Ilha do Montão de Trigo: What to Know and How to Visit by Boat from Maresias

The Ilha do Montão de Trigo is the most remote of the islands visited on tours along the South Coast of São Sebastião. It lies about 10 km (6.2 mi) off the coastline, covers 130 hectares (321 acres) and has a jagged rocky peak, according to an academic article published in the journal Confins. It is also home to a caiçara community.

For travelers staying in Maresias, the way to see the Montão is by sea, on a boat tour that departs right from the beach. This guide brings together what official sources record about the island and guidance for visiting respectfully.

Where is the Ilha do Montão de Trigo?

The island lies in open water, about 10 km (6.2 mi) off the coast of São Sebastião, at coordinates 23°51'49"S, 45°46'54"W. It measures about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) along its longer axis. For comparison, Ilha das Couves is about 2.4 km (1.5 mi) from Barra do Sahy and Ilha dos Gatos is about 1.5 km (0.9 mi) from Camburi Beach, which makes the Montão the most distant island on the route.

The Montão is in the Ypautiba Sector of the APA Marinha do Litoral Norte, created by State Decree 53,525/2008. The protected area's management plan includes it among the unit's nine Special Management Areas, under the name "AME Ilha Montão de Trigo."

Who lives on the Ilha do Montão de Trigo?

The island is home to a traditional caiçara community. The 2010 IBGE Census counted 49 residents in 12 fixed homes. The management plan speaks of about 50 caiçaras, known as "monteiros," from about 10 families descended from a single family. They make their living from fishing, handicrafts, small-scale forest management and ferrying tourists.

Since 2012, the community has held a Sustainable Use Authorization Agreement issued by Brazil's federal property authority (Secretaria do Patrimônio da União). Decree 66,823/2022, which approved the protected area's management plan, guarantees the occupation and activities of traditional communities on the islands, in the way they have historically taken place. The plan also records a Community-Based Tourism pilot project on the island, a partnership between the São Sebastião office of the Serra do Mar State Park and the municipality's tourism department.

In practice, visitors should remember they are in front of someone's home. The boat tour does not include visits to the residences, and photographing residents only makes sense with permission.

What is the landscape of the Montão de Trigo like?

• No beaches: according to the management plan, the island has no beaches; its edge is entirely rocky shore.
• Diving: the plan lists Costão do Sudoeste and Ponta Negra as dive spots, plus surfing and windsurfing nearby.
• A wildlife curiosity: a 2007 study cited in the plan recorded the total extinction of the island's snake population.

The Montão also appears on São Sebastião's official list of dive sites, alongside Ilha das Couves, Ilha dos Gatos and As Ilhas. An overview of the neighboring islands is in the guide to the islands of São Sebastião on the South Coast.