"Fernando de Noronha " a Ilha de Fernando de Noronha Travel Page by Sandrinha

The blue Atlantic Ocean and the volcanic formed hills, make the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha to one of the most beautiful landscapes in Brazil. Noronha with a population of 1500, lies 360km from Natal. The 21 islands of the archipelago cover a total area of only 26 square kilometers. With its crystal-clear water (visibility to 50m deepness & average water temperature of 25°C) and rich marine life, the archipelago is a heavenly retreat for underwater pleasures – one of the best places for diving on this planet.

The “Pico” hill, the highest point on the main island, is only 321 meters above sea level, it is well over 4300 meters above the ocean floor, as the island is an extinct volcanic cone. The island-mountain is part of the mid-Atlantic ridge, an underwater mountain chain which is over 15,000km long. The islands beaches are clean, beautiful and almost deserted. There are many natural formed swimming pools and beautiful & shallow beaches, like Atalaia Beach and Sancho Bay, where you can observe the marine life and a lots of colorful fish. You can get to the Sancho bay either by boat or by following a trail which leads through bramble and bush, past almond trees and over sharp rocks. Once at Baía do Sancho, you may be lucky enough to witness an odd metrological phenomenon: without a cloud in sight, rain falls mysteriously on a spot of land 10 meters wide. Cacimba do Padre beach is the only one with fresh water. Baía dos Golfinhos (Dolphin Bay) is strictly off limits to swimmers, but access is permitted to Mirante dos Gofinhos, an outlook where you can watch hundreds of dolphins cavorting in the water every morning.

Another attraction is to observe the rich life of sea birds and other birds, living there permanently or stopping over during their immigrations. Except the variety of nature experiences, you may also enjoy some sports, like surfing. The waves are about 2m high and the top of the waves can reach 5m. The best period for surfing is between December and March (in February is a world championship in surf).

The archipelago is nowadays a protected national marine park, and the effects of tourism on its fragile ecosystem need to be monitored carefully. It is only the main island that allows visitors, and the local government charge a daily environmental tax of the visitors. Another example is than on the beaches of Leão, Sancho, Cacimba do Padre & Boldró, it is prohibited to access the beaches nighttime (18h - 06h) during January till June, in protection of the turtles that lays eggs. Note that the rainy season starts at the end of March until May, and July can be quite windy. January is the top of the high season with lots of people and of course the most expensive period.