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Abraãozinho Beach |
After graduating from the University of Arizona in December of 1985 I asked my Dad for a one way ticket to Brasil as my graduation present. Having studied Portuguese for a couple of years to raise my GPA, my eyes were set on studying a semester in Rio via a program my college offered there. Soon after arriving, together with a group of about 15 other students from all over the country, we went on an excursion to the island of “Ilha Grande”, located a few hours south of Rio, though still in the state of Rio. Fast forward to April of 2022 and I returned to the Island to celebrate my birthday and relive the experience I enjoyed decades earlier. A year later, for my upcoming milestone birthday, I decided to return to the island again and brought down my girlfriend and my daughter, along with her boyfriend, to mark the event and share the unique offerings to be found on the island. Thus, this blog serves as a primer to those thinking of making the same trek we did.
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| Kayaking along the coast |
Why Should You Visit Ilha Grande? I'll Tell You Why:
An abundance of natural beauty from unspoiled rain forests, pristine beaches and numerous ocean activities. Or if you prefer, you can just kick back and take in the panorama while savoring fresh seafood and downing caipirinhas at beachfront restaurants and bars stationed right on the sand.
Hiking Around the Island
Hiking around the island on well-marked trails, which guide you past breathtaking vistas of the ocean and mountains, historical ruins, secluded beaches and even a fresh waterfall slide with a natural pool! For those who are more adventurous, you can take a guided hike to the top of “Pico do Papagaio”, rated the No.1 attraction on TripAdvisor, for about $50/person.
Well marked hiking trails
Kayaking over turquoise waters past luxury yachts and rustic fishing boats to distant beaches (we spotted a sea turtle with its periscope head cruising by us last time)
Schooner excursions around the island, offered by numerous companies at very affordable rates: we paid about US$13 each for a 5 ½ hour tour with stops at 2 beaches and another stop for lunch.
* While visiting the island for my birthday, we visited a very unique place by small tour boat, which was the home to only 3 such phenomena in the
world: The Gruta de Acaiá or
Acaiá cave. You would need to arrive by boat and I believe only tour boats are allowed as reservations need to be coordinated with the place, as it is private property. According to our knowledgeable tour guide, who spoke decent English, the cave was only discovered in the 1980's as it is situated on 'holy grounds' and the family which resides on the property had a certain fear of going into the cave. Which makes this particular cave exceptional is that you enter going down a steep stairway, but as you traverse from one end to the other, you arrive at a place where the ocean appears from under a rock formation, giving the area a unique fluorescent glow. A small pool is
Gruta de Acaiá 
Preparing to go Down Under
formed at the seam, though I would take strong precautions if going in it (a wave unexpectedly crashed under the rock from the outside and swept 3 people into the water. The guide ran over to bring them back to safety and then prohibited everyone from going back in). It is also a little tricky to get over to the area where the pool is located from the stairway, as you are holding onto a cable and shimmying along on your behind. Flip flops aren't allowed in as they could easily fall off and land somewhere below in the abyss. However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though not for the feint of heart. The small boat also made a few other stops at beaches to hang out.
* You can also charter a small boat as we did on the day of my birthday (From Doidera Passeios). The cost was less than US$300 and we ordered ahead of time a BBQ kit (about US$60), which the captain of the boat graciously prepared for us (the BBQ grill was attached to the back of the boat). This excursion was worth every penny, or centavo, as we had only our family on
board and were able to spend as much time as we liked at each stop and were able to visit more obscure and intimate locations. The boat we chartered holds up to 6 people so a few couples could partake in the experience and split the cost.
BBQ Onboard! 
Schooner Excursion
How do You Get to Ilha Grande?
The best way to travel to the island is using one of the shared transport companies. There are a couple of companies to use, which pick you up at your hotel in Rio and bring you to a point where you catch the boat to Ilha Grande. This is the quickest and easiest way to travel there and surprisingly very reasonably priced. I RECOMMEND THIS OPTION!
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| Ferry Boat to the Island |
There is also a ferry boat from Angra dos Reia, CCR
Barcas,
Monday – Friday at 15:30 and Saturday, Sunday and Holidays at
13:30, which is cheaper but for those who just want to get to their
destination not worth it (half
the fun is NOT getting their IMO). Or you can get to Angra dos Reis by car or bus and take the speed boat, which we did the first time we visited.
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| Speed Boat to the Island |
* For most of my lifetime, I needed a visa to travel to Brasil, which was complicated and required an in-person visit to a Brazilian consulate. However, in 2019 the law changed and US citizens were able enter visa free. Now, starting in April of 2025, Brasil will reinstate the visa requirements, though it most likely won't require a personal visit to a Brasilian consulate as it can be done online. If you plan to visit in 2025 or after make sure you get the latest info before traveling.
* If
you're on a budget and want to avoid the crowds, the best time to
travel is between September and December 1, or after March 1 (The
Brasil summer is peak season, Dec – February).
Plane tickets to Brasil soar during the peak season and Brasilians
travel a lot around Christmas, New Years, and the Carnaval. I've gotten plane
tickets through BACC travel in NYC since the mid 80's and they do a
great job. Just call them at 1-800-BACC-RIO. However, on my last trip to Ilha Grande for my Big Birthday I purchased tickets on google and it worked out fine.
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| Pousada Só Natureza |
* Hotel prices vary substantially on the island as you'll see an array of travelers from backpackers to resort hotel guests. We stayed at the “Pousada Só Natureza” for 4 nights on our first trip back. The pousada is conveniently located in the center of Abraão and is very reasonably priced at about US$95/night, which included breakfast and it had a nice swimming pool. It was easily within walking distance of the pier and all the attractions.
