As Ilhas, in São Sebastião: The Island Called "As Ilhas" and How to Visit by Boat

As Ilhas, in São Sebastião, is the name of a single island, despite the plural name. It lies on the municipality's South Coast, within the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte, and is the third island on the 3 Islands of the South Coast boat tour, alongside Ilha das Couves and Ilha dos Gatos. It is also part of the boat route that includes Montão de Trigo.

This guide brings together what the protected area's official management plan records about As Ilhas and explains how it fits into the tours that depart from Boiçucanga and Maresias Beach.

Is As Ilhas one island or a group of islands?

It's one island. "As Ilhas" is its proper name, which is why it always appears capitalized. In the management plan of the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte, the official document from the Fundação Florestal approved in 2022, it has its own entry, titled "As Ilhas – Área de Manejo Especial Ypautiba," and the text refers to it as "this island."

The confusion has a reason. In some lists within the plan itself, the name appears in lowercase, as in "Ilha das Couves, dos Gatos, as Ilhas, Montão de Trigo," which gives the impression of an unnamed cluster of islands. And the 3 Islands of the South Coast tour is made up of exactly Ilha das Couves, Ilha dos Gatos and As Ilhas. When there's a need to clear up the doubt, the clearest way to put it is "the island called As Ilhas."

Where is As Ilhas?

As Ilhas is on the South Coast of São Sebastião, in the Ypautiba Sector, the part of the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte within the municipality. The management plan places it in the Ypautiba Special Management Area, the same one as Ilha das Couves in São Sebastião, and describes it together with Couves and Ilha dos Gatos as islands that are very close to one another, with extensive rocky shores and Atlantic Forest vegetation.

The official sources consulted don't report As Ilhas's distance from the beach or its size. An overview of the neighboring islands is in the guide to the islands of São Sebastião on the South Coast.

What does the management plan say about As Ilhas?

• Two beaches: the plan records that As Ilhas has two beaches suitable for sunbathing and swimming.
• Water sports: the island is popular for diving, SUP and kayaking, and serves as a stopping point for recreational boats sailing in the region.
• Official dive site: it's on São Sebastião's list of dive sites, along with Ilha dos Gatos, Ilha das Couves and Montão de Trigo.
• Restinga vegetation: the plan lists As Ilhas among the protected area's islands with beaches and restinga (coastal sand-dune) vegetation.
• Birds: it's among the islands with records of several bird species, for which the plan recommends defining zones and rules on land.
• Gaps: there are no published studies on the island's vegetation or records of mammals, and the Participatory Diagnosis named it a priority area for conservation.

The same document lists As Ilhas among the destinations for tourist boat trips in the Ypautiba Sector, together with Montão de Trigo, Ilha das Couves and Ilha dos Gatos, and cites the surrounding waters as a spot for amateur boat fishing.

Is As Ilhas preserved?

That's not what the official assessment shows. Of the 33 islands and islets in the protected area evaluated for ecological integrity, eight were classified as critical or degraded areas, and As Ilhas is among them, with the status "heavily disturbed." The reasons cited are the presence of trash, human waste, campfires, introduced species, altered areas, trails and structures, plus the small amount of original habitat that remains.

The plan also records "intense visitation" on As Ilhas and Ilha dos Gatos and points to unregulated tourism as a threat to reptiles and amphibians. Visiting calls for care:

• Take all trash back with you, including cigarette butts and food scraps.
• Don't light fires or leave anything on the sand.
• Don't take plants, shells or animals, and don't release anything onto the island.
• In the water, look without touching or feeding the fish.
• Follow the boat captain: under Decree 66,823/2022, anchoring is only allowed at points designated by the managing agency, and the protected area's rules give priority to generating no waste.

Best practices in the water are in the guide to snorkeling in São Sebastião.