Angra Dos Reis And Ilha Grande Day Trip From Rio De Janeiro

Our Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande day tour from Rio de Janeiro was a long but truly wonderful day and a fantastic way to experience some of Brazil’s stunning coastal scenery. It was an early start, and even before the tour began we were reminded how vibrant Rio is in the morning. Copacabana beach before 7am was already full of life, joggers, volleyball, yoga and people enjoying the start of the day. The journey to Angra dos Reis takes a few hours, but once we arrived and boarded the boat it was absolutely worth it. The scenery is spectacular, with lush green islands rising out of clear blue water and beautiful swimming spots along the way. Our guide Nayt, in his bright pink t-shirt, was friendly and enthusiastic and helped keep the group organised throughout the day. The boat stops were a real highlight. Swimming in the warm water surrounded by tropical islands felt incredibly special, and enjoying a very strong caipirinha on the boat while taking in the views definitely added to the fun. One of my favourite moments was simply watching everyone enjoy themselves in such a beautiful setting. My partner John kept stepping in to take photos for people so they could capture their memories together, which really summed up the friendly atmosphere of the day. We also met a lovely couple from Mexico who added to the joy of sharing the experience with fellow travellers. The whole trip felt like a proper Brazilian adventure, boat rides, turquoise water, music, sunshine and incredible island views. If you are visiting Rio and want to experience Brazil’s beautiful coastline, this tour is a great way to spend the day. It’s long, but absolutely worth it for the scenery and the memories.

Overall, our group made the best of the day and tried to enjoy the experience for what it was but of the 10 days that we were in Rio this was the bottom of the list. As other reviewers have noted, this was not a bilingual tour- our tour guide did not speak English- he said he was learning and did his best but this was definitely a challenge. We were the only English speakers on the tour. It also indicates that that the age limit is 10 but there was a baby in our group that sat directly behind us on the bus and at times was crying throughout the trip. They also mention that lunch is provided but please note that lunch means 4pm- not something we were thinking of and hadn't eaten when we left at 7am and thought we would be able to eat at noon. The ship did have food for purchase but again just not something we were planning for. Overall we went to nice places and the boat ride was an experience but as it mentioned there could be up to 120 on the boat and it definitely felt crowded. Despite the crowd, given no other English speakers we felt a little bit alone as well and at times instructions were given and then we had to wait for someone to bring a phone to translate or just go without knowing what was going on. The music was loud at times and others were drinking too much but it was nice to see that the bartenders did stop serving those that were well intoxicated.

The tour van was very punctual and Valber, our tour guide was very friendly. He was also bilingual so we didn't have any issues with communication (my friend and I speak Spanish as a first language and only a little Portuguese). The boat was big and had all the amenities (you do have to pay separately for drinks, food and floating vests). Our lunch was included with the tour price and was a buffet at the last stop, Bar de Luiz, there was a lot of variety and it was all delicious, we only had to pay separately for drinks and dessert. I definitely going for a swim at the last stop, it's breathtaking. We had an amazing day swimming with fishes and enjoy good food and beautiful views.

The ceviche in the boat was wonderful. The ride on the boat was smooth and the places we stopped were really nice.

The tour was very good and very fun. The choice of restaurant for the lunch included was not good. The food was not fresh and it was a buffet style. Everything else was fine.

The only positive was, we were picked up on time. The tour guide used google translate to communicate with us, when specifically stating this is an English spoken tour, when getting onto the boat, the essential safety instructions where not in English which is vital and dangerous and the spokes person did not speak in English, therefore had no idea what we were seeing on the islands and also which island was which. We were unclear on the meeting points and return times. When it came to lunch, this was suppose to be part of the package tour booked, however they did not cater for vegetarians when asked! Which was very fustrating, we ended up ordering separate food not part of the buffet and had to pay for this separately. I voiced this concern with your guide via google translate and was told a partial refund can be issued as we did not have the buffet meal, when applying for the partial refund, this was refused! Therefore we feel we have been robbed and it was not worth the money as we learnt nothing from this tour.

Other customers were actively coughing and sniffling on the tour bus. I was first on and asleep until there was an unscheduled stop for a couple to get off. I realized 30 minutes later why and the guild didn't seem to care that he let sick people on the bus. This tour took 2 hours to get to the location, late boat, 30 min ride to a cove where you could see a break in the land and ocean on the other side. Decently cool, they had an option to buy some underwater pictures. tons of fish. Then the boat started again and instead of going anywhere really new, went around the peninsula to a beach next to the spot we were just at...30 minutes, then moved to literally the other side of the cove...at this point 5 out of 75 people jumped in as everyone was displeased that it was the same spot.

