Rio de Janeiro
Ilha Grande is the largest island in the state of Rio de Janeiro, 193 km² of mountain and Atlantic Forest in the bay of the same name, part of the municipality of Angra dos Reis. The Prefeitura counts 106 beaches around its coast. About 62.5% of the island is the Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande, created in 1971 and run by the Instituto Estadual do Ambiente (INEA), with more than 80 km of trails, and the island was inscribed with Paraty as a World Heritage site in 2019.
There is no road traffic. The Barcas S/A ferries and the faster private boats cross daily from Angra dos Reis, Conceição de Jacareí and Mangaratiba to Vila do Abraão, the main village on the north-east coast, where the park headquarters stands. From Abraão, every other beach is a walk on a forest trail or a ride on a boat taxi or tour, and the state decree on park use, nº 42.483/2010, bans motor vehicles from unauthorised places inside the park. Photographer, couple and luggage all travel the same way, which makes the island one of the few places where the transfer is part of the photographs.
Light on the island follows the mountains. On 21 December the sun rises at about 5:08 and sets at 18:41, and on 21 June it rises at 6:37 and sets at 17:19, but the high ridge behind Abraão, crowned by the Pico do Papagaio, puts the village into shadow well before sunset. Beaches facing open water get the last light; coves under the ridge get soft, even shade for portraits by mid-afternoon.
People who book here are couples on a slow trip: elopements on a beach with nobody else on it, honeymoon portraits in clear water, proposals at the end of a trail. Families come on summer holidays, and many guests are travellers combining Rio, Paraty and the island in one route. Pousadas on the island set their own rules for outside photographers, and those are confirmed in writing before booking.
Sessions
Elopement photographer on Ilha Grande from $950. Aventureiro takes 560 visitors a day, with a wristband issued in Angra, so a remote elopement is planned ahead.
Honeymoon photographer on Ilha Grande from $180. The south side is open sea and the north is sheltered, so in-water portraits are made in the north.
Couple photoshoot on Ilha Grande from $150. Dois Rios held a prison from 1903 to 1994 and is now a UERJ research village, a couple setting like no other beach.
Vacation photographer on Ilha Grande from $130. Angra dos Reis now charges a tourism fee through Viva Angra, with under-12s and over-60s exempt.
Locations
The best hour at each, and what a professional session there needs in the way of a permit — with the issuing authority and the date it was last checked.
The main village of the island, where boats from the mainland arrive, with a small church, a sandy bay full of boats and the forest rising straight behind. Every trail on the island starts here, and the waterfront is busiest when the ferries come in.
Source: inea.rj.gov.br · Checked October 2026
A long beach of fine white sand on the island's open-sea side backed by restinga vegetation, as INEA describes it. It is reached on foot from Abraão or by boat to Pouso and a short trail, and it is the beach most people picture when they think of the island.
Source: parquesestaduais.inea.rj.gov.br · Checked October 2026
A natural pool of clear, calm water between small islets on the north coast, reached by boat. Tours stop here in the middle of the day, so the water is bright and the boats are many; an early private boat finds it quieter.
Source: visite.angra.rj.gov.br · Checked October 2026
A remote beach and fishing village on the south-west coast, famous for a coconut palm growing almost flat over the sand at its left end. The crossing is exposed to the open sea, and the Prefeitura advises against it when the sea is rough.
Source: visite.angra.rj.gov.br · Checked October 2026
Timing
INEA describes Ilha Grande's climate as tropical, hot and humid with no dry season: it rains all year, most from December to March and least from June to August. Summer is the busiest time, with full boats, crowded trails and the warmest water, and the island fills again over Carnaval and the long holiday weekends. The cooler, drier months from June to August bring clearer water and quieter beaches, at the cost of earlier sunsets. Sea conditions matter as much as weather, because boats to the southern beaches do not run when the open sea is rough.
Licensed photographs of Ilha Grande, credited on the photo credits page.
Pricing
From $950
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
From $180
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
From $150
Your exact price is confirmed in writing before you pay.
These come under the Ilha Grande rate: a photographer travels out at no extra charge, and the session is priced exactly as it would be in Ilha Grande itself.
No. Ilha Grande has no road traffic, and the state decree on park use, nº 42.483/2010, bans motor vehicles from unauthorised places in the Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande. Couples and photographers reach every beach on foot or by boat from Vila do Abraão, so a session on the island is planned around trails and boat times.
By boat, like everyone else. The Barcas S/A ferries cross daily to Vila do Abraão from Angra dos Reis, Conceição de Jacareí and Mangaratiba, and private boats run the same routes. For a session on Ilha Grande the photographer travels on the same day or stays on the island, and the boat timetable sets the start time.
Not everywhere. Most of Ilha Grande is the Parque Estadual da Ilha Grande, where state park rules apply, and passage through Praia do Sul and Praia do Leste is restricted under federal law because they belong to the Reserva Biológica da Praia do Sul. Sessions happen on the open beaches, in the villages and on the marked trails.
Next step
Tell us the date and the kind of session. A coordinator replies within two hours with an available photographer who works in Ilha Grande, and your exact price.