Bororé Island boat tour: Organic meals & agroecology

Taste cachaça aged in cambuci fruit at a century-old bar on an island in the city's reservoir.

A full-day boat tour from São Paulo to Bororé Island combines travel across Billings Dam with immersion in community-based ecotourism, agroecology and social projects. You'll eat organic meals at Casa Ecoativa, work through permaculture at the Paiquerê site, visit a chapel built in 1904 and a historic village, and return by boat while reflecting on what you've learned with the guide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Boat trip and Bororé Island experience

• Transfer to Billings Menin@s in Grajaú
• Boat crossing to Bororé Island
• Experience at Casa Ecoativa with organic breakfast
• Agroecology visit at Paiquerê site
• Visit chapel, centenary bar, historic village, and mural
• Organic lunch
• Observe heron nest
• Return by boat to Grajaú with Menin@s
• Participate in social projects experience
• Conversation wheel: lessons learned and feedback
• Return to origin

The experience

The route starts with private pickup and a boat crossing from Grajaú to Bororé Island on Billings Dam. Once there, you spend the day at two main sites: Casa Ecoativa, where you eat organic breakfast and learn about permaculture in a working space, and the Paiquerê agroecology site. Between and around these, you walk through the island's historic village, see a chapel from 1904, and stop at a centenary bar where cachaça is aged in cambuci wood: a detail most visitors to São Paulo never encounter. The guide leads a conversation wheel at the end, a structured reflection on what the day taught you.

Organic and vegan meals are included: breakfast at Casa Ecoativa and lunch later in the day. The boat ride itself is part of the experience, not just transport. You travel with Menin@s from Billings, a social project, and learn about their work both on the way out and on the return. You'll also see heron nests from the water. The tour runs 8 to 12 hours depending on the group and the depth of each stop. A live guide speaks English, Spanish or French.

Choose the option with transfer if you want pickup from your location. The route-only option means you arrange your own way to the Grajaú meeting point. All areas on the island are wheelchair accessible, and the boat and transportation are set up for wheelchairs. Infants can sit on an adult's lap or travel in a stroller.

What’s included

• Private transportation to the meeting point.
• boat crossing to and from Bororé Island.
• organic breakfast at Casa Ecoativa.
• organic lunch.
• agroecology workshop at Paiquerê.
• visit to the 1904 chapel and historic village.
• tasting at the centenary bar.
• travel insurance.
• live guide in English, Spanish or French.

Options for this experience

2 options

Route without transferGuide in English, Spanish or French · 00:00Parking place at the Billings Boys meeting point

Script with TransferGuide in English, Spanish or French · 00:00Pickup is included

You pick the guide language when booking.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

Book up to12h before

GroupUp to 40

Live guideEnglish, Spanish and French

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by EnLeVe

Is this one for you?If you're traveling with a group or family and want to eat well while learning how the island's communities work, the full-day format and included meals make this practical. The transfer option saves you the step of finding Grajaú. Without it, you'll need to get there on your own, but public transportation is nearby.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English, Spanish and French.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is Casa Ecoativa and what do you actually do there?

Casa Ecoativa is a permaculture and socializing space on Bororé Island where you eat organic breakfast and learn agroecology hands-on. It's the hub where the day's environmental education and community connection happen.

Can I taste the cachaça at the historic bar, or is it just a visit?

Yes, you can taste cachaça aged in cambuci wood at the century-old bar in the historic village. It's one of the stops built into the day.

What are the Menin@s from Billings and why do they matter to this tour?

Menin@s from Billings is a social project based on the island. You travel with them on both the outbound and return boat crossings, and the guide explains their work as part of the tour's focus on community-based ecotourism and social impact.

Is the boat ride across Billings Dam scenic, or is it just transport?

The boat crossing is part of the experience. You'll see heron nests from the water and learn about the dam and the island's ecology during the journey.

How much of the day is spent on the boat versus on the island?

Most of the 8 to 12 hours is spent on the island at Casa Ecoativa, the Paiquerê agroecology site, and the historic village. The boat rides bookend the day and happen at the start and end, plus brief water-based observation during the crossing.