It was nice to get out of the city for a day....diving in the blue lagoon and watching the fish is definitely worth it

In my opinion, this itinerary is far too long to enjoy as a day trip. You can catch the Costa Verde bus (their ticketing is downstairs in the bus station) at the Rio Novo bus station for about R$50 each way or $13 US dollars. I sure the bus tours work if you get a good one but Costa Verde bus service is always pretty good and will make a brief stop half way there for the restroom (clean) and a snack. Get off in the village of Conceicao de Jacare, then walk to the water and you will find a number of boat options to Ilha Grande. Those range between R$25 or $R50 depending on whether you want a quick ride or a scenic tour. The quick boat trip is maybe 30 minutes. You can use your favorite room booking app to get a hotel room, a portion of a house like upstairs in a two story or more extravagant or much cheaper but I am not a hostel guy. There are some nice well maintained nature walks and a number of beaches like the black sand beach or the one close to the small prison that was used there. You can also explore the village of Abraao. You can swim in clean water at the beaches or catch a boat taxi to the beaches and coves, but you will not be alone, this is a tourist destination for many Brazilaros. There are some restaurants that do OK but this is not a foodie destination, and the restaurants tend to cost a little more since everything comes in boats. Ilha Grande is mostly a large nature preserve and I have not explored it all but it is a beautiful place and has something for just about everyone. Oh yeah, some scuba tours are there but I have yet to try one. I ran out of weight in my bags bringing so many things for my friends, I could not bring my regulator. I prefer to use at least my own gear that is important to keep you alive, bcd, regulator and computer ;-). I would give Ilha Grande 4 stars on my own, fyi the return to Rio could be a traffic nightmare in the late afternoon and early evening.

While in Rio, we booked several tours and activities in and out of city. We were having a great time all along until we took this tour. Pickup was arranged for 7:30 am and our guide arrived at 8:20 am. They came with a minibus and they told us we will be all transferred to a big bus waiting for us just across the street. As we got onto the bus the guide explained that we were on the was to Angra and that we might find some traffic along the way as it was weekend. However, she said there was nothing to worry our boat we will be waiting for us and we will have all services available. She did not mention that we had to make another 10 stops around the city to pick up more passengers, which took almost an additional 2 hours! At noon we made a 45 minute stop at a service area that was packed with tour buses and people rushing around to use washrooms and to buy snacks and drinks. The line ups were huge and we only managed to go to the washroom. We arrived in Angra at 2:20 pm after a long stretch of bumpy and curvy road. Many passengers were feeling sick and exhausted. We were rushed to our boat along with another large group. We were packed like sardines and some people ended up standing. A lady came around to get our drink orders and we both asked for Coca Cola, while many other people got beers or cocktails. They got served, but we never got our drinks. When my husband went over to the bar to ask about our Coca Colas they try to add them as 2nd order to the tab. It is not about having to pay few extra reals, but it was upsetting as they cared more for people that were ordering alcohol and who later would order more alcohol and most likely snacks. I get sea sick and I never eat or drink on a boat. We made first couple of swim stops in very crowded areas. We were forced do swim around our boat only as it was too dangerous to swim any further due to other boats passing by. The Blue Lagoon was disappointing. W could not see anything. We were again squeezed between many larger and smaller boats. Our lunch was really a dinner as it was served at 5 pm. We were told it was a buffet lunch. The restaurant was right at the beach also packed with people from different boats. The food choice consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, cooked fish, fried chicken, rice and beans. Nothing to do with the buffet as they were constantly running out of food and people kept queuing. They gave us 45 minutes for lunch, but some people did not even manage to get any food at all. We were at the pier promptly at 5:45 as asked and we had to wait for 3 other boats to load their passengers, with many passengers still missing (eating at the restaurant) and guides getting frustrated and yelling at people. It was just a complete disaster. Then we made our last stop. That beach was small and stil very crowded. At that point we really lost interest in swimming as there was only one tiny part of the beach that you could swim at. On the way back they told us we had to pay for our tabs or we would not be allowed out of the boat. Most of the guests paid, but there were some that were trying to avoid. At that point the guide told us that no one will be allowed to leave the boat until all bills were settled. This was beyond ridiculous! Instead of giving each person/couple who paid a receipt and have them show it before exiting the boat, they were holding us all hostages! We were constantly rushed throughout the tour, provided misleading information and at the end even threatened! We returned at the port after 8 pm and at the hotel at midnight. It was such a waste of time and I would not recommend this tour to anyone.

