Ilha Grande: the big island on the horizon

From the chalet's deck, Ilha Grande is the long mountain ridge lying across the sea to the northeast. It's the largest island on this coast — car-free, almost entirely rainforest reserve, and home to Lopes Mendes, a beach that turns up on best-in-the-world lists. You can visit from Paraty, but it takes planning; here's how.

What Ilha Grande is

The island is about 190 km² of protected Atlantic rainforest with a fringe of beaches and a single real settlement, Vila do Abraão — a sandy-laned village of pousadas, restaurants and dive shops where the boats land. There are no cars anywhere on the island. The interior is laced with trails; the coast is a circuit of boat stops. Its rough history (it held a leper colony and later a high-security prison, closed in 1994) is exactly why it never got developed, and the island is part of the same UNESCO World Heritage listing as Paraty.

Getting there from Paraty

There's no scheduled public ferry direct from Paraty, so you have two practical options:

1. Direct tour boat. In season, operators in Paraty run day trips by fast launch or catamaran straight to the island — typically with a stop at Lagoa Azul or another snorkeling point, time in Abraão, and lunch. Crossing takes around two hours each way. This is the simple choice: book it like any tour, a day or two ahead.

2. Via Angra dos Reis. Drive or bus about ninety minutes up the coast to Angra, then take the scheduled ferry, fast catamaran or flexboat to Abraão. More moving parts, but it runs year-round and gives you flexibility on timing.

What to do with your hours

• Lopes Mendes. The famous one: three kilometres of flour-white sand and clear surf on the ocean side. From Abraão it's a boat to Pouso plus a 20-minute forest walk, or a beautiful 2.5-hour trail. On a day trip, take the boat.
• Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde. Sheltered snorkeling lagoons north of Abraão, thick with sergeant-major fish. Most tour boats stop at one.
• Abraão itself. Have lunch with your feet in the sand, walk to the small aqueduct ruin, and watch the boat traffic. It's a likeable, scruffy little port.

Day trip or overnight?

Honest answer: a day trip shows you the postcard; the island rewards a night. If your Paraty stay is a week or more, consider one night in Abraão so you get the trails and beaches before the day boats arrive. If you have less time, the day trip from Paraty is well worth it on a calm-sea day — and the bay crossing itself, past the islands of Angra, is half the show.

Tips

• Seas are calmest in the morning; book early departures.
• Take cash, reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag; ATMs on the island are unreliable.
• Skip it in heavy rain — the crossing is long and the island is about being outdoors.

See Ilha Grande and Angra on the satellite map, and check the seasons guide before you pick your day.