In May of 2017 I was fortunate enough to travel to Brazil's island called Fernando de Noronha. It was a stunning and in fact unforgettable three nights/four days. In fact, it became the jewel in the crown of my one-month journey into Brazil.
In this article I'll cover some 'need to know' as well as 'personal highlights' info for anyone who is planning (or pondering!) a trip there.
Why go to Fernando De Noronha?
The island is significant for a number of reasons. First, it is a UNESCO world heritage protected site; due to the unique bird and marine life surrounding the island. Some of the birds here are not found anywhere else on planet Earth. Also, the island represents the eastern-most point of Brazil.
It is stunningly beautiful; with the centrepiece being a giant rock formation that juts out like a mountain in the middle of the island; and lush greenery all around, the place is an indulgence on the eyes. Then there's the gorgeous and near-empty beaches; pristine and untouched (Sancho beach, for example, consistently appears in some "Top 10 beaches in the world" lists by the likes of Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor, and Frommer's).
The climate is gorgeous; with around a 27 degrees (Celsius) average daily temperature and mild to neutral humidity most days, it certainly is a pleasant place to just lay on near-empty beaches and relax, bushwalk, and explore.
If like me you also enjoy scuba diving and snorkelling, well, you'll be spoilt for beauty under the sea.
The waters on most beaches are pristine and visibility is astonishingly good. And, I don't mention this lightly - I'm from Australia after all so what with the Great Barrier Reef, I guess I have pretty high standards for coral reef beauty, fish diversity, and water clarity/visibility!
We saw everything from sharks to gorgeous sea turtles, all kinds of colourful fish, and some pretty soft-corals too. On our bushwalks we glimpsed beautiful unique birds found nowhere else; bizarre colourings and beautiful elongated tails that somewhat mimic the birds of paradise observed in south-east Asia and Papua New Guinea. And, even stranger bird-calls and noises that they that make!
Then there are the gorgeous sunsets. With coastline and beaches on the north, west, east, and south, each sunset you spend on the island is a sheer natural beauty. The sky lights up all of these vibrant colours, with the sound of the crashing and lapping waves with it; and all framed by the rocks and hills that jut out into the sky.
Getting there:
Fernando De Noronha is a small island located off the coast of (and belongs to) the state of Pernambuco, in north-eastern Brazil.
Although it is a bit of a task to get to, I highly recommend Fernando De Noronha for anyone considering a trip to Brazil, since I believe it offers some unique things and a generally awesome, chilled, and non-crowded 'vibe' that I did not experience anywhere else in my 8-state travel around Brazil!
First, most travellers will be coming from the south (Rio or Sao Paulo probably); so you'll need to buy a ticket to either Recife, Pernambuco, or Fortaleza, Ceara; since these are the only two cities where you can fly from, to get to Fernando De Noronha island.
Getting direct flights from say Rio or Sao Paulo to Recife or Ceara isn't easy, and you'll pay more for it. Instead, we bought a cheaper ticket on Azul (Brazil's major low-cost domestic carrier), from the south to Recife, stopping in Salvador for a connecting flight). From Recife we then flew with Avianca airlines to Fernando (just under one hour). All in all, we spent the daylight hours of a day getting from south, to the island. The island is also on its own slightly different time zone, too. I believe it is about a half-hour ahead of Pernambuco.
Costs & expenses:
Fernando De Noronha is (rightly) viewed as a luxurious island escape by mainland Brazilians. In other words, it is not cheap to travel to for most locals; and even for travellers from affluent currencies with great exchange rates into Brazilian Real (e.g. UK, US, Euro, Australian Dollar, Japanese Yen etc.); Fernando is not a cheap place to visit.
The abovementioned extra flights and time it takes to get there (you pretty much lose a day to get there), adds to the cost, as does the required 200 Brazilian Real (about USD $62) airport tax to help pay for conservation projects on the island. I didn't mind paying this because it helps conserve the natural beauty (and keep the gaudy 20-story hotel tower chains out!).
