Fernando de Noronha
Brazil
A volcanic island in the Atlantic, mostly marine park, and priced by the day you stay
Photo by Azzedine Rouichi on Unsplash
Photos by Alex Braga, Azzedine Rouichi and Azzedine Rouichi on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Brazil
August to January
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 290mm in Apr
Where it is
3.84°S, 32.41°W Open in Google Maps
Things to do
Weeks of it- Pay the environmental fee and buy the park ticket before you fly, and book the Atalaia slot as soon as you have dates
- Go down the ladders through the cliff to Baía do Sancho early, before the boats arrive
- Watch the spinner dolphins from the Baía dos Golfinhos lookout in the early morning
- Snorkel with the turtles at Sueste
- Watch the sunset over the Morro Dois Irmãos from the Boldró lookout
- Dive — the water is clear and warm all year, and the diving here is widely held to be the best in Brazil
Fernando de Noronha travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Brazil
Very expensiveTwo fees come before anything else. The state's environmental fee (TPA) is charged per day of stay on a scale that climbs: R$105.79 for one day, R$672.85 for a week and R$901.36 for ten days in 2026, and much more beyond that. Pay it online in advance, or at the airport counter on arrival — cards issued outside Brazil only work at the counter. The marine park ticket is separate, bought on the park's own site: R$384 for a foreign visitor and R$192 for a Brazilian since its late-2025 adjustment, valid ten days, and needed for Sancho, Sueste, Leão and most of the trails. Beyond those, cards work in most places, and everything costs more than on the mainland because it arrives by plane or ship.
ATMs & cards
There are a few machines and no more: Santander in Vila dos Remédios, Bradesco at Vila do Trinta and the airport, and a Banco24Horas at the port. Banco do Brasil no longer has a machine on the island. Bring cash from the mainland for the smaller places that do not take cards, and treat the island machines as a backup.
Avoid these
- relying on the island's few machines as the only source of cash
- looking for a Banco do Brasil machine — there is none on the island
Use these instead
- Santander
- Bradesco
- Banco24Horas
Santander is in Vila dos Remédios, Bradesco at Vila do Trinta and the airport, and the Banco24Horas machine at the port. Bring cash from the mainland as well.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Brazil
SafeCrime is close to non-existent, and the risks are the sea and the sun. The north-shore beaches get big surf in the northern-hemisphere winter; snorkel the calm bays, follow the ICMBio rules at each beach, and wear more sun protection than you think — except in the Atalaia pool, where sunscreen is not allowed in the water.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (6 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
- Vila dos Remédios — including at night
- Praia do Sueste — the calmest water on the island
- Baía do Sancho — in the calm season
Worth more attention
- Cacimba do Padre — the surf beach: big waves and currents in the northern swell season
- Baía do Sancho — the ladders down the cliff are steep and narrow, and slippery when wet
- The sun on the open trails, which have no shade
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Brazil visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Other passports
e-Visa requiredup to 90 days$80
Brazil reintroduced visas for these three nationalities. It is an e-visa applied for online.
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Brazil
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Yellow fever — recommended for most of Brazil including the area around Rio
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
Getting treated
Public emergency care (SUS) is free to everyone including foreigners, but is crowded and slow. Private hospitals in Rio and São Paulo are excellent and expect insurance or payment up front.
Dengue, zika and chikungunya are all present and mosquito-borne — repellent matters. Yellow fever vaccination should be given at least 10 days before arrival.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodFish, mostly tuna and whatever came in that morning, grilled or as peixe na telha. Restaurant prices are high and supermarket prices higher, because almost everything is flown or shipped in; a pousada with breakfast included saves real money.
Travel tipsGetting around
Workable- BoltNot here
No ride-hailing on the island. There is one road, a public bus along it, local taxis, and buggies to hire.
Time zone and your working day
America/Noronha — 2 hours ahead of you
6 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–15:00 your time, 11:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 07:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 07:00–15:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Brazil, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Portuguese (Brazilian)
- HelloOi / Oláoy / o-LA
- PleasePor favorpor fa-VOR
- Thank youObrigado / Obrigadao-bree-GA-doo / -da
- Yes / NoSim / Nãoseeng / nowng
4 more phrases
- Excuse meCom licençakong lee-SEN-sa
- How much is it?Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOS-ta
- The bill, pleaseA conta, por favora KON-ta
- Cheers!Saúde!sa-OO-djee
Softer and more open than European Portuguese, and the de sounds like "dje".
Travel tipsReligion
Catholic and Evangelical
The largest Catholic population in the world, with a fast-growing Evangelical share and Afro-Brazilian traditions such as Candomblé and Umbanda practised alongside.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet with a kiss on each cheek between women, or a woman and a man; a handshake between men
- Expect physical closeness in conversation — standing back reads as cold
- Arrive late to social invitations; on time is genuinely early
- Learn a few words of Portuguese, and never open in Spanish
Don't
- Do not make the OK sign with finger and thumb — it is obscene here
- Do not walk with a phone visible in the street
- Do not wear obvious jewellery or watches on the beach or in the city
- Do not call Brazilians Hispanic or assume they speak Spanish
Where to stay in Fernando de Noronha
No Holistay rentals in Fernando de Noronha yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Fernando de Noronha on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Fernando de Noronha FEN
10 minfrom the airport· 2 km as the crow flies
10 min to Vila dos Remédios.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
