Visiting Ilha Grande with kids is a great getaway when visiting the big city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. This beautiful island with beautiful white beaches is located off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, making it a great addition to your trip through Brazil. In addition to the beautiful beaches here, you can also enjoy nature on the island and it is even possible to spot different animals with kids. In this blog, we give you all the information about the island and list the best children’s activities of Ilha Grande.
Best travel time Ilha Grande with kids
The best travel time to visit Ilha Grande with kids is from April to October. This is the dry period in this area and during these months the temperatures are pleasant (around 25 degrees). In the other months, of course, you can also go just fine, but have occasional showers.
Money matters Ilha Grande
You have few ATMs on Ilha Grande, and the ones that are there are often empty. So take money with you in advance when you go to this island.
Transportation to and in Ilha Grande
You can reach the island of Ilha Grande with kids in several ways. You can travel from Rio de Janeiro to various ports and then take a boat from there to Ilha Grande. From Rio de Janeiro to the port of Mangaratiba takes about 2 hours by car and bus. From there it is another 1.5 hours by boat to Ilha Grande.
You can also travel from Rio de Janeiro by bus or car to the port of Conceição de Jacareí. From here it is about another 15 minutes to travel by boat to Ilha Grande. In time, this is perhaps the fastest way. Of course, you can also travel to Ilha Grande with an organized tour from Rio de Janeiro and you won’t have to make any arrangements yourself. For more information on an organized tour, take a look here.
If you want to rent a car with the family during a tour, you can do it perfectly well at the Rio de Janeiro airport with the rental company Sunny Cars. They have an all in package that we ourselves are huge fans of, so we almost always book abroad through this organization. For more information on renting a car at Rio de Janeiro airport, take a look here.
There are no cars on Ilha Grande, so of course that’s nice with kids. That always gives a nice island feeling, too. So you explore this island on foot and by boat cab.
Children’s activities Ilha Grande
#1 Visit the beaches of Ilha Grande
The main reason families with kids visit Ilha Grande is because of the beautiful beaches you can visit on the island. One of the most beautiful and famous beaches of Ilha Grande is the Lopes Mendes beach. This beach (which is about 3 kilometers long) has also been in lists of most beautiful beaches in the world. You can reach this beach in several ways.
You can walk there with kids from the center of Ilha Grande, which is about a 2-hour hike through the jungle and along the coast. This is a nice route to walk and you see part of the island right away. Along the way it is possible to stop at 2 other beaches and also have a drink. That’s a nice break from this hike. With small kids, this hike may be just a little too tough.
You can also take the boat to the island and then you can choose between a slow boat that takes 45 minutes or a fast boat that takes 20 minutes. Since the prices between the two boats are not that much different, with kids we would then recommend the fast boat. Then take the first boat of the day right away in the early morning, so you still have this beach a little to yourself. You can also take surf lessons with kids at Lopes Mendes beach.
If you want to visit a beach on Ilha Grande with kids that is almost as beautiful but a lot quieter, Santo Antonio Beach is a good option. Another popular beach is Aventureiro beach. You can also get here by boat and this beach has lovely white sand and beautiful palm trees near the beach. The beach is known in part for a palm tree that is completely slanted and is very photogenic.
You have several other beaches that you can visit, so you can easily spend several days on Ilha Grande and be on a different beach every day. Other beaches you can visit with the family on Ilha Grande are: Abraaozinho Beach, Dois Rios Beach, Praia de Parnaioca, Caxadaço Beach and Palmas Cove.
#2 Take a boat tour of the islands
You can also take a boat trip on Ilha Grande with the family to different islands. This is one of the most popular excursions you can do on this Brazilian island. Thus, you can take a boat to 5 different islands from Ilha Grande. At all these islands (and beaches) you will then have some time to relax in the water and on the beach.
It is also possible to go snorkeling with kids on several of these islands and see the beautiful underwater world of Ilha Grande. This is very possible at the island of Lagoa del Azul, where most excursions also stop on this island. It is possible here to spot turtles in addition to beautiful fish and occasionally see dolphins if you are lucky.
A tour to these different islands takes about 5 hours, so it’s perfectly doable with kids, too. You can choose to also book the lunch with it, which you will then get on one of the islands. For more information about this tour you can do here, take a look here
#3 Candido Mendes prison
You can also visit an old prison on Ilha Grande with kids. The Candido Mendes prison is a notorious prison in Brazil and the biggest criminals have been detained here on the island. In 1994, the prison ceased operation and all the prisoners were transferred to other places in the country.
By the way, one inmate has remained at the prison after his release, so you can go see the prison today. You can visit this prison with kids if you follow the route to Vila de Dois Rios, but it is almost a 2-hour walk, so keep in mind that this means 4 hours in total (there and back).
You can, however, combine a visit to this prison with a visit to Dios Rios beach which is nearby and is also one of the more beautiful beaches on Ilha Grande. You have a second prison that you can visit that has been closed for a bit longer and this prison is easier to get to. On this walk of about 2 kilometers (Circuito Abraao), you will also pass 2 different beaches and thus pass the ruins of this prison.
#4 Cachoeira da Feiticeira Waterfall
Another hike you can take the family on Ilha Grande is to the Cachoeira da Feiticeira Waterfall. This walk is about an hour and a half from the center of Ilha Grande. You can cool off in the water by the waterfall afterwards with kids. The route to the waterfall is fun and you walk along narrow paths in the process. Among other things, you can spot monkeys here if you are lucky.
You do not have to walk all the way back from the waterfall to the village, as you can also walk to the beach near this waterfall (this is a trip of about 30 minutes) and here you can also buy something to drink. From this beach you can then take the water cab back to the village (this boat will take you back in 10 minutes).
#5 Pico do Papagayo
The following activity may not really be a kid’s activity, but if you have some older kids who like hiking, it could definitely be an option. In fact, you can hike for about 3.5 hours to the top of Pico do Papagayo. From this mountain you have a magnificent view of the island at 980 meters above sea level.
You can take the Trilha do Bico Do Papagaio for this hike and then walk to the top. You can also walk this hike with a guide, which is what tourists often do if they want to be on the mountain as early as sunrise. Of course, you then have to get up in the middle of the night and start walking. Especially if you want to do this then a guide is nice, as it is a lot harder to find the right route up.
With a guide you will then go out with a flashlight, which is of course an exciting experience with kids.
Family-friendly restaurant Ilha Grande
If you’re looking for a family-friendly restaurant on Ilha Grande, you should look in the island’s main village. Here you have several eateries to choose from. There may not be as many restaurants really geared toward kids, but check out a website like Tripadvisor for the island’s top-rated restaurants.
Then right there is also all the reviews from other people and here you can also see what they often have for menu. In this way, we always look for a suitable restaurant to have dinner with our daughter.
Family-friendly hotel Ilha Grande
It is fine to go to this island for about 3 to 4 days to relax. Brazil can be quite intense at times and then it’s nice when you can take a break and relax with the kids on a tropical island. You can stay in Ilha Grande just fine with kids, and there are plenty of family-friendly accommodations you can book.
When we book accommodation we always look at a number of things. We want the accommodation to have at least an 8 as an overall score and that this rating was determined by hundreds of reviews. We have listed the best rated accommodations in the different price ranges. Click on the blue link for more information.
Budget accommodation: Pousada Frezza Mergulho
Mid-range accommodation: Pousada Albatroz
Luxury accommodation: Paraíso Azul Retiro
For a list of all family-friendly accommodations on Ilha Grande, take a look here.
