Fernando de Noronha: Paradise!

After some mishaps with flight bookings, we finally made it: Fernando de Noronha. We had read a lot about this island off the coast of Brazil and were very excited. This tiny island (7.1 sq. miles) is a marine sanctuary, with very little development and a limited number of tourists that arrive each day. It boasts Brazil's most beautiful beaches (in a country with many beautiful beaches), and an abundance of marine wildlife: wild dolphins, turtles and sharks swim about the many coves.

Our first view of the island: The 2 brothers formation

It's difficult to condense everything we did and saw, but I'll throw a lot of pictures in and add some commentary. We stayed with a sailor on the island named George, who had an extra room in his cabin. He was very friendly and gave us a lot of tips on how to get around the island and what to see. We also cooked some delicious meals while we stayed there (restaurants were super expensive).

Our bedroom in the cabin

Cooking breakfast in the kitchen

Upon arrival, we rushed out to the top of an old fort to catch the sunset.

We swam around the port the next morning and could see and hear dolphins playing in the water in the distance. Our clicking noises in the water were of no interest to the dolphins though and they never came any closer.

Later that day, we wandered along the many beaches of the island. The beaches are blissfully clean and quiet as they do not allow development near the beaches. No hawkers, no stands selling things, no high-rise hotels, just soft sand, clear water, and very few people! It would be uncommon to see more than 4 people on the same beach at any time!

Does this shot look familiar?

The next day we took a boat ride around the island to see some of the areas that are not easily accessible on foot. I actually didn't know what to expect from the ride, as the whole tour was in Portugese, but the people were friendly and patient with us. Dolphins swam up very close to the bow of the boat and played around nearby.

The next picture bears some explanation. At one end of the island, the guide stopped the boat and pointed up at the top of the rocks and explained something in Portugese. In unison, everyone went "ohhh" and I figured he was pointing out a formation that was named something. I told Rash it must be the "Panda using the vending machine"

Panda using the vending machine

An unexpected surprise ending to the boat trip was the 'passeio.' Essentially you take a kickboard, string it along to the back of a boat and get dragged along with a snorkel mask. It's like snorkeling on speed. This in itself is kind of cool, but the REAL neat part was being able to dive with the board. When I discovered I could dive with it, it felt like flying, or what a dolphin must feel like in the water. I couldn't get enough of diving up and down rhythmically and watching rays, turtles, and sharks go by underneath. Definitely a highlight!

Looks touristy, and it is. Still a lot of fun!

We snorkeled at various spots around the island. Praia Atalaia had very good visibility in a tidal pool. We saw a nice eel and an octopus in that pool. 

Praia Atalaia

Some other very nice snorkeling was at Praia Sueste. It's a controlled area because many turtles gather there, but we were able to explore it a little and saw many turtles of different sizes. The largest one was the most calm, just slowly watching us from on a few feet away. We got to observe the turtle going up for air and browse through the rocks for food. While in Sueste we also saw small sharks that swam away very quickly.

Praia Sueste

Fending lizards away from our lunch spot at a lookout

Another true highlight of our time on the island was Praia Sancho, supposedly Brazil's most beautiful beach. It's a horseshoe shaped bay with clear water, soft sand, and very few people. It was so nice we went there a total of three times! While snorkeling we saw a ray and various tropical fishes. 

Praia Sancho

Taking the ladder down

The last picture our camera took before we dropped it; it's final breath was with this sight.

We had an amazing time out in Fernando de Noronha, but soon it was time to hustle back to the mainland and go deep into the Amazon rainforest! Tune in soon!