Praia Grande
Main beach.
Ícaro Gimenez — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ícaro Gimenez — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Leandro Neumann Ciuffo — CC BY 2.0 · Marinha do Brasil — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Marinha do Brasil — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Julia Nogueira — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Julia Nogueira — CC BY-SA 4.0
Itacuruçá Island is a quiet island in Sepetiba Bay between the municipalities of Mangaratiba and Itaguaí, about an hour from the city of Rio de Janeiro. It covers some 994 hectares with a perimeter of about twenty-six kilometres, wooded and ringed by small beaches. It should not be confused with the mainland village of Itacuruçá opposite, a district of Mangaratiba from which the boats leave. Visitors cross in a small boat in about fifteen minutes, or join the schooner trips that tour the bay's islands, a popular day trip from Rio. The island's best-known beach is the lively Praia Grande, while others stay rustic, home to fishing families. There are no cars, services are limited and mobile signal is weak, so it is a place to relax, swim and walk in nature; bring cash, as there are no ATMs.
Main beach.
Island hopping.
Rustic calm.
Sepetiba Bay between Mangaratiba and Itaguaí, Rio de Janeiro state
By car or bus to Itacuruçá village in Mangaratiba, then a short boat ride to the island.