Ilha de Porto Belo

Ilha de Porto Belo is a small forested island half a kilometre off the mainland town of Porto Belo, run since the 1990s as a low-key private-managed nature area with a strict daily visitor cap of 400. It has three swimming beaches, an underwater snorkel trail marked with buoys, an easy 40-minute trail across the island's hilltop, and a small restaurant. It matters as a genuinely impact-managed alternative to the more famous Ilha do Campeche — same clear-water experience, half the crowd, tighter environmental rules.

You buy a combined ticket at the Porto Belo pier that covers the ten-minute boat crossing and the island access fee. On landing you get a briefing on the paths (no straying off marked trails, no bringing food ashore, life jackets required in the snorkel zone), then have four to six hours on the island. The snorkel trail off Praia do Meio takes you past 22 species of tropical fish; the trail to the top of Morro do Cruzeiro takes 20 minutes and gives a full view of the peninsula and Bombinhas beyond. Lunch at the island restaurant is a fixed menu of grilled fish, rice and salad for R$70.

Best on weekdays from October through April; May-September the boat only runs weekends and the water is cold. Book by 10:00 at the pier or online through Turismo Ilha de Porto Belo — high-season Saturdays fill by 09:30. Bring reef shoes (the beach access has some rock), a rash guard against the sun, and cash for the restaurant. Combine with an afternoon in Porto Belo town or drive on to Bombinhas for the evening.

Hours & entry

Not free · R$100 includes boat and island fee · Snorkel gear R$30 extra

Daily 9:00-17:00 Oct-Apr · Weekends only May-Sep · Last boat back 16:30

What to see

{'what': 'Snorkel trail marked with numbered buoys', 'where': 'Praia do Meio, west side of the island'}

{'what': 'View from Morro do Cruzeiro', 'where': 'Top of the trail, 20 min climb from the landing beach'}

{'what': 'Grilled fish lunch', 'where': 'Restaurante da Ilha, above the main pier'}

Tips from the ground

First boat at 09:00 gives the calmest water for snorkelling.

The island doesn’t sell water — bring a full bottle per person.

Book online in high season; walk-ups from December to February often turned away by 11:00.