Ilha Grande: Blue Lagoon Motorboat Tour & Snorkeling Stops

4.86

(126 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The water around Ilha Grande really does look unreal—like someone dialed up the color just for us. Our motorboat cut across the bay early, salt spray in my hair, and then we slowed near Cataguases Island. The sand was so white it almost hurt to look at. I remember a kid from Rio jumping off the side before the anchor even hit bottom—his dad just shook his head and laughed. We drifted in, toes sinking into that cool powdery sand, and for a minute nobody said much.

Our guide, Rafael, handed out snorkels at the Blue Lagoon stop. He told me to keep an eye out for “estrela-do-mar”—starfish—which I definitely mispronounced (he grinned but didn’t correct me). I’d never seen so many bright fish up close; they darted around my legs like confetti. The water was warm enough that I lost track of time floating there, watching sunlight ripple over the rocks below. It smelled faintly of seaweed and sunscreen—summer in Brazil, basically.

We stopped at Santana Parish later on—tiny old church with peeling paint and a sleepy dog stretched out in the doorway. Rafael said it’s one of the oldest spots on Ilha Grande; he seemed proud showing us around. Lunch happened on Praia das Flechas: menus passed around right on the boat (I panicked and picked grilled fish). By the time we reached Araçá Beach, I was sunburned and a little drowsy from all that swimming. There’s something about those green hills crowding right up to the shore that makes you feel small—in a good way.