Ilha Grande, Private Island Trips

By boat, since the island is car-free. We bring you to the Costa Verde coast by private transfer or comfortable shuttle from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or Paraty, and a speedboat carries you across from a mainland port such as Conceição de Jacareí or Angra dos Reis to the village of Abraão, in as little as about twenty minutes. Every leg is arranged and timed for you, so you never touch a timetable or a ticket queue.

Two to three nights hit the sweet spot: enough for a lagoon or island boat day, a beach or hiking day and a slow morning before the boat back. The classic pairing is Paraty, the beautifully preserved colonial town just along the coast, which deserves about two nights of its own before or after the island. Rio de Janeiro connects easily on the same route.

On foot or by water. There are no cars, so you either walk the forest trails or take boats between beaches. The good news is you can make it as easy or as active as you like. The famous beaches and the Blue Lagoon are reachable by boat with only short walks, so no real fitness is required. The longer trails and the Pico do Papagaio climb are proper hikes for active travellers, but they are entirely optional. Most people mix a couple of gentle boat days with one or two short walks.

It is warm all year. April to October is the drier stretch, with calmer, clearer seas that are ideal for boat days and snorkelling. The summer months (December to March) are hotter, greener and busier, with warm water but more frequent heavy showers. For the best water and the fewest crowds, aim for the shoulder months on either side of winter.

Yes. It is a small, laid-back island community and one of the more relaxed places on the Brazilian coast, with little of the concern of a big city. The real things to respect here are natural: the sun, the sea and the trails. Walk with water and decent shoes, take boats only with experienced local boatmen, and the island is about as easy-going as travel in Brazil gets.

Yes, Ilha Grande is worth visiting if you want beaches, forest and boat days without cars or crowds. The island is a car-free protected area with clear coves, forest trails and a relaxed village, a real contrast to Rio and São Paulo. What stayed with me was the boat tour around the island, Lopes Mendes beach and Pico do Papagaio towering over everything. It is less suited to travelers who want big resorts. Two to three nights suit most itineraries.

On Ilha Grande you can take a boat day to the Blue Lagoon and quiet coves, swim and snorkel, hike forest trails to beaches such as Lopes Mendes, and climb to a viewpoint if you feel active. Many visitors also simply spend an afternoon on the sand. A private guide helps match the day to the weather, tide and your energy.

No, there are no cars on Ilha Grande. Private vehicles are not part of island life, so you get around on foot, by boat and along forest trails. You never carry your own suitcase: porters wait at the jetty in Abraão, we arrange them in advance, and they get a small tip. That is much of the island’s charm, with quiet streets and the sound of the sea instead of traffic.

Where to stay on Ilha Grande comes down to Abraão or a spot a little outside the village. Stay in Abraão if you want restaurants and evenings out, or just outside it for quiet; Abraãozinho is a lovely beach a short walk or water taxi away. Staying away from the center is no problem, because porters at the jetty carry your luggage, which we arrange in advance for a small tip. Remote beaches offer more seclusion but take more effort to reach.

Lopes Mendes is widely considered one of the island’s finest beaches, a long stretch of pale sand with open surf, and it is worth the trip on a clear day. You usually reach it by a forest walk or by boat, depending on conditions. We choose the route and timing for the weather and sea state, since the waves can be strong.

Yes, you can pay by credit card practically everywhere on Ilha Grande, so you need little cash, though a few reais are handy for small tips such as the porters at the jetty. Mobile signal is usually better in Abraão than at remote beaches, where it can be patchy, so download maps and tickets before you go.

Ilha Grande is a good fit for families with older children, because the car-free island is calm, the water is clear and boat days feel like adventures. The easy beaches need only short walks, while longer trails are optional. We pace the days around your children’s ages and stamina, and our guides always speak English.

Privately guided trips with Authentic Brazil Travel start at roughly US$200 to US$400 per person per day on the ground, with accommodation, transfers and guiding included and flights excluded. Your written proposal states the exact total for your dates, and larger groups pay less per person. Ilha Grande combines well with Paraty and Rio on one coastal route.