Ilha Grande
Brazil
A rainforest island with no cars, a hundred beaches and one village
Photo by Vinicius Cainelli on Unsplash
Photos by Tutz Dias, Tutz Dias, Tutz Dias and Tutz Dias on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Brazil
April to September — the drier half of the year, when the trails are firm and the island is quieter
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 258mm in Dec
Where it is
23.14°S, 44.17°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Stay at least two nights, three if you want both a boat day and a hiking day — it is a long day trip from Rio and a good island after the day boats leave
- Walk to Lopes Mendes, or take the boat to Pouso and walk the last twenty minutes
- Do the lagoon boat tour to Lagoa Azul and Lagoa Verde, with a mask
- Climb Pico do Papagaio with a guide, starting before dawn for the view
- Walk across the island to Dois Rios and the old prison museum
- Swim at the Feiticeira waterfall on the way back
Ilha Grande travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Brazil
Mid-rangePousadas, restaurants and the boat-trip agencies in Abraão take cards. Pix needs a Brazilian bank account, so as a visitor you are on cards and cash, and the beaches away from Abraão — the kiosk at Lopes Mendes, the fishing villages on the far side — are where cash matters. Bring it from the mainland.
ATMs & cards
Machines in Abraão are few, refuse some foreign cards and run dry on summer weekends and holidays. Draw what you need for the whole stay on the mainland before the boat, in Rio or Angra dos Reis.
Avoid these
- relying on the machines in Abraão
Use these instead
- Banco do Brasil
- Bradesco
- Itaú
- Santander
Use those on the mainland. Draw cash for the whole stay before the boat.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Brazil
SafeVery little crime, and Abraão at night is families and backpackers. The risks are the island itself: trails that are longer, steeper and muddier than the map suggests, nightfall on a forest path, rip currents at Lopes Mendes and the surf beaches, and boat crossings in bad weather. Start hikes early, carry water and a torch, and do not miss the last boat back to Abraão from a far beach.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (8 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Vila do Abraão — including at night
- Praia Preta, Ilha Grande — the walk out of the village
- Lopes Mendes — by day, with the lifeguard flags
Worth more attention
- Pico do Papagaio — a steep forest climb that people get lost on; go with a guide
- Lopes Mendes — surf beach with rip currents; swim where others are
- The forest trails after about four in the afternoon, when the light goes early under the trees
- The last boat back from a far beach, which does not wait
- The crossing in bad weather, when boats are cancelled and the island is where you stay
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Brazil visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa requiredup to 90 days$80
Brazil reintroduced visas for these three nationalities. It is an e-visa applied for online.
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Brazil
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Yellow fever — recommended for most of Brazil including the area around Rio
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
Getting treated
Public emergency care (SUS) is free to everyone including foreigners, but is crowded and slow. Private hospitals in Rio and São Paulo are excellent and expect insurance or payment up front.
Dengue, zika and chikungunya are all present and mosquito-borne — repellent matters. Yellow fever vaccination should be given at least 10 days before arrival.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodFish, prawns and moqueca at the beach restaurants, and it is on an island with no road, so it costs more than the mainland and the menu is what the boat brought. Abraão has plenty of choice; the far-side beaches have one kiosk or a fisherman’s family cooking lunch, and you eat what there is. Prices go up sharply in the summer holidays.
Travel tipsGetting around
Limited- BoltNot here
There are no cars on the island apart from a few official vehicles. You walk the trails or take a boat taxi from the Abraão jetty.
Time zone and your working day
America/Sao Paulo — 1 hour ahead of you
7 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–16:00 your time, 10:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 08:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 08:00–16:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Brazil, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Portuguese (Brazilian)
- HelloOi / Oláoy / o-LA
- PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
- Thank youObrigado / Obrigadao-bree-GA-doo / -da
- Yes / NoSim / Nãoseeng / nowng
4 more phrases
- Excuse meCom licençakong lee-SEN-sa
- How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-ta
- The bill, pleaseA conta, por favora KON-ta
- Cheers!Saúde!sa-OO-djee
Softer and more open than European Portuguese, and the de sounds like "dje".
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic and Evangelical
The largest Catholic population in the world, with a fast-growing Evangelical share and Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Candomblé and Umbanda practised alongside.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet with a kiss on each cheek between women, or a woman and a man; a handshake between men
- Expect physical closeness in conversation — standing back reads as cold
- Arrive late to social invitations; on time is genuinely early
- Learn a few words of Portuguese, and never open in Spanish
Don't
- Do not make the OK sign with finger and thumb — it is obscene here
- Do not walk with a phone visible in the street
- Do not wear obvious jewellery or watches on the beach or in the city
- Do not call Brazilians Hispanic or assume they speak Spanish
Where to stay in Ilha Grande
No Holistay rentals in Ilha Grande yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Ilha Grande on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Rio de Janeiro Galeão GIG
3hfrom the airport· 101 km as the crow flies
About two hours by road to Conceição de Jacareí, then twenty to fifty minutes by boat to Abraão.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
