Ilha Grande: Speedboat Tour Lagoa Azul & Cataguases Islands

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.82 (201 reviews) 92% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/6

Duration5h

GroupUp to 32

LanguagesPT

Mobile ticketAccepted

Speedboat Stops at Five Beaches in Ilha Grande Bay, Ending With Lunch

You board a shared speedboat and visit five stops across Ilha Grande bay: swim in Lagoa Azul surrounded by fish, walk the white sand of Cataguases Islands, snorkel at Praia da Grumixama, see the historic settlement at Freguesia de Sant'Anna, and take a short walk at Araçá Beach. Lunch with local caiçara food is included at Japariz, and you return to the dock in the late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Speedboat tour of Ilha Grande highlights

Visit Blue Lagoon Aquarium
Walk on Cataguases Islands beach
Swim with fish in Lagoa Azul
Relax at Grumixama Beach
Explore Praia das Arlechas
Enjoy ecological walk on Araçá Beach
Try caiçara cuisine at Japariz restaurant

The Experience

The boat leaves the dock and within minutes you're cutting across water so clear you can see straight through it. Lagoa Azul hits first — the lagoon the itinerary keeps calling incredible, and yeah, it earns it. The water is that turquoise-blue you see in old films, and the moment you slip in with a floating spaghetti noodle under your arms, you're surrounded by small colored fish that don't scatter. They're used to swimmers. The coral gardens sit shallow enough that you can see them without diving, and the whole thing feels less like a tourist spot and more like you've stumbled into an aquarium that happens to be outdoors.

After Lagoa Azul, the speedboat takes you to Cataguases Islands — white sand, fine enough that it doesn't stick, and the kind of beach that exists mainly for walking and standing still. Then comes Praia da Grumixama, a smaller beach tucked into the Atlantic Forest, quieter than the others because fewer boats stop there. The water is calm and transparent, good for snorkeling if you brought a mask, though the tour doesn't require it. You get time to swim or just float and look at the vegetation climbing up behind the sand. Freguesia de Sant'Anna, the oldest settlement on Ilha Grande, is a quick stop — more history than beach, but the guide will point out what matters. Araçá Beach has a short ecological walk if you want to stretch your legs, though it's optional.

Lunch happens at Japariz beach at a restaurant right on the sand. The food is caiçara cuisine — the local style, built around what the bay provides. It's not fancy, but it's the kind of meal that tastes different when you're eating it with your feet near the water and the boat tied up behind you. By the time you head back to the dock, you'll have been on the water for most of the day, stopped at five different places, and swum in water that actually looks like the photos.

What’s included

Speedboat transportation between five stops in Ilha Grande bay, entry to Lagoa Azul, time to swim and snorkel at multiple beaches, a short ecological walk at Araçá Beach, lunch with caiçara cuisine at Japariz beach, and floating spaghetti noodles for water support.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Angra Way

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see multiple beaches and swim in Lagoa Azul without renting a private boat or arranging your own transport — the speedboat schedule packs five stops and lunch into one outing, which is what makes a full bay tour possible in a half day.