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The Costa Verde — the green coast between Rio and São Paulo — packs three very different worlds into one stretch of shoreline: colonial Paraty, car-free Ilha Grande, and the island-strewn bay of Angra dos Reis. A week covers all three without ever feeling like a checklist. Here's how we'd run it.
Days 1–3: Paraty
Base yourself above the bay and give Paraty three full days: one for the historic centre and the fort, one for a boat day on the bay, one for the waterfalls and cachaça distilleries on the Cunha road or the beaches of Trindade. That rhythm — town, water, forest — is laid out hour by hour in our three-day itinerary, so we won't repeat it here.
What matters for the week-long version is pacing: Paraty is the slow, golden, civilised act of the trip. Eat well, stay up for the live music once, and don't burn energy you'll want on the island.
Days 4–5: Ilha Grande
From the deck of the chalé, Ilha Grande is the long blue ridge on the horizon. Up close it's Brazil's great roadless island: no cars, a hundred-plus beaches, and a single real village — Vila do Abraão — where the boats land. Direct transfers run from Paraty in season, or you drive up the coast and cross from Conceição de Jacareí or Angra; the options, times and gotchas are in Paraty to Ilha Grande.
Stay one night, two if you can. The non-negotiable is Lopes Mendes: three kilometres of pale sand and clear surf, reached by boat-taxi to a neighbouring cove and then a short forest trail. Day two, take a around-the-island boat tour or pick a trail out of Abraão — the island is almost entirely state park, and the jungle comes down to the waterline everywhere.
Day 6: Angra dos Reis
Angra is the bay of 365 islands — a working town fronting an absurd scatter of islets, sandbars and private coves. The town itself is functional rather than pretty; the point is the water. Join a boat tour or hire a lancha for the day and swim the sandbanks and snorkel spots between the islands. If you're returning toward Paraty by car, this slots in naturally on the drive back down the BR-101.
Day 7: the flex day
Keep the last day empty and spend it on whatever the week told you that you wanted more of. Options we'd shortlist:
- The Saco do Mamanguá — the fjord-like ria south of Paraty, with a climb up the Mamanguá sugarloaf if your legs want it.
- A second, private boat day targeting the snorkeling islands the schooner rushed past.
- Nothing. The pool, the mist burning off the canopy, a long lunch. The view does the work.
Practical notes
- Direction: if flying into Rio, do the week as written (Paraty first, working back toward Rio via Ilha Grande and Angra saves backtracking on departure day).
- Season: December–March is hottest with afternoon storms; June–August is drier and clearer. Both work — see what to pack.
- Leave the protected areas as you found them — most of this route runs through reserves; our low-impact guide has the details.