We were staying at a hotel in Copacabana, and they had us meet at another hotel (15min walk away). The tour guide Eli just about ignored me when he called out my name and I had to tell him 3 times it was me. There were a good mix of people on the excursion, and Eli would speak in both Portuguese or English. I noticed that the English parts were much shorter than the Portuguese narration. But also, there was very little of this... not like some of the excursions I've taken elsewhere where there is more history and facts shared during the drive. I spent the bulk of the 3 hour drive sleeping since there wasn't anything being shared.The entire boat ride there's no guided tour, either. It was mostly musicians and then eating "appetizers" which were huge portions (they were good though) and drinking. We were there at the end of October, and so it already felt a bit chilly where we were, and if you wanted to get down at either of the two swimming stops, you had to jump into the water because there were no docks for those stops. We weren't able to swim at the first island/beach because the water was really choppy and the boat couldn't get close. So they gave us a full hour at the 2nd stop. It was nicer than Copacabana for the fact that the waters felt a bit more tame (in comparison) and that it felt more private, but honestly nothing super special about it (I lived in Hawaii for a while, so I might have a very particular preference when it comes to beaches). The third stop was where we ate. The food was really good (I love the fish and black beans), and it was cute enough to take pictures until we board back onto the boat.The last stop was this church on an island. It was gorgeous, but really nothing to see, we couldn't really go inside or anything. I don't even really know the story of the church. Would've been nice to get some kind of background/guided information about what I was seeing.The ride back was the same, quiet ride back to town. This tour is probably better if you really intend on swimming—and if so, maybe do so during the warmer Rio months when hopefully the water is more calm as well. It was great to get outside of the city (I did a city tour as well, and you pretty much see it all in a day), so all in all, I'm still happy I went and was able to see the beautiful sights outside of the city, but I think I had high expectations for this and felt like it was a bit of a bust.

This chain of beautiful and breathtaking islands are in a a distance of 2 hours of drive from Rio De Janiero and you need to start your trip early morning. there was too much entertainment while on board, great selection of food and drinks at your own pockets. you would not feel traveling that much making few stops at some of the islands. there was a water activity at a particular stop where you can do diving or juts swim. at another island we were given a chance to get out of the boat to walk on the beach. But that only happen you swimming out of the boat to the beach which i did not do. there seems to be a great deal of history about people living there but there was no much explanation from the guide. it would be a great experience to overnight in one of these islands with the people and learn more. pack your water related costumes while taking this tour to the beautiful Angra Dos Reis. We also enjoyed lunch at the only existing restaurant in one of the island which was our last stop of the trip. There should be several travel companies selling that tour but we bough our tickets at the Maracana stadium where a certain travel agency has a desk there.

Booked online last month and yesterday we took this tour but quite disappointed, in the morning they came 50 minutes late to pick from hotel, when reached Angra dos waited another 45 minutes in the boat for the another group. Served the lunch at 4’o clock and at sunset reached to the last point. Guide is looks very unprofessional, no proper briefing and schedule announced and even he hesitant to speak in English. Overall it’s a beautiful area, stunning beauty but due to mismanagement of this your company didn’t enjoyed at all.

We had a lot of fun all day 4 hour travelling to Angra dos Reis We swimming 3 times Had a delisius lunch

<p>This tour was all about selling you stuff, I personally wouldn't bother.</p>

<p>I recommend this tour if you want to get out of the city and out on the water. The drive to get there was about 3 hours from central Rio. Remember to bring sunscreen cream since the sun is really intense once you get on the water. My only complaint would be that of all of the stops we made, just one of them actually had a dock. The other stops involved either swimming in the ocean, or jumping in the water and swimming a short distance to the shore. It's definitely a long day, but I enjoyed seeing this side of Rio.</p>

<p>The tour was fun- filled and enjoyable. Two things that would have made it excellent were the weather which was cold and rainy, and although it was called a bilingual tour, we were the only two speaking English in addition to the tour guide, whose English was limited too.</p>

<p>Very well organized trip from Rio to Angra dos Reis and out into the adjoining bay. There were three main stops of about 30 minutes each. The food was good and the tour staff very warm and welcoming. My only wish was that we could have had more time at the Ilha Grande stops to allow for some hiking along the nature trails.</p>

