angra dos reis is city in the state of rio's south, nicely nestled between mountains and ocean on the bay of ilha grande - its proximity to paraty and ilha grande, both internationally famous, make of this small town a very popular tourist destination throughout the year.

it was discovered by pedro álvares cabral, the portuguese navigator, at the dawn of the sixteenth century - a few years later another explorer, gaspar de lemos, part of pedro álvares cabral's fleet, arrived at nearby ilha grande, attracted by its natural beauty.

in portuguese, angra means inlet or creek, and january 6th was the feast of kings (dia dos reis), so when lemos discovered the area on january 6th 1502, he named it angra dos reis. 

the settlement growth was supported by the bounty provided by hunting and fishing, as well as, the extremely fertile soil - colonized in 1556, angra was originally called vila velha (old village), and it was mostly populated by indigenous tribes and slaves.