Ilha Grande



Ilha Grande is a beautiful Brazilian island, about from Rio de Janeiro and  from São Paulo. The largest settlement on the island is called Vila do Abraão. Together with Paraty, Ilha Grande forms a mixed world heritage site.

Get in
Ilha Grande must be reached by boat from Angra dos Reis or Mangaratiba.

The departure times of the ferry from Mangaratiba, Conceiçao and Angra dos Reis stated on rome2rio.com are outdated (Dec 2020).

There are no scheduled ferries from Conceição de Jacareí (Dec 2020). Avoid illegal vessels in Conceição. They are extremely dangerous and uncomfortable.

There are no banks on the island: bring cash because many hotels, shops and restaurants do not accept credit cards. You can stop at an ATM in Angra dos Reis before hitting the island.

Ferry from Angra dos Reis
The ferry from Angra dos Reis departs every day at June 29, 2024 and the price is R$17 (Dec 2020).

The intercity bus in the morning from Rio de Janeiro to Angra dos Reis is comfortable and costs R$57 (Dec 2021). You can depart from Rio at June 29, 2024 (Feb 2021). From São Paulo you can take a night bus at June 29, 2024 and after 9 hours you arrive at June 29, 2024 in Angra dos Reis (Feb 2021). Check the current departure times on the Buscaonibus app.

From the Angra dos Reis intercity bus station to the port, take a taxi or a local bus for the 2 km or walk 25 min.

There also Blablacar rides offered from Rio to Angra dos Reis for around R$35 (Dec 2021).

Ferry from Mangaratiba
The ferry from Mangaratiba departs early in the morning (Dec 2020).

This might be the case again after the pandemic: ferries operated by Barcas SA Mangaratiba (105 minutes, starting at 08:00, returning at 17:30. Prices are much more expensive than those charged by Barcas SA, which is the government. The Barcas SA are of the government of Rio de Janeiro is much safer and their staff are top professionals. Terminal Santa Luzia is discouraged. Their prices are much higher than those of Barcas SA. Another problem is the operating company of this pier, it offers a fast boat, but at the time of shipment you can embark on an extremely slow boat. Their employees are rude and unprepared to deal with tourism.



Get around


There are no roads and no private cars on the island. A good option is to use Vila do Abraão as a base and plan day trips from there. There are several hiking trails to the many beaches on the island. Some trails can be strenuous in the tropical weather, so be prepared and take plenty of fluid. Night falls early and dawn is short near the equator, so carry a flashlight if you plan to return after 18:00. Many beaches can be reached by boat and several agencies in Vila do Abraão sell packages for the numerous schooners serving the island. It is easy to find one-way trips and pick ups back to Vila do Abraão on many beaches in the evening.

It is possible to walk around the outside of the island in about 4 or 5 days if you're not in too much of a hurry. Its best to start at Abraão and go in an anticlockwise direction, through Dois Rios. Note that accommodation on the back side of the island is scarce and free camping is illegal. At Parnaioca beach on the backside, arguably one of the most beautiful spots on the whole island and worth spending at least a couple of days at, you can ask for accommodation in the local houses (there are only about 8 people living there); ask for Sr. João, he'll help you out. Meals can also be purchased, but variety is very limited, so it might be a good idea to take some food.

See

 * Art Gallery inside of Vivenda das Bromelias Inns
 * Aqueduct
 * Candido Mendez Jail Ruins en Dois Rios - It´s not preserved or restored but come here and remember that the most dangerous criminals in Brazil were kept here
 * In Parnaioca Beach (not easy to reach) there are other remainders of the slave period. The dark past of the island: jail prisoners, slaves, pirates and lepers in the Lazareto Hospital. Many people affirm that they have seen phantoms in Parnaoica or Caxadaco beaches.

Do

 * Snorkeling
 * Kayaking
 * Sailing
 * Diving at Sitio Forte
 * Hiking in the rain forest at Papagaio Peak - A 2-3 hour hike to the peak. Marked, despite some warnings you may hear, and with a beautiful view at the top. Bring lots of water. There are thirteen other well marked trails (trilhas). It's possible to walk around the whole island. Plan at least 8 days for that trip.

Beaches
There are beautiful beaches, some considered to be among the nicest of Brazil.
 * Adventurer Beach (Praia do Aventureiro)
 * Bananal Cove (Enseada do Bananal). A nice quiet location.
 * Feiticeira Beach (Praia da Feiticeira)
 * Lopes Mendes beach in Ilha Grande was once voted one of the top 10 most beautiful in the world by Vogue Magazine. The water is shallow a long way out, making for good surfing conditions. The usual boat route takes you from the main settlement to another beach on the opposite side of the island. From here, there are 20 minutes of relatively steep footpath to Lopes Mendes to get you nice and ready for a dip. Beware of strong currents a bit out.
 * Lopes Mendes beach in Ilha Grande was once voted one of the top 10 most beautiful in the world by Vogue Magazine. The water is shallow a long way out, making for good surfing conditions. The usual boat route takes you from the main settlement to another beach on the opposite side of the island. From here, there are 20 minutes of relatively steep footpath to Lopes Mendes to get you nice and ready for a dip. Beware of strong currents a bit out.