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Area Available For Festivities |
When we headed back to Ilha Grande for my Big 60, we stayed at Mata Nativa, which is located a little farther up the hill past the village but still within easy walking distance of the pier, though you might want to hire someone to lug your luggage to the Pousada from the pier.
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Bungalow Rooms at Mata Nativa |
Most of the rooms are bungalows, or as my daughter described them, TeePees. There is a nice little pool at the rear of the hotel and an area next to it which you can rent out for gatherings and events, and which has a charcoal grill, stove and refrigerator, plus plenty of seating. The breakfast was wonderful and the staff accommodating. It also is family friendly with a little playground. This will be my landing spot for my next trip there, possibly in November.
My daughter and her boyfriend stayed at the hotel Asalem. This beautiful place is located on a cliff with stunning views overlooking the ocean and hamlet of Abraão.
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View from Hotel Asalem |
A dinner for 2 on the island will run around US$40 - US$60. Mixed drinks in bars and restaurants are about US$5. Brasilians drink a lot of beer so you'll find a good selection almost anywhere.
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| Breakfast at the Pousada |
* You'll hear a lot of Spanish spoken on the island. Just as Americans travel to Cancun for vacay, Argentines travel in droves to tourist areas along the Southern Brasilian coast and many of them have even taken up residence. In fact, we rented our kayak from an Argentine lady and booked our schooner tour from another. So if you speak Spanish, puedes comunicar con mucha gente.
*Though many parts of Brasil are relatively violent and crime is prevalent, particularly Rio and Sao Paulo, Ilha Grande is very safe as there is only one small hamlet; all the residents seem to know each other. Besides, there's nowhere for thieves to hide or run to, so you can let your guard down and enjoy.
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| Drinks on the Beach |
* PACK LIGHT!! This is my number one piece of advice. You'll be traveling in taxis (or ubers), vans, buses, boats, and walking good distances with your bag, so keep it light! Everything you bring should fit in a bag which would fit in an overhead bin on a plane. I bring only 2 or 3 shorts/bathing suit and about 5 t-shirts and a few other clothing items. There was a laundromat on the street behind our pousada Só Natureza with reasonable prices, or you can just wash some of your clothes and hang them in your room (pick up bar laundry soap at Walmart for 99cents before traveling).
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| Path to Pousada |
Some other essentials are: flip flops (and hiking sneakers, which I wear down on the plane), sunscreen, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, plastic bags, blue tooth speaker (I like to listen to jazz and tropical music while I'm traveling), a mini backpack, a foldup rain jacket, mini lock for your suitcase, washcloths (you won't find any at your hotel), a beach towel (if there's room in your suitcase) and body wash. You'll also need a Brasilian plug adaptor you can find on Amazon. I also have a USB strip with 4 inputs I always travel with in case my hotel only has one socket and I have numerous devices to charge (you can also find this on Amazon). Finally, I always bring along a few energy bars to fill me up between meals. That's about it; just remember less is more. If you forget something, you can most likely purchase it at your destination (yes, they do make aspirin and razor blades outside of the US). So be bright, travel light!!
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Money exchange: Everyone has a different view on how to handle money overseas and it depends on the country you are visiting as well. For Brasil, it's probably best to withdraw some cash from an ATM, either at a bank or the airport, then use your credit card for most purchases (though make sure your card doesn't charge exorbitant international fees). Don't use your debit card outside of withdrawals since you run the risk of having your card stolen or hacked, then your checking or savings account gets drained before you know it.
Accodomodations:
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| Pousada Portal do Sol |
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| Hotel Atlântico Copacabana | |
Day 1: Start at Copacabana beach. Take in some of the natural beauty and absorb some rays, then maybe have a late lunch along the sidewalk (calçada) with a few capirinhas to wash it down, then stroll over to Ipanema and watch the sun set, as we did. After, Uber to hotel.
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| Sunset Ipanema |
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Copacabana Beach |
Day 2: Get up early and have breakfast, then head to Christ the Redeemer by Uber. I did this trip about 6 years ago and took a van to the top, starting at the base. We stopped along the way for some spectacular views. Last year however we got an uber which took us almost to the top, where we then had to purchase a ticket and hop in a park van to the top.
I preferred the trip which started at the bottom. The trip up to the statue and back took a few hours. You can grab a bite to eat where you originally caught the park van to the top or wait until you get off the mountain. Once nourished, catch an Uber to Sugarloaf, the other spectacular must-see attraction in Rio. We got our tickets right at the gate, which I think was best since we were able to get a senior discount. Just one piece of advice, the "friendly" workers will try to coax you into purchasing a picture at hugely inflated prices.
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| View from Christ the Redeemer |
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| Sugarloaf |
They heard me talking English and wanted to charge me about US$18 for a photo with my partner and Sugarloaf in the backround. On my way to pay, I heard another attendant offering the same pictures, actually 2 pictures, for half the price to a Brasilian couple. I complained profusely and got an even better deal. So beware!
Day 3: Breakfast at the hotel and off to Ilha Grande!
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View from Sugarloaf |
Though a little outdated, I have more travel tips for Brasil on a previous blog I wrote for the World Cup in Brasil: http://brasilfuteboltravel.blogspot.com/2014/05/tips-for-travelers-to-brasil-2014.html
Trip Advisor (Things to do in Ilha Grande): https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g303489-Activities-Angra_Dos_Reis_State_of_Rio_de_Janeiro.html
Hopefully this blog supplied you with the information you need to travel to and explore Ilha Grande. Feel free to leave any comments below. Thank You and Enjoy the Adventure!
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