Fernando de Noronha

The currency is the real (R$). Staying on Noronha involves two mandatory charges, and it is best to settle them before the trip. The Environmental Preservation Fee is charged by the district per day of stay, on a table that grows more slowly from the fifth day: in 2026 it is R$ 105.79 for one day, R$ 423.17 for four, R$ 520.50 for five and R$ 672.85 for seven. Days beyond those declared are charged double if the stay is not regularized beforehand. The Marine National Park ticket costs R$ 384, with a 50% discount for Brazilians (R$ 192), is valid for 10 days and is free for children under 12 and Brazilians over 60; it is bought on the park's website or at the Visitor Center in Boldró. In 2026, a budget inn costs between R$ 300 and R$ 600 a night, a mid-range one between R$ 600 and R$ 1,200 and a luxury one more than R$ 1,500; a set-menu lunch costs R$ 50 to R$ 90, and dinner at a tourist-oriented restaurant R$ 120 to R$ 200. A boat tour costs R$ 150 to R$ 300 per person, and a tank dive R$ 250 to R$ 450.

Getting there: flight from Recife or São Paulo

Only private vessels arrive by sea; the normal way in is by plane, at Aeroporto Governador Carlos Wilson (FEN), which opened the first phase of its new terminal on May 15, 2026, with 3,000 m², almost triple the old one. In August 2026 Anac counted 34 weekly flights: 18 by Azul, departing from Recife, about an hour's flight; 11 by Gol and 5 by Latam, mostly departing from Guarulhos, in São Paulo. Before boarding, pay the TPA on the administration's website; with a card issued outside Brazil, it can only be paid at the counter at the island's airport. From the airport, the BR-363 bus line, which runs from the port to Sueste, passes by the door; there are also taxis and buggy rentals, and if you travel light you can walk to the road.

Getting around the island: one bus, buggies and your own feet

The BR-363, the only road, is about 7 km long and links the port to Sueste. A bus line runs this route with three vehicles, every 30 minutes; the fare is R$ 5 for tourists. To reach more places in the same day, you can rent a buggy, R$ 250 to R$ 450 per day, a motorbike, R$ 120 to R$ 200, or a bicycle, R$ 50 to R$ 80 (2026 prices). The park's beaches are reached on foot from the control posts, and several trails can only be done with a guide accredited by ICMBio.

Noronha doesn't have the crime of a big city, and what calls for attention is the sea. In the outer sea the currents are strong, and at Praia do Leão swimming is only allowed on the strip of sand and in the sandy-bottomed pools. The archipelago is a feeding area for sharks, there have been incidents with swimmers, and Baía do Sueste is temporarily closed to swimming: swim only in the open areas, near the shore, in daylight and with good visibility. Scuba diving only with operators authorized by ICMBio. On long trails, such as Capim-Açu, bring water, a snack, sunscreen and closed shoes, as ICMBio recommends. In the rainy season, from February to July, the trails get slippery.

Sunscreen waits until after the pool

In the natural pools of Atalaia, Pontinha-Caieira and Abreu it is forbidden to enter with sunscreen or any other cosmetic on your skin, because the floor of these pools is covered in coral. Wear sun-protective clothing and apply sunscreen after the swim.

Don't step on the bottom

In the pools with booking, float with a life vest, mask and snorkel: standing, kneeling or leaning on the bottom is forbidden.

Don't bring disposable plastic

A 2018 district decree bans the entry, use and sale of disposable plastic on the island. Bring a reusable bottle and bag.

Don't feed or touch the animals

In the park it is forbidden to touch, feed or collect anything, and on the boat you don't feed fish and birds either. Boats go around groups of dolphins, never toward them.

Drones only within the rules

In the environmental protection area, flying a drone doesn't need an environmental license, but it follows Anac and Decea rules. Inside the park, it is, as a rule, for research and scientific outreach only.

Secondary islands are for looking

You may not land on the secondary islands or climb the islets at Praia do Leão.

Confusing the TPA with the park ticket

They are two charges from two different bodies. The TPA belongs to the district and is paid per day; the ticket belongs to ICMBio, is valid for 10 days and gives access to the park's beaches and trails. Having paid one doesn't excuse you from the other.

