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Rio and Ilha Grande: footvolley, volleyball and the island
Photo: Mteixeira62, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sample trip

Rio and Ilha Grande: footvolley, volleyball and the island

Nine days for four friends in August: Rio's beach sports on the sand where they were born, then an island without cars, jungle trails and Lopes Mendes.

9 days, 8 nightsFor four friendsIpanema hotel and an island pousadaFootvolley, beach volleyball and hikes
Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroAbraãoAbraãoLopes MendesLopes Mendes
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August is winter in Rio: around 24°C, dry, the sea cool and the courts full of locals. Footvolley was invented on Copacabana in the 1960s, when football was banned on the beach, and Ipanema's nets are where Rio plays volleyball. Four days of lessons and games, then two hours down the coast and a boat to Ilha Grande, where there are no cars, only trails through the Atlantic forest to beaches like Lopes Mendes.

Ipanema

Day1

Getting there

Fly into Rio de Janeiro (GIG); an app car or official taxi to Ipanema takes about 45 minutes.

Where you're staying

Ipanema Inn Hotel, on Rua Maria Quitéria a block from the beach at Posto 9: simple, well-run rooms and a big breakfast.

  • Four nights in two rooms; breakfast served daily from 7 to 11
  • Rated 8.8 on Booking.com from about 1,300 reviews
  • Posto 9 and its courts are two minutes away
A standard room with a desk and red lamp
A room with a desk by the window
Duplex suite bedroom under the stairs
Dishes at Quitéria, the hotel restaurant
A beach chair and towel for guests

Photos: ipanemainn.com.br

Evening

Sunset from the Arpoador rock at the end of the beach, where Rio applauds when the sun goes down, then dinner in Ipanema.

Crowds watching sunset on the Arpoador rock
Sun setting over the beach beside Arpoador
Dois Irmãos hill at dusk from Arpoador

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Tet, CC BY 4.0; DiegoL569, CC BY-SA 4.0; Brunno Rôlo, CC BY-SA 3.0)

Flagship day

Footvolley where it began

Day2

Day 2 · Sun 15 Aug

The morning

A footvolley class with the Clínica de Futevôlei by Dunga, which calls itself Rio's first footvolley school, on Ipanema beach: chest, head and feet only, over a volleyball net, ending in a game against the regulars.

  • About an hour to an hour and a half; visitors from outside Rio book a day-use class
  • Book ahead; mornings are cooler and the sand is firmer
  • On Sundays the beach road is closed to cars and the whole seafront becomes a promenade
Chest control
A leap at the net
A player flicking the ball with his foot
Players on the beach in front of the Ipanema apartment blocks

Photos: Wikimedia Commons (Felipe.bzra, CC BY-SA 4.0; Leandro Neumann Ciuffo, CC BY 2.0)

Born of a ban

In the 1960s football was banned on Copacabana beach. Players moved to the volleyball nets and kept the ball off their hands: footvolley was the result.

Lunch

Coconut water and grilled cheese on a stick from the beach kiosks, then a long afternoon on the sand.

Beach volleyball

Day3

The day

A morning session with one of the escolinhas, the beach volleyball schools along Ipanema, then the cable car up Sugarloaf Mountain for sunset.

  • Courts are free on weekdays early and after 15:00; weekends belong to the regulars
  • Bring cash for the class and water

Rio by day

Day4

The day

The first train up to Christ the Redeemer, Santa Teresa's steep streets, and an evening of samba, by taxi there and back.

To Ilha Grande

Day5

Getting there

A shared van to Conceição de Jacareí and a speedboat to Abraão, the island's village: about three and a half hours door to door, from about USD 46 each.

Where you're staying

Pousada Casablanca on Rua da Praia in Abraão, a few steps from the beach and the boats.

  • Four nights in two doubles with balconies
  • Rated 9.1 on Booking.com from about 700 reviews
  • August 2027 is not on sale yet; four nights in March 2027 were €989 a room

Lopes Mendes

Day6

The day

A boat to Praia do Pouso and a short forest trail to Lopes Mendes, a long white beach with surf; bring a ball.

Pico do Papagaio

Day7

The day

A night hike with a guide to Pico do Papagaio for sunrise over the bay, about five to six hours return; an easy afternoon after.

Dois Rios

Day8

The day

The forest trail across the island to Dois Rios, three to four hours, and a moqueca in Abraão for the last dinner.

Home

Day9

Getting home

Boat and van back to Rio airport, about four hours; an evening flight.

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