Rio de Janeiro, Ilha Grande and Paraty in 6 days: a sample group program

The program at a glance

Day 1: arrival in Rio

A driver meets the group in the arrivals hall with a sign showing the group or agency name, and guests on different flights get separate transfers. In the evening, dinner at a restaurant booked for the group.

Day 2: Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf

The group goes up Corcovado on the train from Cosme Velho or in the official Paineiras Corcovado vans. Neither Paineiras nor the monument has parking, so the coach drops the group at the boarding point. Until about the end of May 2027 the escalators at the monument are being replaced: Tijuca National Park allows half the usual number of visitors at the top at one time, and everyone climbs the last 80 stone steps. Stair-climbing chairs for people with reduced mobility do not run in the rain, so we ask about them in advance and book the group’s slots early.

After lunch, the Sugarloaf cable car climbs from Praia Vermelha in Urca in two stages, via Morro da Urca. It runs in the rain, though strong wind or lightning can stop it for a while, and we confirm the last boarding time for your date.

Day 3: along the Costa Verde to Ilha Grande

Angra dos Reis is 155 km from Rio by the BR-101. Private cars are not allowed on Ilha Grande, so the coach stops at a pier and the group crosses by boat to Vila do Abraão, the main village, with sand streets and most of the island’s guesthouses and restaurants.

For a group we usually book a private boat. Fast boats take about 30 minutes, conventional ones 1.5 to 2 hours. A day trip from Rio leaves little time on the island, so we plan at least one night there, and this program has two.

Day 4: a day on Ilha Grande

Schooner and speedboat trips leave from Abraão, shared or private, to Lagoa Azul, one of the best-known spots in Angra and Ilha Grande (it is not a lagoon: the name comes from the islands around it), or to beaches such as Lopes Mendes.

More than 60% of the island lies inside Ilha Grande State Park, and trails link several of its beaches. INEA, the state environment agency, asks visitors to keep to the trails. If the group wants a guided walk, we add one with the route and level set out in the proposal. When the sea is rough, the Feiticeira waterfall near the village is the usual choice.

The Praia do Sul Biological Reserve is closed to tourists: federal law allows public visits to biological reserves only for educational purposes, and only researchers and people authorized by INEA may enter.

Day 5: Paraty and its historic centre

In the morning the boat takes the group to Angra dos Reis on the mainland, the usual crossing toward Paraty, where the coach waits for the drive farther along the BR-101.

Since 2019 Paraty and Ilha Grande have formed one UNESCO World Heritage site, “Paraty and Ilha Grande: Culture and Biodiversity”, listed for both culture and nature. Paraty’s historic centre keeps its 18th-century street plan and much of its colonial architecture, and the town stood at the end of the Gold Route (Caminho do Ouro), where gold left for Europe.

Vehicles are banned from most of the historic centre, and the streets are irregular stone that the sea floods from time to time, so the guided walk is on foot and good shoes help. We agree the coach’s drop-off point for your date. Dinner and the night are in Paraty.

Day 6: back to Rio or to Galeão

Paraty is 258 km from Rio. The coach goes to a hotel in Rio or straight to Galeão, and we set the pickup time from the flight and the day of the week, so an afternoon or evening flight works best.

Notes for planners

Angra dos Reis tourism fee

Since June 1, 2026, Angra dos Reis has charged visitors the Taxa de Turismo Sustentável (TTS), and Ilha Grande is included.

• The discount is 50% in 2026 and 25% in 2027; the full fee applies from 2028.
• The amount depends on where the group boards and how long it stays. Visitors who declare at least two nights in registered lodging on the Viva Angra portal pay less.
• Children under 12, people aged 60 and over and people with disabilities are exempt, but they still register.
• Each traveler needs an individual voucher from the Viva Angra portal (it has a batch option) or from kiosks in the city and at the piers. Anyone found without one is fined twice the fee.

We issue the group’s vouchers and include the fee in the quote.

Luggage on the boats

Large suitcases are awkward on boats and sand streets. We can send big bags by road to the Paraty hotel so the group takes only a small bag to the island; otherwise the proposal confirms the luggage space on the boat.

What the proposal includes

• A coach, minibus or vans sized to the group and its luggage.
• Boats to and from Ilha Grande, and the boat trip on the island.
• Hotels in Rio and Paraty and a guesthouse in Vila do Abraão at the level your group needs.
• A local guide in Rio and Paraty, with the guide’s language confirmed in the proposal.
• Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf tickets, and the Angra dos Reis fee vouchers.
• One contact on our team from your request until the group flies home.

Our fee is already included in the price. A local provider we have vetted delivers each service, and you receive the provider details after you confirm the booking. More in how we work.

Options we can add

• A third night on Ilha Grande, or a second night in Paraty with a boat trip in the bay.
• A shorter trip, Rio in 4 days, or another coast with Rio and Búzios in 6 days.
• Only the road and airport legs: see group transfers.

Group size and terms

The program works from about 10 people. Groups of 50 and more are handled together with a large local receptive partner, and you keep one contact on our team. Terms and payment are set out in the proposal; you pay nothing before you confirm.

For a priced version, write to us with the dates, the number of people, the hotel level and the flights. See also sample group programs, group trips and for travel agencies.