<p>Really very good trip! Pedro, the tour guide, is very a kind person. Spend a great time in Andre dos Reies. Even in the end of July, there was sun and hot.</p>

<p>Amazing tour and wonderful crew... a do over for sure! Adorei mesmo !</p>

<p>This tour was great! Mao was a great tour guide... they spoke in three languages which was great and also the live music inside the boat (samba) was amazing I love the tour and the three stops at some islands so we can take a break, snorkel or just swim in the ocean. Thumbs up!!!</p>

<p>Great Tour. Everyone is so nice and helpful. Beautiful views and experience.</p>

<p>I recommend this tour, beautiful places! bring a water cover for your phone.</p>

<p>Not long enough!<br/> I wish we could have stayed on Ilha Grande. It was truly beautiful and swimming with the fishes at the blue lagoon will be a life long memory.<br/> Only issue we had was a lost wallet on the bus that somehow couldn't be found, even though we were the last ones dropped off.</p>

<p>Excellent excursion! The cost benefit was the best I found! The team was very committed and organized, working mostly on time. <br/> Our tour guide, TeTe or T T aka Tina Turner deserves a review of her own, or even more... a TV show! In the beginning of the trip seemed to be one of this over enthusiastic tour guides, that makes you wanna jump out of the boat in the middle of the sea just to put an end to the excessive fun, but in the end she turned out to be a extremely kind, smart and funny person. She kept the energy level high by making us laugh and even dance samba! We had a wonderful time and also learned a bit about the places we stopped this tour is all about nature, so dont expect to leave it with a History PhD diploma in your hands. She presented good English and Spanish skills, just stumbling a few times, but nothing that would compromise the overall experience. <br/> The highlights were the view from the boat and the stops we made, where we swim in the middle of the fishes in a clear blue water. The return trip was longer than expected and we lost a few hours leaving people on their hotels, but the overall experience was way much better than a few issues like this.<br/> I recommend this trip to everybody in Rio who likes nature, and I will definitely repeat this tour if I have the chance</p>

<p>I loved this part of my trip and want to plan to go back to this part of Brazil for a longer period of time. My recommendation to anyone is to go ahead and book a trip to Ilha Grande for longer than a day. It was beautiful.</p>

<p>Beautiful beaches, warm water, scenic bays and islands, good food and music, but ...<br/> Tour bus was 45 minutes late due to a breakdown we suggest that the tour guide inform the hotel right away to reduce worry and ensure that we wait at the right place.<br/> Boat was full and crowded, it was hard to keep track of the guide.<br/> We had good seats at the back of the boat, but middle tables would be tight.<br/> There were not enough flotation devices noodles since some people took 2 or 3. There were not enough snorkels/masks extra cost of 15 reals.<br/> The included dinner was tasty and an earlier lunch was available for extra cost.<br/> Local musicians performed for tips.<br/> We would have appreciated more than the 30 minutes allowed at each of the 3 stops.<br/> Otherwise, a long, enjoyable day.</p>

<p>The vast majority of the tour was given in Spanish, even though I paid for an English tour. I had no idea what was going on for the majority of the trip, and did not learn anything the entire time.</p>

<p>The cruise was fun but was very disappointed that the bus dropped me off almost 4 blocks from my hotel. I had booked this trip because it was getting back late but it said it would drop off at your hotel. As a single woman traveler I did not feel safe. Very disappointed by this.</p>

<p>This tour was great Emmanuel is a great tour host. He goes everything and anything to make sure you have a great time. The Island are great. The people that work on the boat were great and friendly. I recommend this tour to everyone.</p>

<p>for the price, this was a fun day trip, drinks food etc... no fuss, on schedule, great guide, beautiful part of brazil. long ride back to rio though, be prepared to nap in a cold bus after you have been swimming all day.</p>

<p>The bus ride was comfortable, the meal on the boat delicious, and the view and water were beautiful. It was a bucket list trip for me.</p>

<p>The service was great, but the trip felt like a pure tourist trip yet still fun! I could have benefited from clearer information about the trip and what it would be like.</p>