Buy
You find locally owned supermarkets along the western part of the curved road (Rua Getúlio Vargas).

There are a few souvenir shops in Vila do Abraão selling t-shirts, magnets and other stuff. In fact, there is nothing typical or special to buy in Ilha Grande.

Eat
The seafood is generally very good and could perhaps be regarded as a specialty. Many restaurants offer casseroles with several types of seafood, served as a dish for two. Although in the higher price range for Ilha Grande, they are delicious and good value for money. The best place to go for traditional Brazilian is Frutos do Mar located on Rua da Praia. Try their Brazilian fish stew, that alone is worth the journey to Ilha Grande.


 * Pastel de Frango at Crena Beach. There are about 30 restaurants in the island. Some are expensive but there are many cheaper options like hamburgers. Try Food for Kilo; pay about US $0.80 per 100 g for very nice food.

Drink
There is no clubbing scene or electronic dance - at night it's drinking beer in the main square and dancing with live local music like bossa nova, forró, and samba. One popular bar is the Cafe Do Mar, which is on the eastern side of Villa do Abraao. Right next to the beach, they serve cold beer, mean caipirinhas and cool music, in a very chilled out atmosphere. They also have well attended BBQ nights, which offer delicious fresh fish, etc., and serve narghile (also known as sheesha). Kebab is their sister bar in the town, offering Greek-style kebabs with great juices, drinks and cocktails and the same funky atmosphere. Here there is also a little wok bar where you can see them make noodles for you. Restaurante Esquinas Bar is a good place to sit by the beach. You grab a beer, meet some people, buy some artcrafts and hear the locals play Brazilian music. If it rains, don't worry, it'll pass.

Vila Abraao
There are plenty of accommodations in Vila Abraão, plus a couple of camping grounds. Free camping is illegal, although inspection and supervision of beaches is not very frequent.

Budget
There are a handful of hostels on the island. As you get off the boat on the pier go to the second street from the ocean and turn left. Most of the budget hostels are on this street, such as Resta 1. In high season a lot of hostels can be full. Several camping grounds are also available. One which is fairly centrally located and is very likely to have some vacancies is Santana´s Camping. Located on the opposite side to Resta 1 on the street connecting two main streets.

Camping
The best option for budget travelling is camping, which must be done inside legalized areas to avoid getting into trouble. Most camping grounds are priced R$20 (per person) each night, which usually makes the choice a matter of preference. Some of the Campings (such as Camping do Sossego and Camping do Lúcio) accept only couples. The installations below are located on Vila do Abraão, basically comprised of two main parallel streets, which concentrate most services. Rua da Praia runs along the ocean, and Rua Getúlio Vargas runs behind it.

Other areas
Aracatiba town is a cheaper option but it doesn't offer much in terms of tourist facilities, it´s more for weekend tourists who live in Angra dos Reis area already. It's far away from Abraão, Lopes Mendes or Dois Rios, not a very convenient choice if it's your first visit to the island. Bananal Beach or Sitio Forte have nice mini-resorts, a good option for honeymooners.



Connect

 * There is a signal for mobile phones just in a few places.
 * Public phones can be found everywhere.

Go next

 * There is a ferry to Angra dos Reis daily at 10:00. The intercity bus to Rio departs from the central bus station at 12:00, which might be missed when the boat leaves late. Another bus departs at 15:00. There are also several Blablacar rides to Rio. The intercity bus costs R$57 (Dec 2021) and the Blablacar rides around R$35 (Dec 2021).
 * Some boats have Mangaratiba routes at 10:00 with a connection to Rio de Janeiro, but take care choose the Original Fast Connection, with legal vehicles, or-- you need take a minibus to the main route and then take a bus on the highway to Rio. It's better to go to Angra dos Reis, take the Costa Verde bus, wait for the ferry at the pier, and go directly to the bus station in Rio de Janeiro.
 * A couple of agencies, for instance 'Fast Connection Island Travel' with an office right by the piers, offer "express connection" to Rio. You go by speedboat to the mainland and a van transports you to your hotel in Rio. It may not be much more expensive than paying for a ferry ticket + bus to Rio + Uber from the Rio bus terminal. However, the claims of getting to Rio in less than 2 hours should not be counted on. For instance, in case of bad weather the speed boat will not depart and you will be put on the regular ferry - the trip to Rio may then take six hours or even more. Don't risk missing your flight home.