# Fernando de Noronha: map, what to do and when to go

A volcanic archipelago of Pernambuco 545 km from Recife, with a marine national park covering about 70% of its area, spinner dolphins that rest in a protected bay, and visits controlled by a daily fee, a ticket and tide-based booking.

Canonical: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/
Language: en. Extended author commentary and itinerary notes may remain in Portuguese. Dates below belong to individual sources; this is not live availability.

## Direct answer
- **Fernando de Noronha: How do you get to the island?** By plane, at Aeroporto Governador Carlos Wilson (FEN).
- **Fernando de Noronha: How much do the TPA and the park ticket cost?** In 2026 the TPA is R$ 105.79 for one day, R$ 423.17 for four and R$ 520.50 for five.
- **Fernando de Noronha: How many days should you stay?** Four days: one to arrive and sort out the ticket and bookings, one for the inner sea, one for the outer sea and one by boat.

## Arrival, ticket and Vila dos Remédios
On arrival, check the TPA at the airport; with a card from outside Brazil, that is where you pay it.
- Vila dos Remédios
- Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
- Forte de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

## Dolphins, Sancho and Baía dos Porcos
Be at the Golfinho-Sancho post at 6:30 a.m. and go to the Baía dos Golfinhos lookout to watch the spinners resting.
- Baía dos Golfinhos
- Baía dos Porcos
- Praia da Cacimba do Padre

## The outer sea: Atalaia, Sueste and Leão
Build the day around your booked Atalaia time, which follows the low tide and may fall in the morning or afternoon; Baía do Sueste closes its beach at 4 p.m.
- Praia do Atalaia
- Praia do Leão
- Baía do Sueste

## Baía do Sancho
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-baia-do-sancho
Pernambuco · Half a day or more
An inner-sea beach, several times voted the best beach in the world by Tripadvisor users. It is part of the park, and the ticket is checked at the Golfinho-Sancho post. It is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. From above you descend by a sailor's ladder that runs in shifts: from 8 to 8:50 a.m. and from 4:30 to 5:20 p.m. in both directions, and the rest of the day in alternating blocks of down-only or up-only, so the morning line can be long. A suspended walkway made of recycled material leads to the lookouts and serves people with reduced mobility. Tour boats stop there for snorkeling, at most four at the same time.
Check access

## Baía dos Golfinhos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-baia-dos-golfinhos
Up to half an hour
A lookout on top of the cliff above the bay where the resident group of spinner dolphins comes to rest, care for their calves and mate; they feed far from there, in the outer sea. Between 2004 and 2024 the spinners were in the bay on 90% of days, averaging 352 animals per day. The lookout is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and early morning is the most likely time to see them. Nobody goes down, swims or enters the bay by boat. Bring binoculars if you have them.
Check access

