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Spend a full day on a lancha around Ilha Grande, with swim stops at two lagoons and two beaches. Check in at Rua Santana, 10 in Vila do Abraão and board with a skipper who knows how the sea is that morning. Life jackets, floats, and drinking water stay on the boat from the 10:30 departure through the return around 16:30.
You meet the crew in Vila do Abraão and board a lancha for the north-west coast of the island. The day is built around four swim stops, with time in the water at each one and shade on the boat between them. Snorkel kit is optional, so you can swim, float, or stay aboard. The first two stops are lagoons, with shallow green water near Enseada de Araçatiba and then the blue natural pool between islets at Freguesia de Santana.
After the lagoons you continue to Praia do Amor in Saco do Céu for about 30 minutes, then finish at Praia da Feiticeira for about an hour. Rocks and sand at Feiticeira hold fish and, on some days, turtles. The skipper can change the order of stops, or drop a stop, if wind or swell makes a bay unsafe. After the last beach the lancha turns back to Vila do Abraão, with arrival around 16:30.
Ilha Grande sits off Angra dos Reis in Rio de Janeiro state, inside a stretch of Atlantic forest and sheltered bays. Vila do Abraão is the village landing, with check-in on Rua Santana a short walk from the beach and the boats.
The lagoons and beaches sit on the north-west and Saco do Céu side of the island, in sheltered water. You make your own way to the village and walk to the meeting point.
You do not need boat experience or strong swimming skills, and you can stay on the lancha at every stop because life jackets and floats are on board.
Please arrive in time for the 10:30 departure, as there is no wait for late guests, and bring a towel, sun protection, and a way to buy food after you return. Have your full name, nationality, and a phone number ready at check-in.
The skippers and crew live on the island and work these bays week after week, so they can read wind and swell before you leave Vila do Abraão. Groups stay at a maximum of 15, and the team speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Life jackets and floats stay on the boat, and the skipper can drop or reorder a stop when a bay is unsafe. Check-in is on the village street, a short walk from the lancha, with the same crew looking after you from boarding through the last swim.
The first stop is a shallow, green lagoon on the north-west coast, close to Enseada de Araçatiba. The water stays calm on most mornings, which makes it an easy first swim and a good place to try a mask if you brought one. Plan on about an hour here before the lancha moves on.
Next you idle into a natural pool of blue water between two small islands at Freguesia de Santana. The bottom is sand with a few rocks, so you can swim or snorkel without a long swim from the boat. This stop also lasts about an hour.
The lancha then runs into Saco do Céu for Praia do Amor, a small beach backed by forest. You have about 30 minutes to swim, sit on the sand, or stay in the shade on board before the last hop of the day.
The last stop is Praia da Feiticeira, a gold-sand beach with rocks in the shallows. Fish gather around the stones, and turtles sometimes pass through, so this is the best snorkel of the circuit if the water is clear. You have about an hour here, then the lancha turns back to Vila do Abraão.
Check in at Rua Santana, 10, Vila do Abraão, Angra dos Reis, 23968-000. There is no pickup from Rio or Angra hotels. Make your own way to the village, then walk to the meeting point.
Check in at Rua Santana, 10, Vila do Abraão, on Ilha Grande. The meeting point sits a short walk from the village beach, so you can leave bags at your lodging and walk down with swimwear and a towel.
Hotel pickup from Rio or Angra dos Reis is not part of the day, so you make your own way to the village by ferry or transfer and then walk to the meeting point in time for the 10:30 departure.
Plan on a full day on the water. The lancha usually leaves Vila do Abraão around 10:30 and returns around 16:30, including running time between the four stops.
Stop times are about an hour at each lagoon, 30 minutes at Praia do Amor, and an hour at Praia da Feiticeira, and those windows can shift a little when the skipper reads the sea.
Swimming ability is not required, because you can stay on the lancha at every stop and still see the lagoons and beaches from the boat, with shade and drinking water on board.
Life jackets and floats are provided if you do go in, and the lagoons are shallow on most days, which suits mixed groups and anyone who wants a short, easy swim.
Snorkel kit is an optional extra on the morning of the trip, not part of the included boat kit. Life jackets, floats, and drinking water already travel on the lancha.
Bring your own mask and snorkel if you have a set that fits, or swim without one, as the lagoons and Feiticeira rocks are still worth a look from the surface.
Meals and extra drinks are not included. Drinking water and ice travel in a cooler on the boat, which is enough for the swim stops but not a substitute for lunch.
Eat before you board, or plan a meal in Vila do Abraão after you return around 16:30, as there is time at the end of the day once the lancha is tied up.
This is a shared lancha with a maximum of 15 guests. Bookings are accepted from one person upwards, so couples and small families sit alongside other visitors on the same circuit.
The cap keeps space on board for shade, kit, and an easy entry into the water at each stop, and it also means the skipper can talk to the group without a loudspeaker.
Young children can join with an adult. Infants have their own rate when you book, so you do not need a second adult ticket for a lap infant.
If you are travelling with very young children, say so at check-in so the crew can help with jackets and boarding from the village street down to the boat.
Pack a towel, swimwear, sun protection, and a dry bag for phones. A refillable bottle is useful if you want more than the drinking water already on board.
Wear shoes you can walk in from the village street to the boat, and leave bulky luggage at your lodging. Optional snorkel kit is worth packing if you already own a mask that fits.
The skipper can change the order of stops, or drop a stop, when wind or swell makes a bay unsafe. That decision is made on the morning of the trip, once the crew have seen the sea.
Light rain and cloudy skies do not stop the day, so bring a light layer anyway, because spray and cloud are common even on runnable days.
The lancha does not wait for late guests and leaves Vila do Abraão around 10:30, so give yourself time to walk from your lodging to Rua Santana, 10.
Arrive a little early with names, nationality, and a phone number ready so check-in is quick, because if you miss the boat you cannot join later in the day.
About the centre
Vila do Abraão
Operated by Abraão Tour, a partner of adventuro.