The 15 Best Island Day Trips in Brazil

1.Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 1,673 reviews · 14 hours · from $77Our pick

Travel from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande for a 14-hour day of swimming, snorkeling, island stops, and a sea-view buffet lunch. Pickup is offered in Leblon, Ipanema, and Copacabana. Multilingual guides such as Marcelo, Fabio, Thiago, and Nayt keep the group moving, while the boat adds music, shade, drinks for purchase, and even a slide.

“Fabio was an amazing guide, couldn’t of been more helpful. Tour was brilliant and all arranged very well. Can’t recommend enough if you have enough time in Rio it’s a great way to get out the city and see a beautiful part of Brazil.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Full Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Grand Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 469 reviews · 14 hours (approx.) · from $90

Spend about 14 hours traveling from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by bus and schooner. Swim at Lagoa Azul, visit quiet beaches, enjoy a buffet lunch, and return late. Guides may include Felipe, Flavia, Ana, Elainne, or Nayt. Expect shared transport, changing pickup points, and possible boat crowds.

“I did during the peak season, in early January. Our guide, Felipe was nice and kind. The overall problem is there are too many people in a group as others pointed. This is not good for both tour participants and the guide. A daily group consisted of more than 40 people is packed in a tour bus; then, at Angra, 2 or 3 of different tour groups are packed in a boat (because a similar tour is organized by many different tour operators). Fortunately, my group’s departure was not too delayed in Rio and we did not wait that long on the port to take a boat. For me, snorkeling/swimming…”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Angra dos Reis & Ilha Grande Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 402 reviews · 12 hours · from $77

Travel from Rio by coach and boat to Ilha Grande’s Blue Lagoon, Praia de Araça, Freguesia de Santana, and other Costa Verde stops. Swim, snorkel, eat a Brazilian buffet lunch, and enjoy a lively bilingual boat crew. Guides may include Daniel, Nayt, Flavia, or Marcello.

“only the weather was bad but everything else was amazing ! amazing landscapes”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Paraty Bay: Islands & Beaches Boat Tour with Snorkeling

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 274 reviews · 5 hours · from $22

Spend five hours cruising Paraty Bay aboard a well-equipped boat with Portuguese-speaking crew. Stop at two beaches and two islands for swimming and snorkeling, with floaties, masks, music, bar service, restrooms, and optional lunch. Paddleboards, kayaks, and a caipirinha are available with selected options. Arrive early at the Paraty Tours office to collect your ticket before walking to the harbor.

“Great tour with lots of awesome stops. Good for many types of people! Snorkeling was fun. There’s good food as well. Good bang for your buck overall. I’d recommend to both couples and families.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Arraial do Cabo Island Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 192 reviews · 14 hours · from $67

Leave Rio’s southern beaches by licensed coach and head to Arraial do Cabo for a boat ride past Praia do Forno, Praia do Farol, Blue Grotto, and Fenda de Nossa Senhora. Guides speak English, Portuguese, and Spanish. Expect a long day, brief beach stops, extra port fees, and a buffet lunch with drinks and desserts sold separately.

“Great Logistics. Pick-up was arrange for us in Leme even though it was not in the area of the tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Schooner ride with or without Lunch Included – Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 132 reviews · from $12Best value

Join Angra dos Reis Turismo at 11:30 am for a six-hour schooner ride through Ilha Grande’s clear bays. Snorkel at Lagoa Azul and the Botinas Islands, relax at Araça Beach, and stop for lunch at Japariz or Praia das Setas. The $12 starting price is appealing, but check if lunch is included and bring snacks.

“Passeio básico para quem vai a Angra, pelo preço vale a pena e você consegue mergulha e curtir um pouco a praia. Porém, levem lanches. No barco a única opção de compra era fandangos e o preço do almoço (se não estiver incluso) é absurdo. Um prato simples de filé de frango com batatas fritas é 170 reais, e não há outra opção para se alimentar. De resto, o passeio vale a pena.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande: Small-Group Fast-Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 119 reviews · 14 hours · from $200

Leave Rio early for a three-hour transfer to Angra dos Reis, then board a speedboat for Ilha Grande. With a bilingual guide such as Lucas, Jessie, or Erica, you may visit up to five beaches and lagoons, including Blue Lagoon and Botinas Islands. Bring snacks, swimwear, sun protection, and a change of clothes.

“Great tour! Pick up on time, comfortable big bus to location, then split into 3 small boat groups. Beautiful locations, nice food, free caipirinhas!! Lucas and Max were excellent guides! Highly recommended this activity!”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Exploring Angra Dos Reis and Ilha Grande in One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 107 reviews · 12 hours (approx.) · from $85

Spend about 12 hours traveling from Rio to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande by bus and schooner. Swim at Freguesia de Santana, Aracatibinha, Lagoa Verde, and Lagoa Azul, then enjoy a Brazilian buffet at Praia de Japariz. Bilingual guides such as Daniel, Nayt, and Fabio have helped make the long day run smoothly.

