Brazil · ILHA GRANDE
This is the shortlist you would send a friend flying out next month: 15 ilha grande tours that earn their slot, each with a price, a traveller verdict and the one detail to check before you pay.
Full-day Rio trip by coach and boat to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande, with swims at Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde and a sea-view buffet lunch.
“The parking of the boat in the ocean was amazing. I just wish we had more than an hour on the last stop which I enjoyed the most, but no complaints”
Cruise from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande for lagoon swims, short snorkeling, scenic stops, and a seaside buffet lunch, with hotel pickup.
“Really great! Organized and very good for a day trip! Our tour guide, Marcello, was really great as-well! They have a slide on the boat, which made it more fun for us haha!”
Small-group fast boat from Rio to Ilha Grande with up to five lagoon stops, snorkeling and underwater photo options, hotel transfers.
“Was a perfect day, we went in 5 different beaches very beautiful. The sea was amazing and we saw dolphins as well. A lot of beer on the boat and the lunch was very good(all you can eat). I advice this guys because the price and the experience are amazing. Daniele, Italy”
One day from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande, with a schooner ride, lagoon swimming, snorkeling stops, and a traditional lunch.
“One the best trips I ever had. Must absolutely do when in Rio de Janeiro. Our guide Fabio was the best…”
Private Ilha Grande beach boat outing focused on fish and turtles, with snacks included. 5 to 7 hours, weather dependent, flexible booking.
“They did not show up and never responded to any communications. We did not get to go on a boat tour.”
7-hour speedboat island hopping from Vila do Abraão to Cataguás, Botinas, Ponta da Piedade, and Dentista Beach, with snorkel time.
“Had a great time on the boat. Especially the guide was super nice.”
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by schooner with swim stops, hot and cold buffet lunch, and roundtrip Rio hotel transfers.
“The weather was appalling but the tour organiser was excellent and managed to keep us all entertained in very difficult conditions. The boat trip was a wash out through no fault of the organisers who were excellent in every way.”
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by schooner with swim stops, hot and cold buffet lunch, and roundtrip Rio hotel transfers.
“It was a great trip and our guide was seasoned and watched out for everyone. It was a great trip!”
Shared Rio to Ilha Grande transport with van pickup in key neighborhoods, then an on-site boat ticket to Vila do Abraão.
“Basically.... It sucks but it's cheap. They DO NOT pick or drop off from your address. You have to Uber to a pickup location, and the dropoff was very random, like "this is close enough" (a 20 min walk with luggage). Our 8:30am pickup got changRead more”
Rio to Ilha Grande by boat. Swim at Baleia Beach and Blue Lagoon, visit Freguesia de Santana, optional local lunch, round-trip.
“Infame. 4 h de bus : 1h30 pour récupérer tout le monde à son hôtel et 2h30 de route, qui n’était pas prévues au programme. Ensuite, un bateau inconfortable, bondé, avec musique,m à tus tête comme en boîte de nuits , impossible de se détendre, des plages sales, des bateaux qui se klaxonnent entre eux, un restaurant ignoble, des arrêts à certaines plages injustifiés, pour sauter dans une eaux huileuse des déjections de moteurs, . Bref, une catastrophe.”
Rio to Ilha Grande by boat for Lagoa Azul swimming, State Park beaches, and included lunch with hotel pickup, plus one long day.
“It was nice to get out of the city for a day....diving in the blue lagoon and watching the fish is definitely worth it”
Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by boat from Rio. Lagoon swims, island stops, and lunch included, with long but scenic travel time.
“The scenery is beautiful. We never knew what island we were visiting. The guides aren't ready to go. Just tell me the name of the beach and when we should leaveAuto-translated”
14-hour day tour from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande, with Aracatibinha, Lagoa Verde, Lagoa Azul, boat ride, and lunch.
“Mala experiencia, demóranos como 1 hora y media en Río parando en todos los hoteles, cuando llegamos a Anga do Reís y embarcamos tuvimos que esperar como 1 hora a que llegara un grupo, el baño del barco tenía el piso lleno de orina, almorzamos súper tarde a las 5 pm, a la vuelta se averió un barco y tuvimos que llevarlo de una cuerda, pasamos frío, camino en el bus de vuelta a Río el bus se averió y estuvimos un buen rato parados.. llegamos súper tarde a Río, acortando los planes que teníamos para ese día…”
14-hour day tour from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande, with Aracatibinha, Lagoa Verde, Lagoa Azul, boat ride, and lunch.
“The tour is not designed for foreigners. It is not a touristic tour, it’s more like a party boat. We had huge traffic problems (of course not the tour operator’s fault) and the guide didn’t explain what was happening to anyone. When he described the tour, he never translated anything even though we booked a tour with an English speaker guide. It seems he did very little to make the passengers feel secure and comfortable. The four hours boat ride had very loud music. It looked like you were in a club more than a tour. The boat operator seem more worried about the amount of drinks to sell than…”
Shared transfer from Rio to Ilha Grande with A/C van, WiFi, reserved speedboat seats to Vila do Abaão, plus the mandatory TurisAngra fee.
“We tried to reach them some days before our trip to book the shuttle. They wrote us back but with loong time in between. They were not responsive at all. And when we wanted to book it, they didn’t write us back only hours afterwards and wanted to give us a private tour which was very expensive.”
Pick a coast, a city or a river, and start there.