Then there is accommodation and food. Neither are cheap by Brazilian standards, but by international standards aren't too bad. Food is quite expensive; in fact, the most expensive I've paid during my entire trip for restaurants, for supermarket food, and any other snacks/drinks - both by Brazilian and international standards. Most food needs to be imported (and this includes seafood - since Brazilians respect the 'no commercial fishing' rules in place for the entire island).
Activities like scuba diving are more costly than the mainland, and other little organised tours and museums are pretty cost-efficient.
Accommodation & Dining:
Accommodation is few and far between, due both to the controlled numbers of visitors on the island, as well as UNESCO status helping to protect against multi-story gaudy hotel chains popping up (which would truly ruin the relaxed vibe, spirit, and physical beauty of the island). This however creates opportunity for the small volume of permanent residences that have built or converted their homes into lovely B & B's and home-stay style accommodations.
I was travelling in a group of four and we ended up sharing a little self-contained one room/mezzanine floor unit; including its own kitchenette to cook our own things if we wanted (we didn't really bother; we ate and drank out instead).
Our hosts were lovely; a local family who had lived on the island most of their adult lives on the island and some evenings we'd sit with them and hear stories of the changes around the island and life raising children in an island with only a handful of schools! Also, if you stay in a B&B you'll probably be treated to a home-cooked breakfast (ours included some delicious local delicacies like local fruit-blended smoothies, baked breads, and delicious coffee).
Eating out was also delicious. You'll find a small restaurant district with pan-Americas foods and Japanese and other Asian delights too. We treated ourselves one night to a beautiful fish with Brazil nut butter dressing and salad - some of the tenderest fish I've ever tasted!
Culture & People:
I simply love the warmth, sassiness, and light-hearted spirit of people in Northern Brazil. These traits extend and only seem to ramp up, in the hearts of the locals on Fernando De Noronha. Lovely people with a deep respect and appreciation for their environment and their island.
Rightly or wrongly to say it; the sheer cost of getting to Fernando tends to exclude any riff-raff from Recife or other northern cities, from making their way to the island for any kind of holiday or permanent relocation. It seems the best of Brazilian people are to be found in Fernando - I never had a negative moment with locals; be it our warm hosts at our self-contained house-stay; restaurant staff, or simply locals in the little township making their way, day-to-day. Lost your bus timetable? Can't remember the street where that cute cafe was? Ask a stranger - they'll oblige you and help as much as possible.
The other cultural appreciation I observed is the deep respect for their island's beauty. Some of the snorkelling pools for instance, prohibit sunscreen due to the biodiversity protection of the critters in those waters - and the locals respect and enforce this. Other folks will recount stories of the 'near-misses' of World War 2. There are glimpses of Fernando's war history as an island lookout tower for the mainland of Brazil, from Europe. If you climb the hills and crooked jungle tracks; you'll discover hints of this everywhere; tucked away gun turrets; mountain-top ex-commissioned cannons, and old-world architecture abound.
Getting around:
The island is really very compact, and once you make it to your accommodations, you'll probably just walk most places to get around. There is a bus service that does a loop around the major points of the island that you'll need to use to get to specific beaches, attractions, and walking trails. You can hire bicycles and there are private taxis as well. The taxis are helpful to get to/from the airport with your luggage.
The roads are quite bumpy (some aren't exactly cobble 'stones' but rather cobble 'boulders'!) but it makes for a fun sense of adventure to bump and grind over them as you make your way.
Summing it up:
Fernando De Noronha is truly a magical place. My other three travelling companions all felt it too - it wasn't just me! The vibe, the peace and tranquillity; the natural beauty of the place, the careless sunsets with a locally shaken Caiparinha to sip on (or, just a fresh coconut with a pink straw; cut down moments ago from the tree just over there!) - All of this added up to, for me, a never-forgotten life experience.
I cannot recommend enough allowing at least a few days in your Brazil itinerary for this tucked away marvel.
