Fernando de Noronha

Fernando De Noronha Marine National Park, Created 1988; Part Of The Brazilian Atlantic Islands: Fernando De Noronha And Atol Das Rocas Reserves, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 2001 · Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco

Fernando de Noronha is a volcanic archipelago of some twenty islands in the Atlantic, about 350 kilometres off the north-east coast of Brazil, and its beaches and waters are among the most celebrated in the world. Most of it is a marine national park, and the whole is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Baía do Sancho, reached down a ladder through a cleft in a cliff, is routinely voted one of the best beaches on the planet; the Baía dos Porcos beside it frames the twin peaks of Morro Dois Irmãos. Spinner dolphins gather in a protected bay every morning, sea turtles nest on the beaches, and the diving is the best in Brazil, with warm, clear water. What keeps it this way is also what defines a visit: the number of visitors is controlled, and everyone pays a daily environmental fee plus a national park ticket, which makes Noronha one of the most expensive destinations in the country. Flights come from Recife and Natal. It is small and quiet, with one main road, and it rewards people who plan ahead.

Vila dos Remédios, Fernando de Noronha, PE, Fernando de Noronha, Pernambuco, Brazil

Open year-round, but a visit runs on fees, bookings and tides. Every visitor pays a daily environmental preservation fee to the state, calculated on the number of days of the stay and paid before or on arrival, and a separate national park ticket that covers the park beaches and trails for a set number of days. The two are easy to confuse and both are checked. Several trails, and the Atalaia natural pool, have limited daily places and fixed time slots that must be booked in advance, often as soon as flights are confirmed, and the Atalaia pool only opens at suitable low tides. Some beaches close at certain hours or seasons for turtle nesting. The dolphin viewpoint is best very early in the morning. Swell on the inner coast, roughly December to March, can close swimming at some beaches, and the rainy season, roughly March to July, reduces visibility for diving. Confirm the current fee structure, park ticket validity and booking rules before travelling, as they change.

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