## Baía dos Porcos
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-baia-dos-porcos
Fernando de Noronha · One to two hours
A small cove between rocks, with pools that are good for snorkeling when the sea is calm, next to Sancho. Access is by a trail that starts at the left end of Praia da Cacimba do Padre, with entry and exit control and its own hours, which ICMBio publishes. No booking needed.
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## Praia do Atalaia
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-praia-do-atalaia
One to two hours
The park's best-known natural pool, in the outer sea, visited only at low tide, with a coral-covered floor and daily spots set by a carrying-capacity study. The trail is 3 km round trip, about 30 minutes each way, and the time slot is set each day by the peak of low tide. It requires booking with the ticket number. In the water, a life vest, mask and snorkel are mandatory, and you may not stand, kneel or lean on the bottom. Sunscreen and other cosmetics may not be applied before the swim.
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## Praia do Leão
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-praia-do-leao
One to two hours
A long outer-sea beach, with two islets in front, Morro do Leão and Viuvinha, and the main green turtle nesting site from December to May. It is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with control at the Leão post. The sea has strong currents: swimming and snorkeling are allowed on the strip of sand and in the sandy-bottomed pools, never over the reefs at the sides. Through the same gate at the Leão post you reach the Ponta das Caracas lookout, between Leão and Sueste, good for seabirds, and the ruins of the Forte de São Joaquim do Sueste; both are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunset, between 6 and 6:30 p.m. depending on the season, falls after closing.
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## Baía do Sueste
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-baia-do-sueste
Up to half an hour
The outer-sea bay with a mangrove and a feeding and breeding area for turtles. It is currently temporarily closed to swimming, snorkeling and floating, and the mangrove is closed to visitors; the strip of sand is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., after an orientation video or a talk with the monitors. While the rule stands, the bay is worth it for the view, on a short stop.
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## Vila dos Remédios
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-vila-dos-remedios
Fernando de Noronha · Up to half an hour
The settlement founded within the 18th-century military project and a walled town during the penal period. Around the square are the church, the Palácio de São Miguel, seat of the district administration, and the Memorial Noronhense, a cultural space on the island's history. Stretches of the old wall remain, 50 cm to 1 m high, behind the church and next to the memorial. It is also where restaurants and shops cluster.
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## Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-igreja-de-nossa-senhora-dos
Up to half an hour
Begun in 1737 together with the fort and completed in 1772, the year engraved on the façade, it has a single nave with a choir and a main chapel, in sandstone masonry. It has been a listed monument since 1937 and was last restored in 1988. The patron saint is celebrated on August 29, a district holiday since 1947.
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## Forte de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-forte-de-nossa-senhora-dos
Fernando de Noronha · Up to half an hour
The ruins of the island's main fortification, begun in 1737 over a Dutch position and expanded from 1741, stand 45 m above Baía de Santo Antônio, next to Vila dos Remédios. They have been listed since 1937 and are open to visit, but the state of conservation is poor: go for the position over the bay and for the history, and watch out for walls and uneven floors.
Check access

## Praia da Cacimba do Padre
https://nilopelomundo.com/en/place/fernando-de-noronha/#g-lugar-praia-da-cacimba-do-padre
One to two hours
An inner-sea beach that is not on the list of park beaches requiring a ticket, known for the barreling waves that make Noronha a surf destination, as are Boldró and Praia do Cachorro. The trail to Baía dos Porcos starts at the left end.
Check access

**Fernando de Noronha: How do you get to the island?**
By plane, at Aeroporto Governador Carlos Wilson (FEN). In August 2026 there were 34 weekly flights: 18 by Azul, departing from Recife, about an hour's flight, and 11 by Gol and 5 by Latam, mostly departing from Guarulhos, in São Paulo.

**Fernando de Noronha: How much do the TPA and the park ticket cost?**
In 2026 the TPA is R$ 105.79 for one day, R$ 423.17 for four and R$ 520.50 for five. The Marine National Park ticket costs R$ 384, with a 50% discount for Brazilians (R$ 192), and is valid for 10 days. Children under 12 and Brazilians over 60 are exempt from the park admission fee; its 10 days start at first access or activation.

**Fernando de Noronha: How many days should you stay?**
Four days: one to arrive and sort out the ticket and bookings, one for the inner sea, one for the outer sea and one by boat. With fewer than three days it isn't worth it, because the airfare and fees weigh too much to see only one side of the island.

**Fernando de Noronha: Can you swim with turtles at Sueste?**
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.

**Fernando de Noronha: When is the best time to go?**
August to November: dry season and outside the peak occupancy of New Year's Eve and January. From February to July it rains more, peaking in April, and the trails get muddy.


## In the Nilo app
- Plan these 4 days on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/guide/fernando-de-noronha/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-itinerary
- Mark your hotel on the map: https://nilopelomundo.com/en/app/map/fernando-de-noronha/?utm_source=llm&utm_medium=markdown&utm_content=door-stay

## Full editorial guide (Portuguese)
https://nilopelomundo.com/llm/fernando-de-noronha.md