourist program. Alongside the chapel and settlement history, this offers a different perspective on Vila Velha from the fort history surrounding Forte Orange. When planning your trip, you can choose among different interests: historic local identity, architectural and archaeological history, nature and species conservation, or the cuisine featured in the program at that time.
Discover more destinations: Sirinhaém, Gravatá, Amaraji, Nazaré Da Mata, Petrolândia, Moreno, Agrestina, Toritama.
Return to the overview of destinations: Pernambuco.