Leaving Atalaia to sort out on the island

The natural pools have limited daily spots, and the time changes every day with the low tide. Book as soon as you have the ticket number, through the park's platform or at the Visitor Center in Boldró.

Arriving at Sancho in mid-morning

From 9 to 10:20 a.m. the ladder is down-only, and the morning line can be long. Go down between 8 and 8:50 a.m., when it runs in both directions, or in the afternoon, which tends to be calmer.

Going to Sueste to swim with turtles

Baía do Sueste is temporarily closed to swimming, snorkeling and floating. The beach is open for the view. Praia do Leão is a nesting area from December to May: observing turtles there does not mean swimming with them; swimming and snorkeling are allowed along the sandy strip and in sandy-bottomed pools, never over the reefs at the sides; the sea has strong currents. For diving, use an authorized operator and check the permitted sites.

Staying extra days without telling anyone

Days beyond those declared in the TPA are charged double. If you decide to extend your stay, regularize it before it expires.

TPA

Taxa de Preservação Ambiental, the Environmental Preservation Fee, charged by the district per day of stay

PIC

Posto de Informação e Controle (Information and Control Post): where ICMBio checks the ticket at the entrance to the park's beaches

Agendamento

The time-slot booking for natural-pool trails, made with the ticket number

Mar de dentro / mar de fora

The more sheltered northwest coast (the inner sea) and the southeast coast facing the open ocean (the outer sea)

Condutor

A guide accredited by ICMBio, mandatory on some park trails

Rotador

The spinner dolphin, which spins in the air when it leaps

A volcanic archipelago of 26 km²

The archipelago is the top of a volcanic mountain rising from the Atlantic seabed, and totals 21 islands, islets and rocks. The main island is about 10 km long and 3.5 km at its widest; the Quixaba plateau sits in the middle, and the highest point is Morro do Pico, at 323 m. The secondary islands, such as Rata, Sela Gineta and Cabeluda, receive no visitors ashore.

The inner sea and the outer sea

The island has two sides to its sea. The inner sea (mar de dentro), on the northwest coast, holds the more sheltered bays and beaches, such as Baía de Santo Antônio, where the port is, Cacimba do Padre, Baía dos Porcos, Sancho and Baía dos Golfinhos. The outer sea (mar de fora), on the southeast coast, faces the open ocean, with Leão, Sueste and Atalaia, where waves and currents are stronger. The spinner dolphins feed in the outer sea and enter the inner-sea bays to rest.

Equatorial climate and a single road

The climate is tropical, with an average annual temperature of about 27 °C and little variation between months. Rain is concentrated from February to July, peaking in April, and the rest of the year is dry. The BR-363, about 7 km long, links the port, at Baía de Santo Antônio, to Sueste, passing through Vila dos Remédios and the airport, and almost all of the island's life happens along it.

An island of researchers

Much of what is known about the sea around Noronha comes from projects based on the island itself. The Projeto Golfinho Rotador has studied the bay's dolphins since 1991 and keeps a center in Boldró, and Projeto Tamar has a visitor center in the archipelago. The 2004 to 2024 data on how many dolphins enter the bay, and for how long they stay, come from this continuous monitoring.

Surfing, soccer and everyday life for residents

With barreling waves at Cacimba do Padre, Boldró and Cachorro, the island is one of the best-known surf destinations in Brazil. Among residents, soccer has its own championship, the Noronhão, and an amateur team that plays in the district stadium. The island has a TV station, TV Golfinho, and a radio station, FM Noronha.

The patron saint's festival

The festival of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, on August 29, has been a district holiday since 1947 and is the main religious event on the island's calendar, centered on the 18th-century church in Vila dos Remédios.

The Voyage of the Beagle (1839), Charles Darwin

Darwin came ashore on Noronha on February 20, 1832, at one of the stops of HMS Beagle's voyage, and described the vegetation as a dense forest, before the penal period cut down most of it. Read on the island, the account shows how much the landscape has changed.