“We had a fantastic tour. It was nice to see another part of Rio/Brazil during our trip, and the islands were gorgeous. A few notes for anyone looking to book in the future… Avoid booking on Fridays/Weekends unless you want to sit in 5+ hours of traffic on the way home. The drive was made much longer by the weekend traffic, and our guide said it was the usual. We went during high season, so the islands/bays were extra packed. It sorta took away from the trip a bit. The boat had bathrooms (wouldn’t call them the nicest but they worked… ish) and enough food/drink options to get you by.…”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Schooner Tour to Frades Islands and Itaparica

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 98 reviews · 8 hours · from $39

Spend eight hours aboard a schooner from Salvador’s Nautical Terminal, cruising Todos os Santos Bay to Ilha dos Frades and Itaparica. Swim in calm water, enjoy a fruit round, eat at a beachfront buffet, and return at sunset with live music on board. Guides may speak Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, or Italian.

Check availability →Read our full review

10.7h Speedboat Tour of Paradise Islands

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 94 reviews · 7 hours · from $74

Spend seven hours island-hopping from Vila do Abraão to Cataguases, Botinas, Piedade, Dentista, and a final lunch stop on Ilha Grande. The Portuguese-speaking crew keeps the day simple: ride, hear the stop time, then swim, snorkel, walk, or relax. Bring cash, beachwear, and a towel. Snorkel gear is rented near the pier.

“Went to quite overcrowded beaches, was expecting more niche places for the price.”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.Ilha Grande with Boat Tour & Optional Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★3.6 · 72 reviews · 10 hours · from $65

Travel from Rio’s South Zone to Angra dos Reis, then cruise Ilha Grande by schooner. You’ll swim at Baleia’s Beach and Blue Lagoon, visit Freguesia de Santana, and stop for optional lunch at Japariz Beach. A bilingual guide joins the road transfer, while the boat portion has no bilingual guide.

“la compañía que realiza el tour simplemenete no apareció y nos informo 2 horas despues que ese día no se haría el tour. no he recibido el reembolso”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Private VIP Paradise Ilha Grande Speed Boat and Transfer from Rio

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 51 reviews · 9 to 10 hours (approx.) Top rated

Travel from Rio to Ilha Grande in a private air-conditioned vehicle, then visit several beaches by comfortable speedboat. Guide Tatiana, Romeo, Romeu, or Angelica may lead the day, with swimming, snorkeling, scenic stops, a historic church, and lunch at Saco do Céu. The listed price covers up to four people.

“Great day exploring 6 different beaches on the big island! Romeo our guide spoke English very well over a multitude of topics and was well engaged with us throughout the day. It’s a solid two hours each way from Copacabana but worth the trip because of the beauty of the islands. The speedboat was well equipped including an awning. Lunch though additional was excellent. It was great to avoid the crowds. Highly recommend!”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Full-Day Tour to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 50 reviews · 14 hours · from $77

Travel from Rio to Angra dos Reis for a full day by coach and boat. Swim at Blue Lagoon, visit Praia de Araça and Freguesia de Santana, and stop for a Brazilian buffet lunch. English, Spanish, and Portuguese guides accompany the trip. Expect a long day, an extra R$25 marina fee, and optional paid snorkeling equipment.

“Muy buena actividad. Tuvimos un muy buen guia. Estaba preocupado por nosotros todo el tiempo. En el bus que ibamos tuvo un problema pero rapidamente nuestro guia solucionó el problema y la actividad se hizo a tiempo.”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.5-Stop Ilha Grande Speedboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 40 reviews · 5 hours · from $34

Join a Portuguese-speaking guide at Estação Santa Luzia for a five-hour shared speedboat trip around Ilha Grande. Swim at Lagoa Azul, Grumixama, Cataguás, and Freguesia de Santana, with time for lunch at Praia das Flechas. The boat holds up to 18 people, and a foam noodle is included.

“Não tinha nada de paradisíaco. Passeio simples, pouco atrativo. Não faria novamente”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Jeep tour through Ilhabela State Park

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 36 reviews · from $40

Spend about 7.5 hours in an off-road vehicle crossing Ilhabela State Park to Praia de Castelhanos. A driver-guide leads the route, which includes a rough 15-kilometer forest road and roughly three hours at the beach. The tour starts and ends in Perequê, costs $40 per person, and is not available to cruise ship passengers.

“Do not buy Jeep tours in advance if you are taking the cruise. They will not respond to you and will refuse your booking on the day of the tour. You then easily may purchase the same Jeep tour from the Port. What the scheme. No refund from the Viator/Trip Adviser/operator.”

Check availability →Read our full review