I recently did a boat tour in Angra dos Reis in Brazil, and was completely blown away with the beauty of this place! The schooner was part of a package including bus transport from Rio de Janeiro, along with several groups and a guide, and also lunch on the boat. For me, it was the best cost-effective way to get to know the region. Angra dos Reis also makes for one of the best day trips from Rio.
The schooner is a common vessel there, with daily departures and a route through the best islands and beaches of the Big Island. She has the ability to hold more or less 120 people, and has service of snacks and drinks, in addition to the lunch that I have already mentioned (with options of chicken, fish or vegetarian). Of course I don’t miss the opportunity to experience a little local food!
The boat ride itself is already a delight. The landscape is beautiful, each island more beautiful than the other, and on board there was a group of pagode playing live for us. But the main attractions were the stops in the islands, we made three stops which were more or less 40 minutes each. I’m going to tell you about each one!
Day Trips from Rio: Stops Along the Angra dos Reis Tour
The Beach
This beach has a long stretch of sand and was completely deserted but was very full after we docked! Because it was so small, there wasn’t a deck for the boat to drop us off at, and the boat had to stop a fair distance from the shore. Whoever wanted to come down, needed to jump into the water which was about waist height.
The crew offer those “noodles” where you can float, for those who don’t know how to swim or become unsafe to descend. But it was very quiet, I was afraid to start but the water is very calm and does not have those waves that pull you in, so you can swim with ease.
Blue Lagoon
This was the most beautiful place that we visited on the tour. In this cove with crystal clear water, you can see hundreds of fish amarelinhos with black stripes. One love!
Here, to see the fish better, we need to use the snorkel and diving goggles with a tube to breathe.
I wished to stay here much longer. Though, instead of snorkeling, I prefered to relax with my noodle with my eyes closed while floating with the sun on my face… it was sensational.
Ponta de Piedade Beach
After the short break for lunch, we went to the last stop: a second beach. This beach, unlike the first, had a small deck which the schooner could drop us off. Close to this deck there is a small church and a kind of gazebo where you have a view to another nearby island, quite small.
There is a thin strip of sand connecting the two islands, forming a kind of lagoon of shallow water in the back. Despite the place being very beautiful, it had several people from other boats that stopped there (usually the boat drops off the people, then anchors further away to wait) so I thought it was a little noisy. I had the urge to go back there with fewer people, and be able to feel the peace the local.
I highly recommend the tour.
Check out the below other day trips from Rio.