<p>Started well, long journey but a comfy bus and friendly tour guide.</p> <p>Got to Angra to board the boat and it went downhill. Uncomfortably over crowded boat. Drop off points to snorkel and walk on beaches already had other boats (on the same cruise as us) anchored, who had already let off their passengers so the water was completely full of people with floatation devices, no room to move. More like being in a kiddies pool than the sea. Not the idyllic island hopping with time to snorkel that the advertisement had led us to believe it would be.</p> <p>It's wonderful to sail around the beautiful landscape, beers on board were inexpensive for Brits (7 reals a tinny) and we enjoyed our fish lunch. Our tour guide worked hard getting our drinks orders and delivering them throughout. Which helped as we had no room to get out and collect them ourselves. </p> <p>Do this tour if there is no other way for you to see Ilha Grande but do not expect anything calm or tranquil.</p>

<p>Please inform people that this tour is not a guided sight seeing tour, but instead it is a booze filled Samba tour for almost 5 hours. If you think you are going to get some information about the islands your are passing by and the surrounding areas, you are wrong. Instead the time is spent on listening to this samba group, and watching drunk women dance their butts off. At one point of the show it looked more like strip tease show than a sigh seeing boat tour.</p>

<p>The tour company didn't provide us a pickup time until 9pm the night before which was frustrating. They were very hard to get ahold of. The weather wasn't very pleasant which was a letdown. The tourguide was very nice but extremely overworked which made it difficult to receive information.</p>

<p>Sadly we had horrible weather, it was cold and wet. Service on the boat was great, food was good and if the sun had been shining, it would have been an awesome day. Its a long journey there and back, and probably worth it on a good day. Out boat was not packed like some of the others we saw, so that was a good thing. I would recommend this trip on a fine weather day.</p>

Very friendly guide Daiane Excellent boat ride and beautiful beaches,x lucky if you winged the sun for a while Ah the photographer a total genius

I made a trip on Trip Advisor. I got confirmation from the site that everything was fine. On the date, I waited for an hour at the agreed location. Strangely the delay, I contacted via Whatsapp. Minutes later, a guide told me that my tour was canceled. They did not give explanations did not warn in advance. I do not recommend it in any way.

It was all great! My only reservation would be the question of picking up each passenger at their own address, which resulted in unnecessary delay.

Perfect! We went by bus to the ferry that lasted about 2 hours and on the ferry they explained how the tour would be, with 3 stops to dive and 1 stop for lunch. During the tour, perfect, a lot of music and animation and of course with the sun, improved a lot. In the stops they gave the time they would go to the next and was 50min, 30min and 30min and the stop for lunch of 60min. Everything perfect, great service and a lot of attention with customers. The only thing to complain about was having to pay the bus to get to the ferry for R$150. Since I took the ride by take-off and there was already the whole value of the ride, but ok. (I only put pictures of the landscape and stops)

Highly recommended the tour!! Very friendly staff; very comfortable boat; rich lunch; excellent! Thank you 😊

Beautiful and calm beaches and waters. The trip was very comfortable. While the excursion is long, it is worth it and serves a good disconnection from the city. Both as a couple and family is ideal. They take you by bus to angras dos reís and then the boat trip with 4 stops, the last buffet of food in a restaurant on a beach, does not have much variety the buffet but has what you need, chicken, feijoada, rice, noodle and salad. The organization of the trip is correct, they meet the agreed schedules, they are very clear with the information and they warn you in advance how the trip will be. Bruno who was our very correct, professional and friendly guide. It's a tour I would definitely do again. On the boat there are drinks services, photos and rental of vests and if you want shopping or not, they do not chase you to buy something as has happened to me on other boats / tours. Very professional and quiet. 100% recommended.

Excellent tour, beaches, organization and services. The schooner ride includes music, bar service and an excellent atmosphere to enjoy

Excellent attention from Rodrigo the guide, very friendly, friendly and friendly. Everything was great 👍 . The boat people also veryyyy friendly. We had a spectacular day 👌

The experience was wonderful, all fulfilled as agreed, the guide super attentive and friendly. We were fucking wanted by the hotel.

Beautiful places we knew with this tour. A dream paradise, the guide that touched us super friendly and good vibes. I recommend it 1000 times. The super complete and rich free buffet.

A tour for the whole family. With right to swim in a natural aquarium, lunch in a local restaurant with free buffet, and a wonderful boat ride with lots of joy and fun! I recommend the tour to Angra dos Reis and Ilha Grande for everyone who wants to enjoy a day of beach in one of the most beautiful places in Rio de Janeiro!

Not very serious agency, they did not come to pick us up at the meeting point which was at 7 am, they canceled the excursion due to an error on their part regarding data registration, so they informed us A lack of respect for more than an hour waiting with a little girl. I wouldn't recommend it.