From the chalé's deck, Ilha Grande is the long mountain ridge lying across the horizon. Getting there is a half-day logistics puzzle with three solutions. Here they are, honestly compared.
Option one: direct boat from Paraty
In season and on demand, fast catamarans and transfer boats run directly from Paraty's pier to Vila do Abraão, Ilha Grande's main village. The crossing takes roughly two to two and a half hours along one of the prettiest stretches of coast in Brazil — you pass the whole bay, the outer islands and the green wall of the Juatinga peninsula. It's the door-to-door winner when it's running; schedules thin outside summer and on weekdays, and rough seas cancel it occasionally. Book a day or two ahead through your hosts or at the pier, and confirm the return leg at the same time.
Option two: drive to Conceição de Jacareí, then flexboat
The workhorse route. Drive or transfer about an hour up the BR-101 to Conceição de Jacareí — a small roadside village that exists mainly as a launchpad — park in one of the paid lots, and cross by flexboat (fast covered speedboat, 20–30 minutes) or slower schooner (about an hour) to Abraão. Departures are frequent all day in season. This is the shortest water crossing, the most schedule-resilient option, and the one we suggest for travellers prone to seasickness: less time on the water, more of it in protected channels.
Option three: via Angra dos Reis
Angra, ninety minutes up the coast, runs the traditional big ferry to Abraão (cheap, slow, scenic — about 90 minutes) plus its own flexboats. It's rarely the best choice from Paraty specifically, but it slots in beautifully if you're doing the full Costa Verde week and visiting Angra's islands anyway, or travelling onward toward Rio afterwards.
What Abraão is like
Vila do Abraão is the island's one real town, and it sets the tone the moment you step off the boat: sand streets, wheelbarrows instead of cars (there are no cars on Ilha Grande), dive shops, pousadas, and a beachfront of restaurant tables under the almond trees. It's backpacker-flavoured but family-friendly, busy in the evenings and surprisingly quiet by midnight. Everything onward — the boat-taxis to Lopes Mendes, the round-the-island tours, the trailheads — organises itself from the waterfront within ten minutes of arrival.
Day trip or overnight?
A day trip from Paraty is possible in high season (direct boat out, direct boat back) but it's a long day for a short island visit. Our honest advice: stay one night. You get Lopes Mendes without watching the clock, the evening waterfront, and the morning island light — then return to the chalé the next afternoon. Leave the bulk of your luggage at the house and cross with a daypack; everything in Abraão is a walk from the pier, and wheeled suitcases lose their dignity fast on sand streets.
Crossing-day checklist
- Sea state: wind from the south means a lumpier ride; take the Conceição route on those days.
- Cash: cards work in Abraão but connections fail; carry some reais.
- Return ticket: book it when you book the outbound, especially Sundays when everyone leaves at once.
- Seasickness tablets, taken before boarding, not after the horizon starts moving. The rest of the kit is in what to pack.
Come stay above the bay
Chalé Bel Air sits on the ridge that looks over everything in this guide. Tell us your dates and what kind of trip you are after — we answer personally.
Ask about your datesFrequently asked questions
How do you get from Paraty to Ilha Grande?
Three ways. In season, direct fast boats run from Paraty's pier to Vila do Abraão in about two to two and a half hours. The workhorse route is to drive about an hour to Conceição de Jacareí and cross by flexboat (20–30 minutes) or schooner. Or cross via Angra dos Reis, ninety minutes up the coast, on the big ferry or its flexboats.
Which Paraty–Ilha Grande crossing is best if I get seasick?
Drive to Conceição de Jacareí and take the flexboat — it's the shortest water crossing (20–30 minutes), the most schedule-resilient option, and keeps you in protected channels. Take seasickness tablets before boarding, and if the wind is from the south expect a lumpier ride.
Should I visit Ilha Grande as a day trip or stay overnight?
A day trip from Paraty is possible in high season but makes for a long day and a short island visit. Our honest advice is to stay one night — you get Lopes Mendes without watching the clock, the evening waterfront and the morning light. Cross with a daypack and leave the bulk of your luggage at the house.
What is Vila do Abraão like?
It's Ilha Grande's one real town: sand streets, wheelbarrows instead of cars (there are no cars on the island), dive shops, pousadas and a beachfront of restaurant tables under the almond trees. Boat-taxis to Lopes Mendes, round-the-island tours and the trailheads all organise themselves from the waterfront within ten minutes of arrival.
